After much hubbub today surrounding whether or not triple j would change the date of the annual Hottest 100 countdown from Australia Day (January 26), the youth radio broadcaster has pretty quickly snuffed out that a change will come in time for January 26, 2017, while insisting it is very much "under review" in a statement just released via their WEBSITE:
"Q: Are we changing the date of triple j's Hottest 100?
Short answer: For now... No. In 2017, the Hottest 100 will be on January 26.
triple j's Hottest 100 is a countdown of your favourite songs of the past year on a public holiday in January. It's intended as a celebration of the year's best music that everybody can enjoy.
We've been aware of, and have been a part of, the discussions around 26 January for some time. triple j is heavily involved in the growing dialogue around Indigenous recognition and perspectives on 26 January. This is really important to us.
We will continue to talk to Indigenous communities, artists and our audience about the date for the Hottest 100 in future years. In short: it's under review."
The announcement comes amidst calls from several online petitions and commentators asking for the date to be changed, along with a just-announced stance from Greens Senator Scott Ludlam, who said the Greens would support a date change, if it were to happen.
What this all means for triple j's Hottest 100 in 2018 and beyond remains to be seen, aside from plenty more heated online debate and Facebook commentary, no doubt.
The radio station also took the opportunity to announce they'll once again be "teaming up with the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) for the 2016 Hottest 100. Every year, millions of Australians get involved in the Hottest 100 at home and overseas. By working with AIME, we want to use this wide-reaching platform to create a meaningful connection between all communities, including Indigenous Australians."
You can read the full statement HERE.
