Reunited

I haven't posted on this blog in almost a month.  Why?  I've been working on building a new blog for The SoulFest.  I'm really excited for the opportunity to represent the SoulFest in the blogosphere and I hope you'll subscribe.  It's been a couple of years since I've followed the Christian music scene... in fact we had a bit of a break up.  About a year ago I posted a blog on my frustrations with Christian music and said that I was 'moving on'.  My feeling was that there was a lack of creativity in the industry.

I'm here to announce that Christian music and I are reunited!  What caused the change of heart?  Two factors come to mind:  Me and the music industry as a whole.

Music Industry:  There is less and less money available in the music industry.  You've probably already heard that selling songs on iTunes & AmazonMP3 generates less revenue than selling CDs.  Full album sales are down dramatically.  Moving forward, record companies will have less and less incentive to release full albums that contain lousy or re-tread music.  In fact, more and more artists will have to figure out how to release their own music and rely on the Internet and touring to make a living.  This has already to begun to force more creative material to the top of this newly shaped environment in the music industry.

Me:  The years from 2006 through parts of 2008 had brought me to a place of increasing cynicism.  My attitude toward any Christian organization was basic disapproval.  I'm not totally sure why at this point, but I felt like it was impossible to be a sincere follower of Christ and also sincerely run an organization that directly or indirectly promotes Christ.  I'm still struggling with how to shape that concept... perhaps it will be the basis of a thesis someday... but for now... it is a little window into how I have been thinking.

In the late summer and fall months I had the opportunity to reconnect with a person whom I consider a role model in my life.  His name is Dan and it's not a formal mentor relationship, in fact, I sometimes feel like I'm drinking from a fire hose when he's talking, but I did catch something that I needed to hear.  "Jason, you need to reconnect with your soul!"  On my ride home that afternoon, I turned off the radio and focused on what that meant for me.

The number one thing I had to do was to change my attitude.  I felt beat down by life in 2008.  It's been a bad year financially and I lost my grandfather.  Perhaps it was understandable, but my poor attitude was building on itself... to the point where it even affected my relationship with Erin.  She let me know that I needed to cheer up, but I wasn't ready to hear it until I heard the words, 'reconnect with your soul'.  Later that week we coined a corny phrase for our relationship that Erin and I repeat to ourselves when we feel down... "Neeeew Attituuuude!"  It's cheesy, but it's helped.

Back to the point of Christian music.... I'm back with a "Neeeew Attituuuude!"  I'm so grateful to have gone through a bit of a pruning process in my affection for the Christian music scene.  I won't be as much of a 'Yes Man' for the industry and perhaps I can be a voice (in the chorus)  that promotes the most creative parts of the music industry as it forges forward.

Christian Music Report

I’d like to point out another blog posting from Relevant Magazine that exemplifies one of the reasons (of many like a new baby and full time job) that I’m no longer volunteering with Christian music radio. I love radio and the much of the music that goes with it. Being on the radio was one of the goals I had as a kid… literally practicing on tape recorders and even partly choosing a college by the quality of its student run radio station (Liberty University’s station is pretty impressive). But… over the years I’ve grown frustrated by the number of weak albums being released by the artists who dominate the CCM marketplace. I’m so frustrated that I don’t even know what’s the latest album to come out by Third Day or the Newsboys (bands I used to follow closely). They both have come out with so many weak efforts including multiple cover albums with material written by other “Worship” artists that I no longer had any sense of anticipation for the next song. The songs were filled with the same melodies and musical hooks as they had used before and the lyrics were another smash up of Christian terms that have been used over and over again.

There have been exceptions to this trend. Bands like Switchfoot, who’s themes, while similar in every album, have a way of pointing out how to make the most of life without resorting to cliché “Christian-eeze”. They’ve been rewarded with mainstream appeal and a connection with the audience that I believe Jesus would be interested in. There are bands like Mute Math and The Fray who have refused to be boxed into the Christian Music cage by avoiding contracts with record labels that are historically Christian. If you haven’t sat down with The Fray’s album and read the lyrics while listening… make it a priority. It was my favorite album of ’06 and still plays regularly in the car. Click Here to read the story of Isaac Slade, lead singer of the Fray.

The point is this: Christian music is no longer relevant. It’s hard to admit because I’ve spent so much of my life promoting it… but its true. The most successful bands in Christian music would get out of the category if they could, but many of them are just not good enough as musicians and song writers. Its certainly not for a lack of connections; you can ask just about every CCM artist and they can name drop plenty of mainstream artist and producers who have shown them interest.

There are plenty of artists who are focused on “Worship Music” and would claim to have no interest in a mainstream music career. I’m surprised that despite Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life selling (or being given away at his conferences) more than any other book in history, that more people haven’t altered their language patters with the term “Worship Music”. Worship is supposed to be an attitude of gratefulness to our Creator in everything that we do… and shouldn’t be limited to music. But the term “Worship Music” has boxed in the expression of worship… and we continue to do so despite the warnings. Rick make some of his best points in the section where he points out that calling music “Christian music” is actually kind of odd. Is the music itself saved from sin by the grace of Christ? Is the album going to heaven?

So I’ve hung up my cleats, thrown in the towel, and made peace with the fact that Christian Music Radio and I are no longer together. Like any break up, its not easy, and sometimes I want to call up CMR and beg for forgiveness… but in the end I think this is best for my own maturing process. I hope for the best for the people involved, but unfortunately I believe that the money tables of that industry are being turned over.

What do you think?