Editing Christian music industry (section)

==Criticisms==<!-- Obviously, there are a great number of bands that could be listed in this section. Please try to limit these to relevant examples. -->

==="Ghetto" assertion===
Christian music is sometimes cited as a "ghetto,"<ref name="RPCinA"/><ref name="JMIA"/><ref name="AoR1999"/> meaning that the majority of artists in the industry are pigeonholed to operate solely in it. These artists are isolated from the mainstream public, to [[Christian media]], including radio, magazines, and book stores. For many this is a conscious choice, however others, not content to stay in an isolated industry segment, attempt to "cross over" and gain acceptance in the general market. For many artists, being called Christian becomes a [[wiktionary:stigma|stigma]].<ref name="Hendershot2002">{{harvnb|Hendershot|2004|loc=pp. 39–84}}</ref>

{{bar box
|float=right
|title=Name recognition in Christian music
|titlebar=#AAF
|left1=Artist
|right1=Familiarity
|width=300px
|bars=
{{bar percent 2|[[Amy Grant]]||green|70||red|67}}
{{bar percent 2|[[BeBe Winans|BeBe]] and [[CeCe Winans]]||green|43||red|13}}
{{bar percent 2|[[Sandi Patty]]||green|42||red|13}}
{{bar percent 2|[[Carman (singer)|Carman]]||green|33||red|9}}
{{bar percent 2|[[Michael W. Smith]]||green|30||red|10}}
{{bar percent 2|[[dc Talk]]||green|26||red|11}}
{{bar percent 2|[[Steven Curtis Chapman]]||green|26||red|6}}
|caption=A 1997 survey looked at familiarity with "well-known" Christian artists. Self-identified Christian music listeners in are shown in green, and the general public in red.<ref name="CCMU_19970526_s"/>
}}

A 1997 study revealed that a self-identified audience of "Christian music listeners" had what was considered a lacking recognition of Christian artists.<ref name="CCMU_19970526_s">{{cite journal |title=Consumer Survey Reveals Potential Markets for Christian Music |journal=CCM Update |date=May 26, 1997|oclc=22937802 }}</ref> The survey was commissioned by the [[Christian Music Trade Association]] and [[Z Music Television]]. The study looked at several artists including [[Amy Grant]], [[BeBe Winans|BeBe]] and [[CeCe Winans]], [[Carman (singer)|Carman]], [[Steven Curtis Chapman]], [[dc Talk]], [[Sandi Patty]], and [[Michael W. Smith]]. At the time of the survey, each of these artists was active in Christian music and had been so for at least nine years, was a multiple [[Dove Award]] and/or [[Grammy Award]] winner, and had albums [[RIAA certification|certified]] Gold or higher.

Even so, the survey found that the Christian music audience was no more familiar with artists in the field than they were with [[Hootie & The Blowfish]], a popular act at that time. The study concluded that the word "Christian" was the problem, causing a stigma. "It's the label, not the music, that dissuades," one Christian music executive was quoted as saying, agreeing with the survey.<ref name="CCMU_19970526_s"/>

Another aspect of the "ghetto" is that some artists have trouble gaining audience with Christians due to their non-conservative image.<ref name="Kyle_2006">{{harvnb|Kyle|2006|loc="If You Can't Beat 'em Join 'em" pp. 281–286}}</ref> [[Stryper]] is a well-known example. Stryper received large amounts of criticism from groups on the Christian right, who argue (among other things) that their image as rock stars contradict their espoused faith. One critic wrote that the marriage of secular and religious elements in "Christian music" "violates all that God has commanded in the Bible about [[Doctrine of separation|separation]]."<ref name="Truth85">{{cite book |last=Pyle |first=Hugh |title=The Truth About Rock Music |publisher=Sword of the Lord Publishers |location=[[Murfreesboro, Tennessee]] |year=1985 |isbn=0-87398-839-6}}</ref>

The "ghetto" has several effects, critics point out that the audience of such artists are often already Christians, thus limiting the impact of any supposed "evangelism."<ref name="JoAC_15_3">{{cite journal |doi=10.1111/j.1542-734X.1992.t01-1-00079.x |last=Romanowski |first=William D. |title=Roll Over Beethoven, Tell Martin Luther The News: American Evangelicals and Rock Music |pages=79–82 |journal=Journal of American Culture |volume=15 |issue=3 |date=Fall 1992 |publisher=[[Bowling Green State University]] }}</ref> Another is that artists sometimes have trouble appealing to and maintaining both secular and religious audiences. For example:

