So, inspired by the reviews, I decided to go and buy MAGIC by Bruce Springsteen and, as so many are praising it, the Babyshambles one... into HMV... NOPE, they are both "released" on Monday.

I may or may not go back.

Release dates are SO 20th Century. Trust the majors to find old ways to chuck sales away. TIMES HAVE CHANGED. Get the reviews and press and internet interest when the product is available. Don't think it all works like it used to. Sony and EMI? LOSERS!

That`s interesting.
I was just about to whine about the fact that the album was available in the States a week before the cd release, which would have suited me fine on the pre-order I did of it.
This did not appear to be the case in the UK, so I`m assuming mine arrives on Monday.

The key to Bruce`s longevity and success comes from one of his own quotes.
"(he).allways tried to write songs for the age that I am."
Doesn`t, and will not work for all of course, but his audience feel they get "Bruce" himself everytime as a result with a new release, not allways ideal, as in the case of the memory ridden "Glory Days".

How many other artists albums does one still avoid hearing until you own your own copy these days?

Release dates have indeed become totally irrelevent because almost every album that is released these days ends up being available for download somewhere online weeks and sometimes months before "the date". How come was it for instance a couple of tracks Kylie rejected for her next album (due in time for Christmas of course) "leaked out" on the net in the past week?

The latest one I bought, PJ Harveys' "White Chalk" (which I genuinely don't like) was online a few weeks ago... I now wish I had downloaded it first to check it out so I would had saved my money on it!

Times and marketing have changed drastically but the music corporates keep on clinging to their anachronistic values which strangulate their artistes creativity.

3 or 4 years ago the german record industry had a "great" idea to stop the decline of record sales: To release records "earlier", on friday instead of monday. The idea was to maximise first-week-sales, but the cd-buyers didn't notice the change at all.

The focus on release dates and first-week-sales (the movie business model) is sooo 90s - and one of the reasons for the trouble the majors are in.

DJones wrote:
3 or 4 years ago the german record industry had a "great" idea to stop the decline of record sales: To release records "earlier", on friday instead of monday. The idea was to maximise first-week-sales, but the cd-buyers didn't notice the change at all.


The funny thing about that is, as JK I'm sure will recall, was the fact in the 60s and 70s Friday was the traditional day of release for new records. So the German industry actually looked backward in order to go forward!

Why it switched to Mondays whenever it did is beyond me because Thursday is when most people get paid, so on Fridays they're going to have more money to spare and spend than they will have by Monday.