Why is new music Released on Fridays?

The music industry has seen many transformations over the years, particularly in how new music is released and promoted, for instance: what was once a standard Tuesday release in the United States has shifted to a global release day on Fridays. This change has prompted record labels and artists to adapt to this condition in order to optimize sales and visibility.

The timing of a release can be really beneficial for new artists and small independent labels because with the challenge of standing out in a competitive market, choosing the right way to release a song in even more important.

In this article, we're going to see why music is released on Friday now and how you can take the most out of this process.

Global Release Day

Global Release Day, also known as "New Music Fridays", was established to standardize the release of new music singles and albums across the world.

Prior to its implementation, different countries had different release days, which led to discrepancies in when fans could access new music. This lack of uniformity often caused issues like music piracy as fans in some regions tried to access new releases before they were officially available in their country.

Firstly, it was standard practice for record labels in the United States to release new music on Tuesdays, or whenever the records would arrive in stores. During the decades, music was published on other days of the week: Billboard started began publishing its weekly charts on Wednesdays, then Tuesday was also a strategically chosen day for maximizing sales over the weekend.

Recognizing the need for a more synchronized approach, the music industry took a significant step toward unification. On 10 July 2015, Global Release Day was officially launched in more than 45 major music markets worldwide. This change established Friday as the universal day for releasing new music, aligning the schedules of artists, record labels, and retailers across different regions.

Get your music on Release Radar Playlist

Release Radar is a personalized playlist on Spotify that updates every Friday, offering users a curated selection of new music, it's based specifically on each user's taste. Spotify uses algorithms based on your listening history, the artists you follow, and the genres you frequently listen to.

This playlist primarily features new songs released in the past week and it refreshes every Friday with a new set of songs and it refers to an algorithmic selection: Spotify’s recommendation system learns from your interactions with the playlist, such as which songs you skip, repeat, or save, to improve future recommendations.

Tips on How to Get into Release Radar

Boost Interactions

There's something you need to know: in order to enter this kind of playlists, artists have to increase the interactions with the platform and fans.

The increase in engagement and interactions with your track depends on effective music promotion.

Nowadays, there are many misconceptions surrounding this topic, and many artists still make the mistake of spending large amounts of money to get into major playlists, but only for a short time. The secret of a good promotion doesn’t lie in getting into these playlists, but rather in maximizing interaction with as many playlists as possible.

Today, there are many platforms that allow artists to self-promote their music. For example, Matchfy allows you to submit your track to an unlimited number of playlists, which in turn increases interactions with the track, boosting the chances of being featured on playlists like Release Radar. If this process is done correctly, it will be much easier to reach an ever-growing audience, especially one that appreciates your music.

Pre-save link

Pre-saving music on Spotify is also a way for fans to express interest in upcoming releases and ensure that new tracks are automatically added to their libraries upon release.

Before a new release, artists or their teams set up a pre-save campaign  that involves creating a pre-save link that fans can follow. Once the release date arrives, the track is automatically added to the fan's library or a designated playlist. This ensures that the music is  available and helps increase early streams.

Pre-save campaigns can help boost the visibility and potential impact of a release. They signal to Spotify’s algorithm that there is significant interest in the track, which can help in playlist placements and algorithmic recommendations.

Conclusion

Working in the modern music landscape involves more than adapting to global release schedules because it requires a proactive approach to promotion and engagement. By embracing these strategies and utilizing available tools, artists can better position themselves in a competitive market and achieve lasting visibility and growth.

The best way to promote your music and get featured on playlists like Release Radar is to choose the most effective promotion method, which will allow you to market your music safely and successfully.

If you’re still looking for how to do this, Matchfy is just what you need!

Discover how to submit your track to countless playlists and don’t miss the chance to get your music heard by as many people as possible by pressing the button down below.