RSS
Home
Christian music industry battered by economy
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Its roots are in the 1970’s when baby boomers latched onto Christian themes presented in blue grass, folk, rock and soul music. It became an industry in the 1980’s as it began to mirror the styles and marketing strategies of “commercial” artists. Now the Christian music industry, like many others, is struggling to survive through economic hard times.
Christian music is a critical part of the Christian Church/Church of Christ worship experience. With or without musical accompaniment, there is a fundamental expectation that it is good and proper to glorify God by singing our praises to Him as an expression of worship.
Some of the largest and fastest growing churches in America lean on contemporary Christian music (also known as “CCM”) to deliver concert-like performances intended to engage the listener and heighten the enthusiasm for God and Jesus. However, the suppliers of this and other forms of Christ-themed music are facing real challenges during these tough economic times.
In a Christianity Today article written by Mark Geil and posted on the web June 2nd, several industry leaders share the discouraging news. John W. Styll, president of the Gospel Music Association, says “the money is just drying up and it’s not being replaced.” The article also quotes industry veteran John J. Thompson, who says “in the last four years, the sky has fallen. The industry is not what it was, and will never be what it was."
It seems that Christian music has fallen prey to the same trappings as mainstream music. For example, the industry has been victimized by illegal downloads. And though selling DVDs by Christian artists at stores like Target and Wal-mart seems like a smart idea, sales have barely increased.
The industry has changed so much that CCM magazine abandoned its printed form and went exclusively to the web this summer. The “CCM” stands for “Christ. Community. Music” and the magazine asked long-time Christian artist Charlie Peacock to assess the future of Christian music.
Peacock, like his music, is not subtle in his opinion of the music industry. He writes: “The music business aspect of Christian music (labels, radio, touring, etc.) will continue to follow the pattern of the world, especially as long as baby-boomers and Gen-X people are in charge. The pattern is an increasingly unsuccessful business model run by people trapped in a system intent on slow, incremental change in the face of monumental cultural shifts. The music business, Christian and otherwise, has been a wealth-creation mechanism for a small, elite group of executives, songwriters, producers and artists. Those days are over. Still, the old guard won’t go peaceably. They’ll fight for control to the end. When they finally exit, the new music business will be underway.”
Though not all industry observers agree with Peacock, many will agree that only the large labels will survive. EMI CMG, Provident and Word are three of the largest labels and they seem safe, but the changes in the marketplace have negatively affected Christian radio, where you can hear the music, and hit artists right in the pocketbook.
Touring by artists, one of the mainstays of the business, is down in response to the decreased attendance at concerts and the cost of going on the road. Christian singer Matthew West thinks it’s the wrong approach and says "it's the opposite of what needs to be happening. We need to be out there."
In the Christianity Today article, West explains that he did a 30-city fall tour to smaller crowds than usual, "but we feel like God had us there for a reason. You're on the road and thinking, How are we going to pay for this? But people are losing their jobs, they're in the audience, and they need encouragement."
Whether the encouragement comes from a music tour or a worship service, it looks like the Christian music industry will survive. But, like so many things, it will be different in shape, appearance and form.
Related Articles:
Comments
.png)
