There are so many things to be optimistic about with respect to the underdogs of the industry that we are happy to report the “new music revolution” is in full swing. Just recently we have witnessed the band Lumineers break through on a small label all the way to the top of the charts. As that was happening, the act Mumford and Sons on another small label followed suit and did the very same thing. Both acts made their way to the recent Grammy Awards where they were lauded for their efforts. This should and has become a real shot in the arm for the entire independent music arena.

Music acts have to become more pro-active in order to make things happen these days. The era of a record executive discovering you playing at a venue rarely happens anymore. With the consolidations that have been made at the major label level, there are no longer throngs of A&R people running around scouting bands. Artists and bands continue to make great records and the only way to break through the fog is to go out there and take your music directly to radio. There are numerous “tools of the trade“ available everywhere you turn to help make this happen. The trick is to pick the ones that really work. We’ll try to help you through some of it in this issue and deliver things that have actual meaning.

There are many offers to be found on-line for music acts with respect to radio promotion. One has to be a bit cautious about the companies offering airplay on over 1,000 radio stations for $250.00. You need to dig a bit deeper and in many cases you get what you pay for. PR firms and radio promotion companies are offering some great deals out there but one still needs to do some research to find the ones that will work for your particular project. Ask questions and move forward carefully as that can make all the difference in taking an effective campaign out to the market.

New Music Weekly continues to offer some great “tools of the trade”. In fact we are getting ready to launch our latest Future Hits music compilation that will service new music to “all of radio”. All of the artist that will be on our next volume #43 will also be serviced digitally through Airplay Access so there is solid double coverage there. We also list all of the featured artists in a full page of our magazine so the acts get a bit of print coverage as well. Our STS tracking service provides the very best way to keep tabs on your radio play. The system fuels the charts of New Music Weekly each week and those charts are used by industry professionals and radio on a constant basis.

In this issue you will see many Indie Artists and Bands make bold chart moves. Whether it’s Top40, Country, Hot AC or College, NMW continues to offer a “level playing field”. Our stations and their programmers are not asking about what record label you are on, they are listening to the music and that’s the way it should be. The revolution is “alive and well”.