CCM Magazine, now an internet-only publication known as ccmagazine.com, published an article by producer/author/artist Charlie Peacock entitled: The Future Of Christian Music: Peacock’s Prognostication.  This quote particulary resonated with me, given my history in Christian radio:

“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.”

In the early 90’s, I had some success on a small, AM station programming southern gospel music.  As a music director I had been incrementally steering the sound away from traditional quartet music to the modern country style that was dominating radio ratings and record sales back then (think Garth, Shania, latter day Alabama, etc.)  I’d been nominated for some national DJ of the Year and PR awards, which gave me a bit of influence even though I was nearly straight out of high school and didn’t know half of what I thought I knew. 

I joined up with some radio, label and media folks who were bent on creating a new format called “Christian Country” music — basically to follow the “Christian Rock” bluebrint, distance ourselves from southern and country gospel, and position ourselves as the “country” part of CCM.  We felt that “country gospel” was a term associated with Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, mom-and-pop gospel groups and bluegrass bands, and the like.  “Christian Country” would communicate that we were promoting music that sounded just like the progressive Nashville sound that was sweeping the nation at the time.  Therefore, our new genre would sweep the nation, too.

But some of the suits didn’t even stop there — after a year or so they decided we should change the branding to “Positive Country.”  This way, we could make inroads into the mainstream country market.  The feeling was that secular country stations might not want to play “Christian Country” artists because that would be like saying the other artists weren’t Christians.  Of course, one could use the same logic and say “Why would they play Positive Country?  That would be like admitting the rest of what they play is Negative Country.”

Neither “Positive Country” nor “Christian Country” has exploded like we thought it would.  “Country gospel” will always be around, because the term communicates a legitimate genre that was birthed in little mountain churches and cotton fields, not in a boardroom. 

I don’t mean to imply that all of the “Christian Country” artists we were playing were guilty of being sell-outs  — most of them sounded kind of like Garth Brooks because they group up listening to the same music he group up listening to, plain and simple.  It’s usually not the artists who think of gems like “let’s find out what the kids are listening to and then come up with a Christian version of that.”  It’s the suits.  It doesn’t work because youth culture changes too fast — by the time you can find a “Christian Britney,” Britney is already passe in pop culture.

That’s the end of my rant.  Here are some other exerpts from Peacock:

On the future of music created during the CCM era (the past 35 years):

“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.”

On worship music:

“All significant Christian music, apart from worship music, will be found in the mainstream (with no connection to the Christian music industry) ….

“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.”

Nothin’ New Under The Sun: future Christian musicians:

“… 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.”

Any good news?

“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….

“The best of the survivors of the “ccm” era will continue to create and find new ways to be faithful.”

Peacock’s final word:

“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.”

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