Posted by:
Mystery Writer CHRIS WELL on
May 1, 2007 at
4:25PM EST
Coverage Embraces Mainstream and Independent Artists of Faith Special Digital Version of May Issue Available Free
Nashville, Tenn., May 1, 2007—CCM Magazine, Christian
music's preeminent publication, is changing its definition of
"Christian music" with its May 2007 issue to raise the profile of
independent and general market artists of faith.
"This month marks a historic step for our magazine, and, as a result, the fans and the industry we serve," said CCM
Editor Jay Swartzendruber. "We're going to start mixing indie and
general market Christians such as The Fray, Mary J. Blige and Sufjan
Stevens in with artists with traditional Christian label affiliation.
Rather than define 'Christian music' just by its label or distribution,
we're now defining it as Christian worldview music. CCM Magazine has always taken its role as a leader seriously, and we believe this is the way of the future."
During the 70s, CCM
played a leading role in branding the spiritual pop and rock & roll
that was known then simply as "Jesus Music." As the grassroots
contemporary Christian music scene mushroomed into a billion dollar
industry, "Christian music" became widely regarded as an actual genre,
even though it included rock, pop, hip-hop, punk, hardcore metal and
other styles of music. As a result, many artists of faith who are
reluctant to have their music defined by the Christian market have
chosen to bypass it altogether. With this expanded view of "Christian
music," CCM Magazine now celebrates the full spectrum of faith-fueled music and musicians.
The
"CCM" acronym – which has stood for "contemporary Christian music" for
most of the magazine's 29 year history – takes on new meaning this
month as revealed by the front cover tagline: Christ • Community • Music. "CCM
has always been a catalyst for community between Christian artists and
readers," explained Swartzendruber. "However, we're taking that idea to
a new level by making reader-generated content central to our new
approach. In fact, our readers are literally helping us create this
magazine, including their own album reviews, first-hand accounts,
questions for favorite artists, and highlights from our online social
networking community, www.myCCM.org.
During the month of May, fans are invited to access a complimentary digital version of the new CCM by going to www.CCMmagazine.com/promo. Monthly subscriptions to CCM are available at www.CCMmagazine.com
($21.95) and include two free compilation CDs for new and renewing
subscribers featuring music from artists such as Anberlin, Aaron Shust,
The Almost and Building 429, among others.
Nashville, Tenn., May 1, 2007—
