In an effort to curb piracy, record companies around the world represented by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), will be dropping their old release date model of many release dates for different regions, and adopting one worldwide release date. New Music Fridays will launch officially on July 10th, affecting 1300 record companies in forty-five countries.
While some have expressed early opposition to the change, like Beggars Group CEO Martin Mills who in February said, “I fear this move will also lead to a market in which the mainstream dominates, and the niche, which can be tomorrow’s mainstream, is further marginalized,” others claim this new model is needed in a “borderless world” where the internet decides which media survives.
Is this good or bad? We, of course, can’t really know the effects of this until it launches in July. Read more on Billboard.com and NewMusicFridays.com to decide for yourself.
