The record industry has proclaimed Friday as the official global release day for new albums. The change will take effect beginning this summer.

The head of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), Frances Moore, explained the reasoning behind the decision. “Music fans live in the digital world of today. Their love for new music doesn’t recognise national borders. They want music when it’s available on the internet — not when it’s ready to be released in their country. An aligned global release day puts an end to the frustration of not being able to access releases in their country when the music is available in another country.”

The IFPI found that consumers who have a preference for which day new music comes out prefer to hear it on Fridays and Saturdays. 

Moore further explained the process that will be involved in enacting this plan:

“Implementing this project across markets worldwide is going to be no small task. We asked our IFPI national groups to form working groups just for this task when discussions started last summer. Retailers, chart companies, labels and artists need to be involved. The key tasks of these working groups will include: adapting the charts to a Friday release for countries that presently have a different day; managing the process and system changes between different parties in the supply chain; marketing and branding so that there is a clear brand and consumer awareness around Global Release Day; and dealing with glitches that will inevitably arise during the process of the switchover.”

The decision was met with a great deal of opposition from a business standpoint. The American Association of Independent Music, for example, pushed to adopt Tuesday as the official day, explaining,

“A2IM supports the concept of a global street date but, for a variety of business reasons as spelled out in our previous comments, there are a number of business hurdles that make Fridays less optimal for the United States marketplace, and independents in particular. That said, as part of the worldwide music community, A2IM will endeavor to make the transition as smooth as possible for our members and our commerce partners and a success for our artists’ fans.”

Regardless of the opposition, Friday is the day!