The Christian Music Industry: Should We Love It Or Leave It?

Good reflections here from Bobby Giles.

Sniffing Glue - A childhood in Christian Pop

Meghan O’Gieblyn writes about her experience growing up in the CCM culture of music and the church. In some ways it completely mirrors my experience. I think she nails it here in her conclusion. We have much to learn.

Basically, CCM caught on to the number one rule of coolness: don’t let your marketing show. The best bands—the successful ones, at least—learned to gloss over the gospel message the same way TV producers camouflaged corporate sponsorship. Explicitly Christian lyrics prevented DC Talk from crossing over to the secular market in the ’90s; today it’s difficult to imagine their unapologetic faith making it in the Christian circuit.

This trend spreads beyond CCM into many areas of evangelical culture. The church is becoming increasingly consumer-friendly. Jacob Hill, director of “worship arts” at New Walk Church, describes the Sunday service music as “exciting, loud, powerful, and relevant,” and boasts that “a lot of people say they feel like they’ve just been at a rock concert.” Over the past ten years, I’ve visited churches that have Starbucks kiosks in the foyer and youth wings decked out with air hockey tables. I’ve witnessed a preacher stop his sermon to play a five-minute clip from Billy Madison. I’ve walked into a sanctuary that was blasting the Black Eyed Peas’s “Let’s Get it Started” to get the congregation pumped for the morning’s message, which was on joy. I have heard a pastor say, from a pulpit, “Hey, I’m not here to preach at anyone.” And yet, in spite of these efforts, churches are retaining only 4 percent of the young people raised in their congregations.

Despite all the affected teenage rebellion, I continued to call myself a Christian into my early twenties. When I finally stopped, it wasn’t because being a believer made me uncool or outdated or freakish. It was because being a Christian no longer meant anything. It was a label to slap on my Facebook page, next to my music preferences. The gospel became just another product someone was trying to sell me, and a paltry one at that because the church isn’t Viacom: it doesn’t have a Department of Brand Strategy and Planning. Staying relevant in late consumer capitalism requires highly sophisticated resources and the willingness to tailor your values to whatever your audience wants. In trying to compete in this market, the church has forfeited the one advantage it had in the game to attract disillusioned youth: authenticity. When it comes to intransigent values, the profit-driven world has zilch to offer. If Christian leaders weren’t so ashamed of those unvarnished values, they might have something more attractive than anything on today’s bleak moral market. In the meantime, they’ve lost one more kid to the competition.

Read the rest.

Christian Hip-Hop is Taking Over

Owen Strachan:

The rappers have taken over.

Rap has been mainstream in America for a while now: Jay-Z plays Carnegie Hall; Pitbull sells, well, everything; Kanye wears skinny jeans and changes fashion overnight. In evangelicalism, however, it has taken longer for it to break into the cultural center. That is the result of numerous factors---race (with some racism sprinkled in), the bipolar nature of much popular rap (either embarrassingly hedonistic or frighteningly nihilistic), and a lack of familiarity with the genre, among other reasons.

In 2012, though, everything has changed. Rappers motivated by the gospel are accomplishing the following: crashing the Billboard album sales charts, touring internationally, freestyling before millions at secular awards shows, sampling John Piper sermons, interning for Mark Dever, shooting around with NBA stars before games, getting shout-outs from Jeremy Lin, and much, much more.

Read the rest.

Marc Martel Singing Nessun Dorma

Last week I got to see Marc Martel live with his band Downhere. It was a great show. I honestly think Marc is one of the best singers in the world, yet remains virtually unknown in a Christian rock band that has been around a long time but has never been a huge presence in the CCM scene.  Just last week it was stunning to sit in a local church a few miles from my house with 1,000 other people and listen to this guy sing.  It was truly an honor.  He would destroy most of the people that show up on American Idol.

Marc is going to be playing the role of Freddie Mercury in a new Queen tribute band that is touring this summer.  Once you hear him sing, you'll know why.

Anyway, here he is trying his hand at opera.  I don't know much about opera but this song is stunningly beautiful and as far as I can tell he could make a living singing in this genre as well.  Not bad for a front man of a rock band!

Gungor - "Ghosts Upon The Earth" - A Review

My review of Gungor's last record was extremely positive.  To be honest, it was one of my favorite recording of the last few years.  I still find my fingers dialing it up quite frequently on my iPhone.

