FRIDAY STREET DATE SPECULATION

The Music Week report about the forthcoming switch to a worldwide Friday street date got us thinking—always an iffy proposition. Here are a couple of random ruminations:

Potential impact on the bible, SoundScan and the charts: People are wondering if SoundScan will change the reporting week because of this shift. In the current reporting period, new releases would lose three days of sales in their debut week. The whole model of strategizing to score a #1 debut would have to be rethought. Titles in their second and third weeks with seven days of sales could realistically beat out a debut, which would have just three days of sales, for #1.

Potential impact on terrestrial retail: Because movies and books will still presumably have a Monday/Tuesday street date, concerns over additional payroll have been raised at Target. That said, any major retailer that doesn't have an inventory/merchandising crew in in Friday to stock up for the weekend is on borrowed time anyway.

We’re reminded of Michael Eisner’s take on the extended work week: "If you're not going to come in on Saturday, don't even bother showing up on Sunday."