Have you been told to release your music on a Friday, but you have no idea why?
Initially, the day of the week new music went up for sale and streaming varied from country to country. The go-to release day in the UK was Monday, while the US released new music on Tuesdays. Fans grew increasingly frustrated with parts of the world receiving new music before others, fuelling piracy.
In July 2015, the industry moved to a global release day of Friday, which aimed to unite the industry and combat piracy.
With the continuous rise in popularity of music streaming, piracy concerns aren’t as big as they once were, so why do we still release on Fridays?
The answer comes down to two main points: chart calculations and support from streaming services.
CHARTS
If you’re looking to secure a chart position, you will benefit from releasing your music on a Friday. It gives you the maximum amount of time to accumulate sales and streams within one Friday to Thursday chart week window. If you want to know more about how the UK Charts work, click here.
STREAMING
Traditionally, streaming services updated their editorial new music playlists on Fridays, however we’re gradually seeing some services move towards regular daily updates.
You can release your music whenever you like! What works for one artist may not work for everyone. If charting isn’t a primary concern for you, releasing on another day of the week could help to avoid the music clutter and stand out from the Friday noise. You could release your music to coincide with a live show or a radio play instead.
Absolute artists can contact their label manager to discuss the best release strategy for them.
