Come July, you can expect a new standard for release dates in the music industry. Obviously illegal downloads have become rampant these days, and while part of the issue lies in the readiness and availability of the internet, another part is simply because there are different standards when it comes to release dates for new music around the world-- thus, for example, something may become available earlier in the UK then it would the US.
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) has worked with labels, retailers, music unions, artist reps and more to coordinate a new standard when it comes to music release, and over 45 countries have signed up to take part; among them, United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany and Australia.
Currently, new music is typically released on a Monday in the UK and France, while Canada and the United States uses Tuesdays, and Australia, Ireland and Germany tend towards Fridays. Beginning in July, we can expect all these countries to be in unison and adopt Fridays as the preferred release date for new music (new music would include singles and both digital/physical copies of albums).
The IFPI hopes to not only help prevent piracy with this change, but boost consumer demand. IFPI CEO Frances Moore spoke to Billboard on the subject, saying, "This was done primarily for the consumer. Consumers were telling us via different pieces of research done across many countries that Fridays and Saturdays was when they wanted new music and that’s what has led this campaign. We’re hoping that with more consumers in stores on Fridays and Saturdays, which stores tell us leads to increase impulse buying, and with peak activity on most social media [typically taking place over the weekend], will all lead to an increase in sales."
The change is expected to launch July 10th, 2015. Along with this, IFPI has begun a new initiative called "New Music Fridays," we expect we'll learn more on that in the very near future.