News November 30, 2016

Exclusive: Apparently Global Release Day doesn’t apply to Apple, for now

Former Editor

While 45 major recorded music markets worldwide have been uniformly releasing new music on Fridays since July 2015, Apple has quietly changed its release schedule.

TMN has gained access to an email sent by local recording industry body ARIA to its members to update them on the change.

“As we understand it, Apple changed their release schedule as a result of introducing regional hubs instead of country by country release schedules,” read the email.

According to the email, ARIA understands that Apple plans to align its release schedule with the most eastern time zone in nine regions, meaning midnight in the first country will become the release schedule for the entire region.

As per the structure of Global Release Day, music releases are currently uniformly available around the world on Fridays at midnight local time.

ARIA has told TMN the change has the potential to effect albums and singles and therefore the ARIA chart, depending on how labels will manage their release arrangements through Apple following the change.

“If a product has a formal release date of the Friday, but some sales (and possible pre-orders) are processed on the Thursday,they will bereported in the chart week the sales occurred (i.e. before the product is officially released).

“This may mean that the impact of pre-release orders dilute the ‘release week’ success of a product.

“Of course, we understand that labels can manage the release dates throughApple, and may mitigate that problem by adjusting their release arrangements. That would be a matter for each individual label.”

TMN has reached out to a few local labels for comment. Melbourne-based music company UNIFIED said it is aware of the change but believes Apple’s current release schedule will change “within a few weeks.”

Crucially though, Apple brought the change into effect on Thursday November 17, when it released albums and singles scheduled for Global Release Day Friday at 9:15pm Thursday (AEST).

While these were included in ARIA’s chart sales reporting for Thursday, November 17 (which ARIA receives the following day), ARIA stated in the email that the change “did not impact any key charts last week, given they are survey driven”.

TMN has reached out to Apple for comment.

According to rule 3.1 in ARIA’s Code of Practice, music from labels can only be included in the ARIA charts upon written request: “A Title will not be included in any surveyed ARIA Chart unless a Record Supplier makes a written request in the form prescribed under Schedule 3 (Chart Survey Request).

ARIA said it understands the change will affect the following regional hubs:

·Oceania

·Europe

·Asia

·Africa

·Caribbean

·Russia

·India

·Turkey

·Middle East

Apparently Apple are considering a request to realign their Oceania region with Sydney time but have advised ARIA that, even if it’s possible, it’s unlikely to be changed in the next few weeks.

The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) initially revealed plans to synchronise the release day last September in a bid to quell music fans’ frustration at being unable to legally access music in their own country when it is available elsewhere.

Following its full support of IFPI’s plans, ARIA welcomed the change in June last year.

“ARIA is very pleased to see the industry move to a global release date with the launch of New Music Fridays,” said Dan Rosen, ARIA Chief Executive Officer, at the time. “Artists today communicate with their fans on a global basis so it only makes sense that music fans around the world have the opportunity to enjoy and purchase new music at the same time.”