This new record seems to take the beautiful creativity of the last record and just ratchet it up a notch.  This is not your formulaic pop music of your local CCM station.  Is the sweat, blood, and hours of labor trying to give birth to a new creation that has some lasting permanence and meaning.  The wide open soundscapes possess twists and turns around every corner without being shocking.  It's more like creative surprises as you listen along.  If you do the work to listen well, you'll smile.

Last night I was asked by a young person at our church, "So, what Christian music do you listen to?" "Uh...  Not much.  For a variety of reasons I find a large majority of it a bit nauseating."

This record is a notable exception.  Said simply, this is the Christian music that makes me excited to talk about.  Probably because it's just flat out great music, Christian or not.

Just get it.  You won't be sorry.

Get their previous record here.

Dave Grohl Speaks Prophetically To The Music Industry

Awesome speech.

Jesus Isn't Safe: An Appeal to Christian Radio

Matt Papa has begun a series of posts that I think will resonate with many.  Click here to read the first.

You can check out Matt's music here.


(HT:  T-Wax)

CCMdar

Stephen & Shae Pepper:

It’s the day before the day before Christmas. Chances are you’re about to go on a road trip to see some family.

Over the last couple of years, my wife and I have done two road trips from Virginia to California and back again. Not only is this a lot of miles, it’s also a lot of music. When you’re driving this far you have to change radio stations quite often, as the one you’re listening to goes out of range.

Through all this station-changing, we’ve developed a pretty good CCMdar. What’s a CCMdar? It’s a radar located where your ear connects to the brain, that helps you tell if it’s a Christian radio station while scanning through stations. In fact, we’ve honed our CCMdar so well that it only takes 2.71 seconds for us to identify if it’s a Christian radio station.

Read the rest.

Zombies, Wine, and Christian Music

Michael Gungor with a thoughtful post about the Christian music industry and the resulting culture that is produced by it.  I find that I agree with most of it.

The Girl Who Lost Her Faith Listening to CCM

Denny Burk:

I just read one of the most fascinating and sad articles that I have read in a long time. The article is by Meghan O’Gieblyn, and it’s a brief narrative of her childhood transition from being a fan of contemporary Christian music (CCM) to being a fan of secular music. As an avid consumer of CCM through the 80′s and 90′s, I relate to a great deal of what is in this article.

Read the rest.  

A History of Christian Rock

This looks interesting.  Sects, Love, and Rock & Roll: My Life on Record (Experiences in Evangelicalism)

Read about this book in a short adaptation for Christianity Today.

Does Commercial Christian Music Have Bad Side-Effects?

Shaun Groves:

According to some college chaplains at this conference I’m at this week, long term exposure to Christian music may have unsavory side-effects.

They feel like they’re fighting bad theology and unbiblical perceptions created by the music business. They’re students grew up listening to K-LOVE in the minivan on the way to school with mom. They grew up in “event-driven” churches singing songs from “stars” who also came to town to play concerts.

Did the industry change the church/students or did the church/students change the industry? Either way, these guys don’t think all change has been good.

Worship songs, these chaplains say, might be too important to college students. Singers are marketed (and sometimes, apparently, behaving like) nothing but saved rock stars. And don’t even get these chaplains started on lyrics!

These guys also say college students think involvement in a “worship gathering” is optional too – students can text or talk or sing or pray…whatever they want…like a concert. “This is what happens when communion with God becomes commercial,” one said.

“Why would I bring an artist to my campus for chapel and further propagate Christian celebrity and worship as concert?” another asked.

These guys are suspicious, at best, of the Christian music business and its artists. They say we don’t think enough about what we write and sing and how it will affect people exposed to it for years and years.

How could Christian artists, signed and unsigned, serve God and God’s people better?

I don't have time to deal with this one today but suffice to say, there will always be extremely talented, beautiful, and winsome people, Christian and non-Christian who will garner the interest of thousands who are willing to pay money to hear and/or see what they do.  This is a great reflection of our Creator God and should not be devalued as sub-spiritual.  We are created in his image and our talents reflect his ultimate creativity.

But our hearts are prone to idolatry.  We love to worship what we can see, taste, touch, and smell over and against our God who is unseen.  The combination of commerce and Christianity has not done very well historically to push back against the idolatrous pull of our hearts.  Many people are willing to make great theological and ministerial sacrifices to make loads of money.  Oh, it will never be said like that, but I know I would have a really hard time as a Christian record executive saying "no" to a song that was theologically weak if I knew in my heart of hearts it would be a "hit".   It is rarely that black and white, but the tension is there nonetheless.

