Quote from Forum Archives on May 2, 2008, 5:24 pm

Posted by: midnightpraise <midnightpraise@...>

That's a good article. Although it was long so I skimmed portions of it.

I think major Christian labels will go downhill. Because of 1. artists are becoming way more independent now, 2. music styles and worldview, and 3. more emphasis is being put on the local church.

As for independence, Eric Clapton says in his book that the major record companies will be gone by the end of the decade. Dunno if it'll be that soon, but things will definitely change both in Christian and secular.

As for music styles and worldview, more and more Christians are finding the music they put out as "cheesy". I think Christian music will be more crossover like Creed, Thrice, Innocence Mission, etc. Worship will find it's own niche. And of course "prophetic worship" is going to continue to rise with things like the House of Prayer movement, Bethel, etc. It seems to get bigger all the time, though many are not aware of movements like this.

The mainstream Christian media will end up seeming more and more shallow in the face of the no-nonsense culture. Of course I see this because of my worldview, where I live (Oregon), and who I hang out with. Things could take a lot longer down south.

I think Christianity will take two major public expressions 1. from the local church, and 2. from a more personal, less churched, and more secularized perspective (i.e. Bono). The mainstream Christian television world seems to be falling apart at the seems. And Christian radio could well follow it. The broken folks in the world will turn to churches in their area rather than turn to Christian media. And of course this will influence how many artists will want to express themselves.

My two cents.

-- Douglas Anderson <rxdca@usa.net> wrote:
The Future of Christian Music: Peacock's Prognostication
From CCMMagazine.com

With the volatile state of the music industry and changing technology’s
effect on consumers and industry execs alike, labels, artists,
songwriters and media are having to get more creative about the products
they deliver and the ways they deliver them. As CCM Magazine moves
exclusively online next month, this very publication is evidence of this
changing effect and leaves us asking the question: What does the future
of Christian music look like? As such, we asked our old friend Charlie
Peacock to tell us where he thinks Christian music is headed…

I’m a man with an opinion, and opinions are cheap. I’m riffing
here—that’s what musicians do. Keep your eyes and ears open. See what
comes true.

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.

Nevertheless, the majors (EMI CMG, Provident, Word) are not going out of
business anytime soon. They will function as the genre’s archivists and
primary copyright holders for music publishing and sound recordings.
Unfortunately, the majority of the recordings created over the last 35+
years were “youth targeted” mainstream music knock-offs at their
conception and designed to get past a host of gatekeepers with agendas
other than the promotion of good music. This will prove to be a
significant future problem. All the companies will continue to downsize
as the cumulative catalog devalues over time. Ultimately, there may be
only one company left to steward the music of the “ccm” era. That
company will be Bill Hearn’s to lead if he wants it.

Christian music as a genre has always been a music you move on from.
Young Christian baby-boomers and Gen-X once in love with the music
abandoned it in adulthood and have not returned. As a result, legacy
artist catalogs (ranging from Larry Norman to Amy Grant to dcTalk and
beyond) do not and will not have the staying power of their mainstream
counterparts such as The Beatles, The Eagles, Elton John, Led Zeppelin,
Celine Dion, James Taylor, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and U2. All
these artists, and a hundred others, remain popular and economically
viable today. Sadly, the pattern does not hold true for what was
contemporary Christian music.

The sum of Christian music’s contribution will be under-utilized and
underappreciated by the church and viewed as irrelevant by the world. I
see no reason to believe that the cumulative catalog of music will
increase in value and popularity. Great songs are less forgettable than
irrelevant recordings though. There will be a portfolio of songs (and
some recordings) that are remembered and held in esteem by the church—a
kind of canon from the era. The church will perpetuate these songs, and
the Christian music industry will capitalize on the enthusiasm as best
they can.

Christian music’s alliances with mainstream entertainment corporations
will all prove eternally less than successful, since they all bet first
on the power of the market to deliver results and not the hand of
God—something God has never been fond of. (See Bible for evidence.)

Ironically, Larry Norman, Bob Dylan and U2 will be remembered as the
best of Christian music created during the “ccm” era. Gospel music will
survive with integrity—both the variety created out of the
African-American experience and the kind associated with country, folk,
bluegrass or Americana. When convenient or strategic, Christian artists
will return to using the term gospel in order to describe their music.
“Ccm” has faded as an accurate moniker and will disappear altogether.

All significant Christian music, apart from worship music, will be found
in the mainstream (with no connection to the Christian music industry).
That’s an easy one. I forecasted that almost 10 years ago with At The
Crossroads. No brag, just fact. Present, popular examples from various
genres, major and indie labels and age groups: The Fray, Sufjan Stevens,
Paramore, Midlake, Corrine Bailey Rae, OneRepublic, Cold War Kids, the
Jonas Brothers, Bodies of Water, Flyleaf, Jon McLaughlin, Eisley, etc.

True worship music in many forms will continue to prosper as it serves
the legitimate needs of the church. Commercial worship music will wane.
Watch how easily people and artists lose their zeal for it when it’s not
as popular.

Christian music with “worldview” lyrics is dead in the church and reborn
in the world where Christian indie and major label artists will carry
the torch. The majority of Christian music fans and gatekeepers in the
church proved too immature or disinterested to discern whether or not a
lyric was speaking to a topic from a Christian worldview. The problem of
maturity and literacy will continue.

The best of the survivors of the “ccm” era will continue to create and
find new ways to be faithful. Here I’m thinking of a range of artists
like Phil Keaggy, Randy Stonehill, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Margaret
Becker, Steven Curtis Chapman, Sara Groves, tobyMac, Third Day and Jars
of Clay—artists of that ilk. Another whole group of “ccm” era survivors
will continue to move country music forward with great success. This
includes a hundred or so Christian songwriters, several producers and
many musicians. Here I’m thinking of names like Gordon Kennedy, Wayne
Kirkpatrick, Chris Rodriguez, Steve Brewster, Jerry McPherson, Mark
Hill, Erik Darken, Jimmie Lee Sloas and Dann Huff.

All the younger artists signed to Christian labels within the last 10
years or less will struggle to understand where they fit—if they fit at
all anymore. I won’t name names, but many will exit Christian music
hoping to find a home in the mainstream indie movement.

The Tooth & Nail tribe of artists will continue on. It’s about touring
and live music. T&N had that right from the beginning—here’s a van and
an atlas—see ya.

In the future, young musicians will think that all Christian music is
dated and boring, and they will create something they think is current,
relative and exciting. They will say things like: “We just wanna show
people that you can be a Christian and have fun, too.” Or, “We’re not
gonna hit people over the head with the Bible. We’re not Christian
musicians; we’re musicians who are Christians.” Or, “We are totally sold
out to Jesus. We don’t write vague, sugar-coated lyrics.”

It will be nothing but retread hubris though. I will roll my eyes and
grumble that history is hell-bent on repeating itself.

So take note, the real and trustworthy future of Christian music is
Christ. Find out what He’s interested in, and let that be the music’s
future.

Charlie Peacock is a producer/artist/author and founder of Art House
America, a non-profit center for arts, hospitality and biblical study.

--
Douglas
rxdca@usa.net

Phil 4:13

"The ultimate determinant in the struggle now going on for the world will not be bombs and rockets but a test of wills and ideas-a trial of spiritual resolve: the values we hold, the beliefs we cherish and the ideals to which we are dedicated."
-Ronald Reagan

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