The trade body for US record retailers, the National Association of Recording Merchandisers, is calling on record labels to stop releasing records in digital and physical format on different days.
It has become the norm here in the UK, of course, for digital releases to precede physical releases by a week or two, or even more, so that albums are frequently available via iTunes et al before they are available as CDs on the high street. One reason for the earlier digital release - other than providing a boost to the fledgling digital market - is that labels want music to be available digitally as soon as possible so there isn't a period of weeks when tracks are available via illegal sources online but can't be bought legitimately. The earlier digital release date means tracks can be made available online at the same time that copies start to surface on P2P networks while the manufacture and distribution of physical CDs is still underway.
But NARM aren't happy that US labels are now adopting this earlier digital release policy - presumably because they aren't quite as pro-digital as their UK equivalents, the Entertainment Retailer Association, who, to their credit, have been increasingly supportive of digital initiatives in recent years, even when said initiatives could arguably have negative impacts on trade in high street record stores (presumably because sensible high street sellers are also moving into digital themselves).
Anyway, here is the statement NARM have released in relation to the early digital release date thing...
"While recognizing the continuing shift in physical and digital album sales patterns, the Board of Directors of NARM reminds the industry that the accepted practice is for all album releases, regardless of format, to come to market simultaneously on Tuesday. It is simply good for business that this practice is respected. If not, the Board feels we are opening the door for chaos in the marketplace as the significance of street date becomes meaningless and its competitive benefits are lost. Over the past few months, there have been instances where release dates for physical and digital versions of albums did not coincide, creating unnecessary and unwelcome marketing obstacles, consumer confusion and, most importantly, missed sales opportunities".
"The NARM Board urges all parties to make extraordinary efforts to limit or more tightly control any copies issued before the actual release date. In those isolated instances where an album's digital release is advanced unexpectedly or unavoidably, retailers that are planning to merchandise the physical product should also be permitted to provide it to their customers immediately without fear of reprisal. Artists, managers, labels, and distributors are urged to make every effort to embrace, endorse and execute release date parity. There is no "competition for earliest availability" that will be of any benefit to consumers. A singular street date will help stimulate competition on what matters: price, selection, quality, and service. The NARM Board feels that strict adherence to this strategy will benefit all segments of the business, especially consumers".