What is the answer?  Christians stop being talented, beautiful, and engaging?  That will never happen nor should it.  Shut down CCM?  Not possible and if it was our idolatrous hearts would just move on to the next thing.

Not to be overly simplistic but a large part of the answer is simply a heart issue.  I think there are some artists that have the intangible ability to put on a great show in which you don't feel cheated by paying $25 to see them because they are really good at what they do but at the same time they leave you with the sense of a great God and a great Savior.  Few guys have the ability to do a show like this.

Many years ago I remember going to a Steven Curtis Chapman concert and having this feeling.  It was an AMAZING show.  Dude can flat out play.  But at the end of the day I was left with the (subjective, I know) feeling that he was more about Jesus than he was about me digging his cool jeans, his band hair, and his amazing guitar chops.  You can't break that down on a spreadsheet.  You just know it when you see it.

The gate keepers of CCM have to be willing to look for this type of person, but this type of person may or may not be conducive to the business (ie, make money) that is CCM.  Therein lies the rub.  It is a tension that will always exist.  If we are at least aware of this tension then we are one foot in the right direction.

But it is more than the gate keepers of CCM.  It is us, the consumers.  If there was not a market there would be no CCM.  So if it has bad side-effects, then shame on us for consuming it and bringing our kids along with us.

What do you think?

Russell Moore on Musical Influences

He writes:

‘Now, I know there are some who would tell you the way to avoid the problem is to do away with “secular” music. But what is secular music? Does the Bible anywhere command us to limit artistic expression only to “spiritual” things? There are songs and poems in the Scripture itself that speak of things ranging from murder to marital sex to the beauty of nature, and so forth.

‘Moreover, the “Christian” music industry is often, I think, more damaging to children than some secular forms of musical expression. Much of what plays on commercial Christian radio presents an antiseptic view of life, and often as well a trivialized vision of Jesus and the gospel.

‘Too often, what people want is not a more Christian vision of life but a happier, sanitized vision of life. These are the people who would think the Song of Solomon to be obscene, if it weren’t safely sequestered in the pages of the canon where they can’t get to it. And they’re the people who complain to the pastor that his David and Goliath message was “too violent” for little Connor’s sensibilities.’

You can read the rest here.

Does Christian Music Sound Fake To You?

Michael Patton writes an interesting blog post about why he dislikes Christian music. For him it comes down to honesty. Christian music doesn't seem to reflect real life as most Christians or non-Christians experience. The normative experience of humans is clearly displayed in the Bible. Why is it not displayed in most of our Christian music that we produce for mass distribution?  I can certainly resonate with many of his concerns in this regard.

Right after I read Michael's post I clicked to the next post in my Google Reader and found this article on CNN.com about Matthew West's new record and how it is called "The Story of Your Life".  Here is a beginning portion of the artice.  Sounds pretty honest and "real" to me:

West has written 11 songs based on some of the stories sent in by his fans. The result is the aptly named "The Story of Your Life," which released last week and rose to No. 16 on the iTunes most downloaded album chart.

West's album, which tackles subjects such as sexual abuse, life with cancer, dealing with abortion, is filled with the hope. He also wrote about bullying in school, based on a letter Connor's mom sent in.

"I could just see hope at work, in different stages of these stories," he said recently at a restaurant in his adopted hometown of Franklin. "There were people waiting for their breakthrough, waiting for their miracle.

"And there were people who were standing on the other side looking back on a time when they made it through and talking about how God was faithful to them in their lives."

From depressing to uplifting

At one time, having read through many of the stories, West was terrified it was going to be the most depressing record anyone had ever done. He looks at the result of the past eight months and thinks this is the "most uplifting record I have ever made."

West will assure you that he wasn't out of his own song ideas. Far from it. He's still been writing plenty of songs about his own life. But this is a man who told listeners on his previous album, his third, that it wasn't just the famous singer or the TV newscaster that should be listened to. Their voices were important. too.

"As I began thinking about a new record I kept thinking, I just told them they have something to say. What if I actually let them do it?" he said.  

Read the rest.

