If a report on Billboard yesterday is to be believed, next July could see the global music industry adopting a unified strategy of putting out new releases on Fridays. That would be a big change in markets like the US and UK, where new music traditionally comes out on Tuesday and Monday respectively. The report suggests that the initiative is being backed by major labels and industry bodies the IFPI and RIAA, and receiving a warm welcome from digital music services – but adds that some physical retailers and independent labels aren’t yet convinced. “This global street date is necessary for the industry but unfortunately it will be awkward for the physical retailers to change their ways of doing business,” one source told Billboard. We suspect charts will be one area of contention: for example, the UK’s traditional Sunday-night chart changeover could have to switch to Thursday to account for the changes. Still, with an 11-month lead, there’s plenty of time for arguing…
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Tools: Kaiber
In the year or so since its launch, AI startup Kaiber has been making waves,…