Global Release Day

Beyoncé's 2013 self-titled album is credited with the setting of Friday as Global Release Day

Global Release Day (alternatively known as New Music Fridays) is the universal day of the week for releasing new music. Global Release Day was established in 2015 to combat the rise in music piracy, as music was previously released on different days internationally: Tuesdays in the United States and Canada, and other days in different markets. Friday was set as Global Release Day as a result of a trend of Friday releases that started with Beyoncé's 2013 surprise self-titled album.

History

Historically, new music was made available on varying national release days. In major markets such as the United States and Canada, new music was released on Tuesdays, largely because the Billboard charts were published on Wednesday, and because retailers could prepare their stock ahead of the weekend. Smaller markets varied in their music release days, such as France and the United Kingdom where music was released on Mondays.[1]

American singer-songwriter Beyoncé released her surprise self-titled album on Friday, December 13, 2013, in a break with industry norms. The Friday release meant that fans across the world could experience the music at the same time, and new music on a Friday was seen as enabling listeners to enjoy the album over the weekend. This move set a trend of artists releasing their albums on Fridays.[2] Due to increased piracy as a result of the rise of digital music and streaming, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) decided to create a unified Global Release Day, on which music releases are made uniformly available around the world, to streamline global music consumption, minimize piracy, and create a culture-shaping moment each week. On June 11, 2015, the IFPI announced that the Global Release Day will be set for Fridays, known as New Music Fridays, as a result of the impact from Beyoncé's album.[3][4][5]

Today, music releases are now uniformly available in all 45 signatory countries on Fridays at 00:01 local time. The change in release schedules has changed the previously traditional days when official music charts were published, as countries try to capture a full week's sales from Friday mornings to Thursday nights. For example, the Official Charts Company moved the UK singles chart from being published on a Sunday to a Friday, with the BBC also moving its new Top 40 charts program from Sundays to Fridays.

Arguments for the greatest album release days of all time

Many publications have argued that 24 September 1991 was the greatest day for album releases of all time.[6][7][8][9] The date saw the releases of albums such as Nevermind by Nirvana, Blood Sugar Sex Magik by Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest, and Trompe le Monde by the Pixies. In addition, Badmotorfinger by Soundgarden was originally scheduled to come out on the date but got delayed to 8 October, and Screamadelica by Primal Scream came out the same week as 24 September.[6]

Similarly, many publications have argued that 29 September 1998 was the best ever day for hip hop album releases.[10][11][12] On this day, Jay-Z's Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life, Black Star's Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star, Outkast's Aquemini, A Tribe Called Quest's The Love Movement, and Brand Nubian's Foundation all released simultaneously.[12]

References

  1. ^ Smirke, Richard (2015-06-11). "Global Release Day Launch Set for July". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
  2. ^ Lang, Cady (2024-03-28). "How Beyoncé Changed the Music Industry". TIME. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
  3. ^ McKinney, Kelsey (2015-02-26). "New albums will come out on Fridays instead of Tuesdays now. Blame Beyonce". Vox. Archived from the original on December 3, 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  4. ^ Smirke, Richard. "Global Release Day Launch Set for July" Archived March 27, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, Billboard magazine, June 11, 2015
  5. ^ Powell, Jon (March 31, 2025). "9 ways Beyoncé became the business blueprint for the music industry". Yahoo. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  6. ^ a b Sylvester, Daniel. "Remembering September 24, 1991, the Day Underground Music Hit the Mainstream". Exclaim!. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  7. ^ Beaumont, Mark (2021-09-27). "Why one week in September 1991 might have been the best ever for album releases". NME. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  8. ^ Hart, Ron (24 September 2021). "September 24, 1991: A Banner Release Day for Musical Masterworks". Spin. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  9. ^ Sayles, Justin (2021-09-24). "The Biggest Album Release Dates in Modern Music History, Ranked". The Ringer. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  10. ^ Serrano, Shea (2018-09-28). "Was September 29, 1998, the Greatest Rap Album Release Day Ever?". The Ringer. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  11. ^ Scott, Dana (2018-10-01). "While You Were Waiting On Kanye's Tardy "Yandhi," A Golden Hip Hop Anniversary Passed". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  12. ^ a b Polowy, Kevin (2023-09-29). "One of hip-hop's greatest release dates? Jay-Z, Outkast, A Tribe Called Quest and Black Star all dropped albums on this day in 1998". Yahoo Entertainment. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
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