**You can get Matthew's record here for only $7.99.**

I appreciate Michael's concerns and I am thankful for Matthew's new record.  It surely is going to encourage the thousands of people who get their hands on it.

J-Knapp on Larry King

Denny Burk:

The singer will appear on “Larry King Live” tonight along with Clay Aiken, Ted Haggard and others. Here’s Mark Moring’s report on one of CT’s blogs:


Jennifer Knapp, a former Christian music star who recently revealed that she is in a lesbian relationship, will be the featured guest on Larry King Live on Friday, April 23. The CNN show airs at 9 p.m. Eastern, 6 p.m. Pacific.


The one-time Grammy nominee and multiple Dove Award winner walked away from music in 2003, but has been making a comeback in recent months, doing a number of tour dates and gearing up to release her new album, Letting Go, in May.


Knapp will be joined on Larry King Live by Clay Aiken (a singer who came out two years ago), Pastor Bob Botsford (an evangelical pastor who wants Knapp to repent of her lifestyle), and disgraced preacher Ted Haggard. Knapp is speaking openly and honestly about her lifestyle, while also maintaining that she clings to the Christian faith. Should be a fascinating conversation.

Smoking CCM Radio Unfiltered

Christians in Context has a good post on Christian radio. Here is the thesis statement:

I would suggest that listening to mainstream radio with your guard up and your worldview filter on is safer than listening to Christian radio with your guard down. Subtle, bad theology is more dangerous to unsuspecting Christians than is blatant bad theology.

Read the rest.

Just remember, CCM is first and foremost a business.  I think if everyone remembers that fact, expectations can be adjusted accordingly.  One can make the claim that it shouldn't be firstly a business, but that is another post for another day. It is.  Deal with it and listen accordingly.  It presents some unique challenges.  Some artists can handle that well and others can't.  As a former CCMer, all I know is that I am glad that my tenure at attempting to figure that one out is officially over. 

J Knap Comeback?

Artistically speaking, Jennifer Knapp was always one the bright spots in CCM. I hope this is certainly true.

The Scanner reports:

Jennifer Knapp, whose career in Christian music we lovingly eulogized a few months ago, has come out of hiding at last. Her official website, which has been down for years now, was updated with a new design, and her three-month old MySpace profile got a new a look as well. But best of all, she has listed a show: she's playing September 24 with the recently-returned Phillip LaRue at Hotel Cafe, a well-known acoustic venue Los Angeles. Her website lists information for new management and booking agents, so we know she is planning to go back into music on some scale.

So this is completely unexpected, but we couldn't be more excited to hear it. And most of all to hear where Jen has been, what she's been doing, and why she's back. All when she's ready to talk about it, of course.

CCM in Recession

Interesting article here about the current state of CCM. It doesn't look good. Don't worry though, God will always give us artists and music itself is not going anywhere. The forms that surround it certainly are changing and will continue to do so.

(HT: Challies)

If The Music Business Dies

Shaun Groves has an interesting piece called, If The Music Business Dies, that some of you want to take note of. He writes:

The management company that represented icons Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant for ages just folded.

Chuck Finney, the guy who almost single-handedly revolutionized the way Christian radio stations operate a few years back, is “no longer with” powerhouse Salem Communications.

CCM Magazine is only a website now, with a shadow of their 1990’s audience and zero pull with today’s publicists.

The Gospel Music Association is letting people go.

Their Gospel Music Week was a ghost town this April, with major artists no longer taking a break from touring to participate in it.

Speaking of tours - they’re losing money - big money - which means production companies are going down too.

Some say technology will save the day. Lots of artists are going on-line to blogs, twitter, facebook, etc because of this optimism. But this new technology is not the magic bullet some claim it to be. The bullet that works best hasn’t changed - it’s just changed hands.

The music business is about relationship. And now it’s the artist’s turn to have one.

Read the rest.

Compassion International and Christian Artists Who Get Money From Them

I'm sure many of you have been to Christian music festivals that are sponsored by Compassion International or World Vision or been to a Christian concert where there was a pitch for one of these organizations. Shaun Groves who works with Compassion was recently asked this question:

I have a friend who is totally against everything that Compassion and World Vision do. Why? Because she’s convinced that music artists get “kickbacks” for every child they manage to get sponsored. Is this true? Can you clear this up to put her mind at ease?

I think he gave a really good answer.

And yes it is true, they do get kickbacks (for the most part I think).