"There is no “best” month to release new music—most months are interchangeable—with the exception of December. December is bad; everything else is the same."
I wonder if the pattern of Pitchfork ratings would hold if the "Christmas" genre were excluded. There's probably a lot of albums that drop every year as shallow money grabs (based on one of the many subplots of "Love, Actually"). If those holidays releases are excluded, I wonder if the ratings for other albums are still lower than average.
December music releases not only have to contend with Christmas music but it also, in the main, a no go for any artist that would like to be considered for end of year lists that are already rolling out in November. So that might drive down the average P4K score as well.
The odd thing about being in the UK for January is that is when Oscar fare is released and as a result it is one of the best months to frequent the cinema.
Agree about the cinema releases in January. All the good movies seem to be showing at once and I can't keep up. Better than having nothing exciting to choose from, I guess.
With the exception of December, most months are interchangeable when it comes to releasing new music; there is no "best" month. Everything else is the same, but December is awful. https://golf-hit.io
Very interesting about how albums released in January tend to be rated higher by Pitchfork. Both Harry Styles and Robbie Williams have new singles and albums out this month, so maybe they're aware of this too? Apparently, Robbie Williams delayed a couple of times the release of his new album to avoid clashing with Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl. It has paid off as he's now become the British artist with more number one singles, ahead of The Beatles.
"There is no “best” month to release new music—most months are interchangeable—with the exception of December. December is bad; everything else is the same."
I wonder if the pattern of Pitchfork ratings would hold if the "Christmas" genre were excluded. There's probably a lot of albums that drop every year as shallow money grabs (based on one of the many subplots of "Love, Actually"). If those holidays releases are excluded, I wonder if the ratings for other albums are still lower than average.
December music releases not only have to contend with Christmas music but it also, in the main, a no go for any artist that would like to be considered for end of year lists that are already rolling out in November. So that might drive down the average P4K score as well.
The odd thing about being in the UK for January is that is when Oscar fare is released and as a result it is one of the best months to frequent the cinema.
Agree about the cinema releases in January. All the good movies seem to be showing at once and I can't keep up. Better than having nothing exciting to choose from, I guess.
Nicely done. For a moment I thought I was reading a more in-depth Ted Gioia Substack, which I mean as a compliment. Bravo.
Excellent stuff!!!!!!! That’s all
With the exception of December, most months are interchangeable when it comes to releasing new music; there is no "best" month. Everything else is the same, but December is awful. https://golf-hit.io
Very interesting about how albums released in January tend to be rated higher by Pitchfork. Both Harry Styles and Robbie Williams have new singles and albums out this month, so maybe they're aware of this too? Apparently, Robbie Williams delayed a couple of times the release of his new album to avoid clashing with Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl. It has paid off as he's now become the British artist with more number one singles, ahead of The Beatles.