Halloween week was set to be busy for new music, with five major hip-hop albums and the return of The Cure incoming. However, by the time New Music Friday rolled around, the world had already listened to two of them: Tyler, The Creator’s blockbuster Chromakopia arrived on streaming services on Monday morning, shortly followed up by Dreamville-affiliated rap duo EarthGang’s Perfect Fantasy the next day.  

Friday has been the industry standard release day ever since 2015, marking the first time a globally standardised music release day and charting week were set. Inspired by Beyoncé’s surprise Friday release two years prior subverting the US’ Tuesday norm, new music was pitched as an end-of-week celebration.  

So why did Tyler and EarthGang go against the grain? After all, a weekday release gives these releases a far smaller window to rack up their first-week sales, and therefore a far smaller chance of popping up on your radar screen. Well, it’s clear Tyler isn’t interested in the numbers; “if you put it out during the week, that commute to work or school, you really have that hour or thirty minutes to really ‘dive in’ and really listen”. 

He makes a point – the Friday midnight slot seems tailored to the sleep-deprived music nerd. EarthGang explained their Tuesday release in a tweet expressing a similar sentiment, having also previously released ten songs from the album in two EPs over the past year to further allow fans to “live with the music”. Ultimately, these artists want to do all they can to streamline their fans’ ability to bond with them, many of whom are bound by the same 9-to-5s that Tyler and EarthGang are all too familiar with.  

Despite only 4 days of chart tracking, Chromakopia still went No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and had Spotify’s biggest rap debut of 2024. And Tyler has not been the only benefactor – his Californian compatriot Kendrick Lamar incited a similarly anti-industry moment this year with the Saturday release of ‘Not Like Us’, and by now you probably don’t need that song’s success explained.  

This world where artistic movements like these, which seem nothing but counterproductive on paper can be carried out in the mainstream and – in Tyler’s case – supported by a major label – is a welcome departure from the rigid industry culture of only a decade ago. Next time Friday comes around, try not to just listen to the music – live with it. 

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