*One [[Jesus music]] artist, [[Randy Matthews]], ran into trouble at an early Christian music festival after announcing an upcoming tour with [[Lynyrd Skynyrd]] and [[ZZ Top]].<ref name="Powell_Fe_RM">{{Harvnb|Powell|2002|loc="Randy Matthews" pp. 566–569.}}</ref> The crowd, also reacting to his electric musical style, chased him off the stage, pronouncing him to be [[Demonic possession|demon]] or [[Drug abuse|drug]] possessed.<ref name="Powell_Fe_RM"/><ref name="CCM_3_6">{{cite journal |last=Rabey |first=Steve |date=December 1980 |title=Randy Matthews... The Long Road To Now |journal=[[CCM Magazine]] |issn=1524-7848 |volume=3 |issue=6 |page=14 }}</ref> Matthews was later dropped from the tour.
*After [[Bob Dylan]] announced his conversion to Christianity in 1979, he released three albums widely cited as being based on his newfound faith.<ref name="Powell_Fe_bdylan">{{Harvnb|Powell|2002|loc="Bob Dylan" pp. 277 – 286.}}</ref> Dylan spent several years touring and preaching from stage, though he never became a part of the "Christian music subculture."<ref name="Powell_Fe_bdylan"/> The result, as one critic bluntly puts it, was that "It didn't work. Christian music fans were characteristically suspicious of Dylan's failure to leave the world behind and become a part of their little ghetto, and the world at large tired quickly of paying money to hear him sing about religion."<ref name="Powell_Fe_bdylan"/> By 1981, Dylan had dropped the explicit religious references; both critics and audiences returned his music to acclaim.
*While commonly cited as the father of Christian rock, [[Larry Norman]] struggled to gain acceptance from the Christian music industry, and was largely estranged from it for his career.<ref name="Powell_Fe_LNorman">{{Harvnb|Powell|2002|loc="Larry Norman" pp. 633–641.}}</ref><ref name="CYTY_52_4">{{cite journal |title=Christian Rock's 'Father' Dies: icon Larry Norman was often estranged from the industry |journal=[[Christianity Today]] |date=April 2008 |volume=52 |issue=4 |page=13 |issn=0009-5753 }}</ref> His 1969 solo album, ''[[Upon This Rock (Larry Norman album)|Upon This Rock]]'', has been described by secular observers as "perhaps the first truly accomplished and relevant Christian rock testimony ever recorded,"<ref name="AllMusic_LN_1969">{{cite web | url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r90988|pure_url=yes}} | website=Allmusic | access-date=2009-04-26 |first=Vincent | last=Jeffries | title=''Upon This Rock''}}</ref> and 1972's ''[[Only Visiting This Planet]]'' became one of the most revered albums of all time in Christian music. Even so, Norman became, according to ''CCM'' "so far outside the mainstream that most of today's Christian music fans have no idea who Larry Norman is."<ref name="CCM_30_9_LN">{{cite journal |last=Thompson |first=John J. |author-link=John J. Thompson |date=April 2008 |title=Remembering Larry Norman |journal=[[CCM Magazine]] |issn=1524-7848 |volume=24 |issue=9 |page=42 }}</ref>

The problem, as summed by one critic, was that the music was too religious for secular audience, while simultaneously too aggressive for religious audiences.<ref name="JMIA"/><ref name="AoR1999"/> One critic describes the situation, stating that for a band "to be taken seriously outside the Christian scene, a band must stay far, far away from that scene."<ref name="CTTY_06_06">{{cite journal |last=Moll |first=Rob |title=Rock Un-Solid: When Christian bands bite the hands that praised them |journal=[[Christianity Today]] |url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/june/28.62.html |date=June 2006 }}</ref>

[[Mutemath]], for instance sued their record label with the goal of removing their product from the Christian market. [[Reset (Mute Math EP)|Their first release]] sold almost 30,000 copies, with "bulk of sales coming from the Christian market," according to ''Billboard''.<ref name="BB_118_10">{{cite journal |last=Martens |first=Todd |title=A question of faith: buzz band Mutemath, preferring secular rock, sues Warner |journal=[[Billboard Magazine]] |date=March 11, 2006 |volume=118 |issue=11 }}</ref> The band had been placed in the Christian market by their record label largely because their lead singer, [[Paul Meany]], was previously with the band [[Earthsuit]], whose [[Kaleidoscope Superior|only major label release]] was released on [[Sparrow Records|a Christian label]].

This caused the band to not get taken seriously by music critics, and by the release of [[Mutemath (album)|their full-length album]] the band began expressing discontent with their situation.<ref name="TW_Mutemath">{{cite news |last=Holub |first=Annie |url=http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/church-and-state/Content?oid=1083036 |title=Church and State: Mutemath fights the machine at Warner Bros |work=[[Tucson Weekly]] |date=January 19, 2006}}</ref> Meany told ''Tucson Weekly'' "...we began to see ourselves getting pigeonholed into this particular world that we weren't necessarily proud to be associated with... We're not trying to preach through our music; we don't have some kind of [[evangelistic]] agenda with what we're doing... You know, you don't want to be ashamed of your faith and your beliefs, but you don't want to be marketed by that, either."<ref name="TW_Mutemath"/>

On the other hand, some artists operate solely within the "ghetto" of Christian music, and find great success in doing so.

