Cultura Voice

Having consulted on behalf of 1,300 record labels, worldwide trade body IFPI launched Global Release Day (GRD), which united the music biz’s official weekly launch moment for singles and albums to Fridays across the world. There were some dissenting voices. Martin Mills, boss of Adele’s indie U.K. label group Beggars, questioned whether the initiative would “further cement the dominance” of the major record companies. Others argued that their qualms had been ignored; Martin Goldschmidt, the head of British label Cooking Vinyl, memorably remarked: “That was only a ‘consultation’ if the new dictionary definition of ‘to consult’ is ‘to tell to f*ck off’.” Perhaps the gravest fear about the GRD, however, was that it would create a “gradual erosion of local music culture.” This concern was rooted in the idea that, with one unified release date, artists in individual markets would struggle to secure crucial promotional spots on the likes of Spotify, YouTube and...