Release Dates and Cynicism

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I sometimes wonder what thinking goes into the setting of release dates. Do popular/crit-fave artists release records close to the end to the year in order to (a) guarantee places on top 10 lists or (b) to capitalize on Christmas/Huanakah sales (I know I spelled that wrong)?

These are the records that I have in mind here:

JAY-Z The Black Album
EMINEM Encore
MISSY ELLIOTT This Is Not a Test (or whatever her record that came out late last year was)

Crits: Is it even fair to count records that come out, say, after October 15 in figuring out one's Top 10 for that year, or should they be pushed to the next year?

― Raymond Cummings (Raymond Cummings), Monday, 20 September 2004 14:16 (twenty-one years ago)

the proposed release date for Annie's album strikes me as weak-willed resignation.

― teh pow! (blueski), Monday, 20 September 2004 14:21 (twenty-one years ago)

The answer is by the time next year comes around, you've forgotten about them entirely when it comes to doing top 10 lists. I had to do my top 10 for Uncut before the August Bank Holiday!

― Donnie Smith The Quiz Kid, Monday, 20 September 2004 14:25 (twenty-one years ago)

re: I had to do my top 10 for Uncut before the August Bank Holiday!

Are you serious ! for 2004 - before September starts !

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Monday, 20 September 2004 14:32 (twenty-one years ago)

i wouldn't call it cynical to time a release to capitalize on holiday sales. that's just plain good business sense.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Monday, 20 September 2004 14:33 (twenty-one years ago)

(xpost)

Yes I'm absolutely serious. My editor wanted to "get it out of the way."

― Donnie Smith The Quiz Kid, Monday, 20 September 2004 14:35 (twenty-one years ago)

other subjects that would be a lot more fun if editors chose to get them "out of the way" early in the year:

sports. imagine how entertaining sports pages would be if sportswriters had to turn in their world series wrapups in august and their super bowl game stories in november.

politics. imagine the storytelling possibilities if presidential election results had to be reported in september.

obituaries. i bet they'd be the best-read section of the newspaper!

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Monday, 20 September 2004 14:39 (twenty-one years ago)

This is absolutely madness ! The publishing world gone completely barking mad !

September and October are the biggest new releases months of the year !

I know magazines need to be planned in advance - but this going way to far. I suppose there is publishing peer pressure to publish the annual review before your rivals [Mojo] - you don't want to be an issue/ monthly cycle behind them. This can be the only reason - Mr Jones keeping up/ ahead of the Mojo Joneses.

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Monday, 20 September 2004 14:44 (twenty-one years ago)

In a perfect world, I guess we'd all put out the Top 10s in February of the following year, but yeah, who wants to get one-upped?

― Raymond Cummings (Raymond Cummings), Monday, 20 September 2004 14:53 (twenty-one years ago)

one month passes...

Allan Jones is publishing plank ! What is the point of publishing Albums of the Year list for a magazine that goes on Sale on November 4th !

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Thursday, 4 November 2004 19:02 (twenty-one years ago)

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