Pop quiz: What do the following have in common: Haim, Liam Gallagher, Wolf Alice, The Killers, Shania Twain and Miley Cyrus?
Well, they’re all stars who have released exciting new records recently, of course. But none of them did so on the so-called Global Release Day of Friday.
GRD, as no one calls it, has been with us for almost two years now. It seems to have worked OK for albums but in today’s streaming-led world, it seems to be increasingly ignored for tracks.
And you can’t exactly blame labels or artists for wanting to mess with the rules. The chart changes outlined by Music Week on P1 will help speed the chart up but, even with those measures in place, making an impact on the Top 40 with a new single is tougher than ever.
The days of a fanbase launching a record to the top of the chart are gone for all but the biggest artists, so advantages must be taken where they can.
And, with a crowded release schedule each Friday, launching on a different day can help generate more excitement than arriving amidst a host of other releases.
2017 has been notable for a flurry of big names dropping tracks at a moment’s notice and that’s helped contribute to the buzz around the biz.
It’s odd to look back at Adele’s 25 campaign, as we do in this issue, and think how much has changed about the release cycle since then.
Nowdays, the element of surprise is a key weapon in breaking a record and, whether that comes out on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or any other day of the week, Happy Days are here again for the industry.
Mark Sutherland, Editor
msutherland@nbmedia.com
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