ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, April 25, 1996 TAG: 9604250009
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CODY LOWE STAFF WRITER
They go by names such as dc Talk, Jars of Clay, Newsboys and Audio Adrenaline.
Their latest compact discs aren't as hot as those by Alanis Morisette, Hootie and the Blowfish, or The Beatles, but the music industry has been taking more notice of their albums - since September anyway.
That's when Billboard magazine started counting sales at Christian book and record stores in its SoundScan charts of best-selling albums.
What became evident - as some artists and producers had been saying for years - is that Christian music sales are a more significant part of the total market than most people suspected, even if the genre is still dwarfed by rock and country.
So when tonight's Dove Awards - the Grammys of the Gospel Music Association - are presented in Nashville, they are likely to get more attention than at any other time in their 27-year history. The association will give awards in more than three dozen categories, but it is the "contemporary" and "rock" songs and artists that are getting the most attention.
"Contemporary Christian music is on an upswing," Paul Childers, store manager of the Blockbuster Music store on Electric Road, said last week.
His store devotes most of a display rack to Christian music. The styles run from what is now called "traditional" (and used to be called ``black'') gospel to Southern gospel to contemporary Christian, which can range from hard rock and rap to easy listening.
The store also devotes one of its listening stations - where patrons can sample an album before buying it - to the latest release from dc Talk, "Jesus Freak." The group, formed when its members were students at Liberty University in Lynchburg, has the "biggest seller out there" in the Christian genre at his store, Childers said.
"Jesus Freak" debuted at No. 16 on the Billboard charts when it was released in November, outselling mainstream artist Don Henley's new release of the same week.
Sales are helped when artists - including dc Talk - have "cross-over" hits, songs that get airplay on mainstream secular radio stations as well.
The most successful cross-over artists probably have been Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith, the host for this year's Dove Awards ceremony.
Jars of Clay, a new group nominated for several Dove Awards, can be heard on Top 40 stations playing "Flood," a song with no overt religious references but obvious religious overtones, at least to those who understand the group's Christian faith. The group's debut album includes songs with direct religious messages, such as "Liquid" about Christ's crucifixion, and a note of thanks in the liner notes that begins with "Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ."
While the artists' popularity has probably helped draw attention to Christian music, some in the loyal Christian-music audience have been suspicious of artists who are "too popular" with secular audiences.
When Grant first attained widespread success with her "Heart in Motion" album, for instance, she was criticized in some circles for "selling out" her faith to sell records.
That criticism of Christian artists - and labels - who followed the trend has lessened, but some concern remains.
"Some people question if they are still Christians," said Amy Tate, who manages music at Fishers of Men Christian bookstore on Bent Mountain Road (U.S. 221). Tate carefully screens each new release before stocking it on her shelves.
An awards ceremony like the Dove, too, is likely to generate even more interest in Christian music. "Sales will be up for a week after the show," Childers said.
The same is true at Christian book stores, which continue to account for two-thirds of all gospel music sales.
"There has been a real boom in sales" of contemporary Christian music in the last two or three years, Tate said.
A lot of that has to do with the increased exposure the genre has received on Christian radio in the last couple of years. WWWR-AM got the ball rolling a few years ago, though it has since switched its format to Southern gospel, an older style more closely associated with bluegrass and country. The PAR stations in the New River and Roanoke valleys and Spirit FM in Roanoke picked up the format and took it to the more widely heard FM band.
A boom in the number of concerts being performed by big-name Christian artists also has boosted sales in Western and Central Virginia.
Last year, Carman, one of the superstars of the style, gave a free concert at the Roanoke Civic Center at which thousands reportedly were turned away. He is returning May 6, but this time $4 advance tickets will be sold to try to avoid the disappointment some felt when they couldn't get in last time.
Friday, Larnelle Harris, a multiple Dove and Grammy award winner who has been a featured performer at Billy Graham crusades, will perform at First Baptist Church on Third Street.
dc Talk recently had a sold-out homecoming at Liberty University's Vines Center.
Many of the artists scheduled to perform at the Dove Awards ceremony tonight, including Point of Grace, 4Him and Steven Curtis Chapman, have performed in the region in the last year or so. But the popularity of gospel music is not just a Bible Belt phenomenon.
Nationally, statistics on gospel music sales are showing unprecedented growth and popularity.
Last year, total sales of gospel CDs, cassettes and videos were up approximately 35 percent, to $481 million, from 1994. Between 1985 and 1994, sales went up 290 percent.
In 1991, 8 percent of gospel music sales were in the general marketplace, through outlets such as Blockbuster. In 1994, that had grown to 21 percent.
Christian book stores continue to account for 64 percent of sales, with 15 percent coming through direct sales, such as record clubs.
The Dove Awards presentations will be simultaneously broadcast over three cable outlets this year: The Family Channel, Faith and Values Network and Family Net.
The program, originating at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry House, will begin at 9 tonight.
The Dove Awards will be simultaneously broadcast over The Family Channel, Faith and Values Network and Family Net. The program, from Nashville's Grand Ole Opry House, begins at 9 tonight.
LENGTH: Long : 118 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. The stars of contemporary Christian music includeby CNB(clockwise from above): Aaron Jeoffrey, 2. Bryan Duncan, 3. 4Him, 4.
Michael W. Smith, 5. Newsboys, 6. Jonathan Pierce, 7. Point of
Grace, 8. Gary Chapman and 9. (large photo) dc
Talk. color.