Dear Readers,

When I was asked to fill in on the editorial this month, I spent weeks mulling over every cool-editor-like angle I could think of in order to fill this space. I decided to drop the pretenses -- to reflect upon the year past and ponder the year to come.

We've marked the end of 1997. AMZ started this year as a fledgling e-zine, trundling forward with only two issues in the can and a handful of readers who, by accident or fate, managed to stop by and take a look around. Mary Ellen Gustafson worked alone, day in and day out, making things happen. From the record labels and public relations firms, interest ran lukewarm at best and the only music we could get our hands on without whipping out the credit cards at the local record store was from a few indie labels who were willing to give us a chance. The site itself, almost entirely designed and maintained by Mary Ellen, was like a conduit. The energy inside electrified everyone it touched, but touched only a very, very few.

As the year progressed, AMZ put out a call for writers and got a few diverse, but eminently capable hands to help out with reviews from a growing list of sources. Concert passes became easier to come by and a few of the more noteworthy movers and shakers in the biz became interested in Mary Ellen's dream. The magazine grew each month and with the growth came critical acclaim from readers and industry folks alike. By late Spring, it became apparently that AMZ was on the edge of 'arrival'.

As Spring became Summer, Mary Ellen and I began to lay out the plans which would eventually evolve into what you see today. I took on the task of re-designing our look and changing our location. We purchased our own domain and a place to put it. With Mary Ellen looking over my shoulder from over two thousand miles away, I hammered out a design that would be both easy to navigate and pleasing to the eye. In August, we rolled out AMZMusicZine.com and saw a four-fold increase in readership -- almost overnight! Donn Jehs began taking over some of the mountain of administrative duties that had been keeping Mary Ellen busy twenty-eight hours a day. His never-ending energy and attention to detail gave us the chance to sit back and breathe a little bit as the 'zine continued to grow from month to month on an almost exponential scale.

Today, as we forge ahead into the new year, Access to the Music Zone continues to grow. Many of the major record labels and scores of smaller ones are clamoring to supply us with music to review. P.R. firms and even members of some of the bands we've covered have written us to say what a great job we're doing. But we're not going to stop here -- this is just too damned much fun!

So what does the future hold for AMZ? For the 'zine itself, it's going to remain business as usual. We've found a niche in this industry by dropping all the cliches and pretentious attitudes and writing real reviews from the heart. We don't scan the Webster's New College Dictionary for bigger and better words to describe 'good', we simply tell it like it is -- warts and all. Our fantastic writing staff will continue the tradition that has made us what we are.

From the web site standpoint, I can say that 1998 will bring continued improvements both in look and functionality. With this month's issue we have added some cool and splashy new Java-enabled buttons, as well as a new search feature that will allow you to enter a band or artist's name in order to find reviews of their material on AMZ. With this month's issue I also hope to roll out a subscriber list for all those who have registered with us. This will keep you guys up to date when new issues are rolled out. By the end of the year I expect to have streaming audio clips to complement many reviews as well as a reciprocal agreement with a major online CD distributor so that you can not only read the reviews, but buy the music if you're of a mind to.

So that's where we stand as we roll ever closer to the new millennium. From myself, Mary Ellen, Donn, Kayla, Jill, Bill, Colette, Dave and Francesca, I wish you all a very happy and healthy new year!

Rock on!

Robert Lewis

Associate Editor, Access to the Music Zone