Many of us are looking forward to the end of Summer, especially those of us that had to deal with record heat. With hurricanes also ravaging the USA and all we can hope for is that the Fall season brings us some more temperate weather. It’s that time for the leaves to start dropping and a new climate can only be a welcome change at this point. For all of those that are suffering from the hurricanes, our thoughts and our prayers are with all of you. This has been a time for all of us to unite and bring us all closer together.

It was rather amazing that through all of the drama in our weather patterns, we noticed that radio from Texas to Florida still remained quite vibrant with very few stations stopping their normal routines. In fact, radio took a lead position in providing information to its local residents and many of the music stations just did what they do best, the music continued to play on. There were a number of New Music Weekly stations and programmers affected by recent events and we are happy to report that they are all doing well as of this writing.

Radio programmers are now taking stock of the current music from the Summer of 2017 and are now making adjustments. Out with the old and in with the new provides artists from both the major and independent arena to catch a break during the programming change over.  We can also see that a good many artists are making new singles available for play and the labels are all over many of them to step it up. From major top name artists to strong independents new music marches on.

Some of the top artists in the music industry that have planned well are already setting their sights on the holiday season of 2017. Many are releasing new product, singles and albums that should be in peak position by Christmas. As it takes time to build many of these tracks at radio from mainstream to country, labels and artists that plan ahead will no doubt see solid returns moving toward the end of the year. Getting a jump on the competition also plays a role in just how all of this can and will work.

Taylor Swift for instance has rolled out a solid plan for her new album. Using the debut track from that project in “Look What You Made Me Do” (Big Machine/Universal), complete with a record breaking You Tube video, she is setting the template for a huge holiday season buying frenzy. Maroon 5 & SZA for instance are running away with new airplay with “What Lovers Do” (222/Interscope) that should stay on the charts for the next few months to build their already strong brand. Even solo artist Ed Sheeran is planning ahead releasing “Perfect” (Atlantic) just in time for the fall season.

Justin Bieber is also setting a course for a massive holiday sales blitz. He’s teamed up with some many other artists that it’s hard to keep tract. Now joined by Blood Pop, the Bieb is taking the single “Friends” (Republic) out for a spin and radio programmers are jumping all over this one as if it were the second coming, go figure. As an artist from the independent arena you must look at all of this and make a different plan.

For many that see the glut of material coming out, it might be best to plan a new strategy. If you are thinking about your follow-up single, it might be best to hold off until the start of a new year in order to find some open territory. Planning well ahead of the pack can always be a smart move, especially if you are on an independent label or you are just doing it yourself.  Why fight the competition when you can find a way around it?

Whether you are ready now or at the very start of 2018, New Music Weekly is here to help you launch your very next project. With the power of this publication helping to “spread the word” via news and advertising, or tracking and music services provided, we pretty much can be your one-stop-shop for all your music “tools of   trade”.  All you have to do is look deeply into this particular issue to see all of the artists and songs represented in both the major and independent arena. That’s what we are all about.