https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2015/07/10/421483599/goodbye-music-tuesday-starting-today-albums-come-out-on-friday
main reason seems to be to try and reduce piracy
i mean, it's a stupid reason & i highly doubt it fixed anything, but
Interesting, and I think I recall reading about this at one point in time.
Part of me felt like it was also to avoid having to compete with the similarly-dwindling home video market, known commonly as "DVD Tuesday" or "DVDuesday" or what have you. Film releases have conquered the Tuesday market, so maybe record companies felt that the often-pirated music albums would get a better chance at people's wallets if they were released on Fridays instead?
Fridays are also a major payday for many folks, so those who are willing to spare money for a physical album (or even digital) might be more willing to do so on payday? I also thought that maybe Fridays were a good day for new albums to be delivered.
If pre-orders were shipped earlier in the week, they'd be more likely to arrive by Thursday afternoon or Friday morning, just in time for release day, where as albums released on Tuesdays might not get there until later that day or Wednesday depending on when the album was shipped and where it was going.
Whatever reasons there are, it's a bit trivial in this time of piracy and leaks, but for those of us who continue to support the industries we enjoy (music, film, etc.), buying the product is always a pleasure, no matter what day it is.
-Marc.