It’s really hard to believe that the year is over already and that it’s time to prep for 2017.  As we look back here at New Music Weekly we are so very grateful for another banner year as we continue to lead the charge in the New Music Revolution. Once again new artists and labels came to us by leaps and bounds and radio stations and their programmers continued to include all of their vital information to us for our weekly charts. Many supported our efforts through advertising and the like and this has helped us to keep the ball rolling strong especially for the smaller independent artists and their labels.

This is the one issue each year where we pay tribute to the very best the year provided in song, by artists, bands and record labels. Many chose to participate in this issue in hopes of being recognized for our up and coming New Music Award nominations that will be revealed in the coming weeks. Please take some extra time to look at those artists and the many that grace our charts throughout this issue. All of them deserve your immediate attention and for our radio station programmers, we will be contacting you very soon to get your input on what worked best for you in 2016.

This is also a special holiday issue as well. The outpouring of Christmas music from both the major and independent artists is at an all-time high. Even as of this writing the music is coming in and that is an indication that the spirit of the holidays is as strong as it’s ever been. You can see by our charts, especially in the AC arena just how many are already getting chart activity. If there are some songs that you as a programmer can’t get a hold of, please reach out to us here at NMW and we will see if we can help.

We are also pleased to say that this is our final issue of 2016. It gives us a chance to reflect about all that has happened in 2016 musically and sets the course for the challenges that lay ahead. We’ve had the opportunity to break many new artists on our charts in 2016 and that is a homage to the many record and music promoters out there that continue to use New Music Weekly as a chart that can make a difference in breaking new artists and bands. All you have to do is look at the various charts in this issue to see just what we are talking about.

Even as we prepare this particular issue, new music continues to pour in for tracking and airplay. Our job is to keep you apprised on those artists with new singles and songs and we are doing our very best to do just that. For the labels and artists that want to do some smart planning for 2017, now is the time. Keep in mind that starting in January, the holiday music will be over and many of our music and program directors will be “cleaning house”, taking out the old and looking for the new. That time is only a month away so if you are an artist or band looking for the best time to put out a new single or release, that time is coming up fast. The ones that make that move early will reap big rewards and get a jump on the competition so keep that in mind and get ready to make your move.

As all of us know by now we have a new President, Congress and Senate and we hope and pray that things will begin to improve for everybody. This will have a profound impact on our music industry should the economy take a turn for the better. A good many of us share in the hope and the optimism that things will improve for the better and that we can keep serving you even stronger in 2017.

New Music Weekly will continue to provide you the very best “tools for the trade” from our weekly charts, radio tracking and advertising opportunities. With our New Music Weekly Awards just around the corner, it will once again provide us the opportunity to honor recording artists, record labels, radio stations, their programmers and industry professionals that have played a critical part on our industry. All of us at New Music Weekly would like to wish our readers and subscribers a very Merry Christmas and an even better New Year. We will continue to be here for you as you have been here for us.