One of our favorite issues we do every year is the one for our Indie Artists and Bands. When the call comes out for this, the music arrives from all over the world and it’s amazing to see just how many want to get involved. The response comes from Country to Pop artists that realize New Music Weekly is the place to be for help in getting their music out to the masses. This year we have seen an upturn in activity from the independent arena that finds even major label artists jumping ship and starting their own labels. The deals that the majors are offering these days are so bad that it makes no sense to play ball with them until you are set for some type of “position of power”.

The timing of this issue could not be more perfect as we just got our shipment of Future Hits in. We are excited about the collection of talent that made its way on to our music sampler. For our radio programmers, please take the time to go through the compilation as you will find songs that fit your format perfectly. We have a solid mix from Mainstream to Country and the talent is better than ever. The response we received regarding Future Hits is at an all-time high, another indicator that the indie world is “alive and well”. For the stars of our compilation (and they are many in number) we welcome you to what we call our “new music revolution.” It’s the start of something magical for many of you.

New Music Weekly continues to provide the “tools of the trade” that enables the indie artist and band the opportunity to get a record going in this always rough environment. In our world all radio stations are treated as equals regardless of market size. Many of the music and program directors that are part of the NMW family actually listen to new music. A good number of them are “not” heavily consulted and that gives them the ability to make their own decisions without having a number of people they need to answer to. Our panel is stronger than ever and the station count keeps building each and every year.

The charts provided each week via the Spins Tracking System provide the very best information about what is really going on at radio. Only here will you see the perfect mix of both major and independent artists. Each week our phones and computers are buzzing with information and questions from radio stations, programmers and record promotion executives. We try to get to them as quickly as possible and if it takes a bit longer than usual just know that we are “on the case”. You will soon come to understand that this is a family affair as we are all working towards the goal of helping to “level the playing field” in this ever changing world that is our music industry.

In this issue you will not only find a lot of chart information, there are many new artists that are being showcased with respect to their new releases. Please take the time to check many of these artists out as their website information can be found in many of the ads and articles. This is all about supporting our own and together we can all make a great difference in changing and improving the music industry. For many of you out there please consider getting involved in our next issue that will be entitled “Summer Music Preview”. This is one issue that you will want to be involved in as we continue to “fight the fight” for the independent artists and bands.