June 26, 2008

By By Ed Christman, N.Y.

The National Assn. of Recording Merchandisers have issued a statement urging that labels do not release digital versions of albums in advance of physical street dates.

"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 said in a statement. If the practice continues, "we are opening the door for chaos in the marketplace as the significance of street date becomes meaningless and its competitive benefits are lost."

The statement argues that a singular street date will help stimulate competition on what matters: price, selection, quality, and service, which would benefit consumers.

Moreover, 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.

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