Music labels launch "On Air, On Sale" policy
Florence And The Machine are signed by Universal
From today two of the UK's biggest music labels are releasing singles for sale as soon as they are played on the radio.
In a move to tackle the problem of piracy Universal and Sony Music will start their "On Air, On Sale" policy.
Usually songs are played on radio and TV to drum up hype and interest for up to six weeks before they are released for sale.
But this practice has gradually become redundant as wen impatient music lovers now go online to listen instantly to new music and often (ehem) illegally download the songs.
With this new policy, the record companies hope that fans will be encouraged to buy the song rather than get a pirated copy as they can get hold of a good quality track straight away.
This move follows the success of the X factor in selling the winner's single immediately after the final.
Universal Music UK Chairman David Joseph said that the changes are being made because "We live in an immediate world."
In his statement he said:
"On Air, On Sale is good news for any music fan and exciting for our artists who can now go into the studio knowing they don't have to wait weeks or sometimes months to see the music they have created go on sale."
-
- groups:
- News and Politics, Entertainment, Games, Technology
