contemporary christian music
- Positive Life Radio - This Christian radio network in Washington offers contemporary Christian music and religious programs to affiliate stations. Find a list of station frequencies or listen online.
- Reflection Christian Music - Guitar and keyboard-based contemporary music for Christian worship in sheet music and MIDI format. Some songs in Real Audio.
- Air One Radio Network - Broadcasts Contemporary Christian music programming to affiliate stations across the United States. Features artist links, bumper stickers, videos, events and internet audio stream.
- Australian Praise and Worship Music - Contemporary Christian music for churches. Styles include: Praise and Worship, adult and generation-X oriented pop/rock. CDs, lyrics, free samples, Real Audio.
- KRG 103.1 FM - Family Life Radio station in Amarillo broadcasts a format of Contemporary Christian music and Bible teaching programs.
- WNCM 88.1 FM - Christian radio station in Jacksonville, offers Contemporary Christian music and Bible teaching programs. Features a live Real Audio feed.
- Christianity and the Arts - Reviews of contemporary movies and novels from a Christian perspective.
- WAKW 93.3 FM - Contemporary Christian music station in Cincinnati features concert and event news, survey, newsletter, and scrapbook.
- Clean Slate - Contemporary Christian band and music ministry of the Panton (Vermont) Community Church. Includes news, calendar and sound clips.
- Solid Walnut Music - A Christian music label and publishing company specializing in contemporary and P&W music.
- Godstock - Free Christian Music Festival - Godstock is an all-day Contemporary Christian Music festival held each September on the grounds of the Fairfield Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Fairfield, Illinois.
- Contemporary Christian Music Links - Links to artists, labels, and radio stations.
Contemporary Christian Music (or CCM) is a somewhat outdated term originally used in the 1970s to describe a new form of pop/rock music that was lyrically based in the Christian faith. This music had its roots in "Jesus Music", which sprung from the hippie Jesus Movement of the early 70s. Artists such as 2nd Chapter of Acts, Love Song, Barry McGuire, and Larry Norman were making folky pop music about their faith in Jesus.
Partly due to a separatist attitude, and also due to the fact that finding mainstream radio play would be quite difficult, an entire Christian music industry soon sprang up, with Christian-only artists, record labels, radio stations, and record stores. By the 1980s, CCM was a very large and lucrative music industry, with artists such as Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith selling millions of records.
Over time, however, many Christian artists opposed the idea of a separate Christian music "ghetto" and began working outside the confines of the Nashville, Tennessee-based CCM industry. This attitude was pioneered by rock band U2 in the early 1980s, when they dodged the CCM industry altogether and signed with mainstream label Island Records. In addition, there were far more styles of Christian music appearing, such as Christian hip hop, punk, alternative, and metal. By the 1990s, artists such as the Lost Dogs, Starflyer 59, Vigilantes of Love, and Joy Electric were rebelling against the stereotypes of the CCM industry and creating compellingly original music.
Today, the term "CCM" generally refers to music produced by the Nashville-based CCM industry (see Billboard Magazine's Hot Christian Tracks chart). However, many Christian artists are now finding success in the mainstream music industry, such as P.O.D., Switchfoot, and MxPx.
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