===Downplayed religious content===<!-- Obviously, there are a great number of bands that could be listed in this section. Please try to limit these to relevant examples. -->
An early Christian record label, [[Lamb & Lion Records]] (founded by [[Pat Boone]]) reported in 1978 that it was their goal to produce crossover artists, but they were limited by lack of distribution to the secular marketplace.<ref name="ET_29_5">{{cite journal |title=H-E-R-E-S'S Christian Show Biz! |last=Hortegas |first=Steve |journal=Eternity |volume=29 |issue=5 |date=May 1978 }}</ref> Both problems affected Christian labels into the 1990s.<ref name="JoAC_15_3"/> "Since people don't understand [the term] '[[Blood of Christ|the Blood of Jesus]], '" stated a manager for Lamb & Lion, "...music that communicates must approach it another way. We've got to present a subtle but sensitive Christian message."<ref name="ET_29_5"/> Lyrics with subdued religious content have become commonplace in the industry; One critic points out that the secular hit "[[Spirit in the Sky]]" "has more explicit religious references than do many recent Christian radio hits."<ref name="BILLBOARD_G_HIST">{{Harvnb|Alfonso|2002|loc="Contemporary Christian music: A History" pp. 11–29.}}</ref>

Some critics have alleged that CCM often uses "minimal direct theology," and promotes a "Jesus is my boyfriend" image of God.<ref name="Cusic_PART4"/> Using downplayed religious content in lyrics has allowed some artists to "cross over" and make significant impact into the general market. Some Christian bands are able to do this while maintaining their identity in the Christian market. For example, [[MercyMe]], whose double platinum album ''[[Almost There (MercyMe album)|Almost There]]'' produced the Christian and secular chart hit "[[I Can Only Imagine (MercyMe song)|I Can Only Imagine]]." However, the lyrics of the single, while Christian in nature, contain what one critic calls "rather [[wiktionary:vacuous|vacuous]] theology."<ref name="JMIA"/>

Sometimes "crossing over" creates ambiguity over whether an artist is Christian (a "Christian band"),<ref name="AoR1999"/> or the artist is composed of Christians and produces music that appeals to Christian music fans but does not cater to the Christian market ("Christians in a band").<ref name="AoR1999"/> Such artists are:

*[[Chevelle (band)|Chevelle]], whose [[Point No. 1|debut album]] was released to Christian music markets, received three [[Dove Award]]s.<ref name="DOVE_CHV1">{{cite web| url=http://www.doveawards.com/history/browse.cfm?cid=32 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020106001828/http://www.doveawards.com/history/browse.cfm?cid=32 |archive-date=January 6, 2002 |title=Dove Award Recipients for Hard Music Recorded Song |publisher=[[Gospel Music Association]] |access-date=2006-11-15}}</ref><ref name="DOVE_CHV2">{{cite web |url=http://doveawards.com/history/browse.cfm?year=2000 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020406020434/http://doveawards.com/history/browse.cfm?year=2000 |archive-date=April 6, 2002 |title=Dove Award Recipients for Hard Music Album |publisher=Gospel Music Association |access-date=2006-11-15}}</ref> However, the band is not generally considered to be a "Christian band" today. On that topic the band states "We originally signed with [[Squint Entertainment|a record company]] that was backed by [[Word Records|Word]] (a Christian label housing [[John Tesh]] and [[Amy Grant]]), so the record was in Christian bookstores. It was really an accidental thing."
*[[Project 86]] has sometimes been labeled a "Christian band", although the band itself eschewed the label. The band considers its art to be the best conveyance of their message.<ref name="CM_Vol_52">{{cite book |last=Winters |first=Kelly |editor=Pilchak, Angela M. |title=Contemporary Musicians |series=Volume 52 |year=2005 |publisher=[[Gale Group]] |location=[[Farmington Hills, Michigan]] |issn=1044-2197 |isbn=0-7876-8065-6 |chapter=Project 86 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/contemporarymusi0000unse_f9q2/page/129 129–130] |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/contemporarymusi0000unse_f9q2/page/129 }}</ref> Frontman Andrew Schwab has offered several statements on the topic. "We're not going to go in there and say 'Hey we're the Christian band. We're going to carry ourselves like a normal band. Hopefully people will like our music and investigate into the band [...] and they will learn our beliefs."<ref>{{cite news | title = Wide range of music inspires Project 86 | author = Gonzales, Ron | newspaper = [[Albuquerque Journal]] | page = 2D | date = May 28, 2004 }}</ref> "If we're playing at [[Ozzfest]] or on [[Family Values Tour|Family Values]]...," the band told ''[[7ball]]'' after the release of [[Drawing Black Lines|their second album]], "there is a greater level of tact necessary in order to reach that sort of audience."<ref name="7b_30">{{cite journal |last=Dodd |first=Jason |title=Hard and Fast |pages=51–52 |date=May–June 2000 |issue=30 |journal=[[7ball]] |issn=1082-3980 }}</ref> In a 2007 interview, Schwab further opined "We always tell people that the goal has been to just write music that we love, and write music hopefully that is challenging and inspiring to people and doesn't sound like everything else out there."<ref name = "DIBASE_2007-04-23">{{cite web | url = http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/interviews/Project862007.asp | title = I want ''Rival Factions'' | last = DiBase | first = John | publisher = Jesus Freak Hideout | date = April 23, 2007 | access-date = 2008-10-23}}</ref>
*[[Switchfoot]] is often referred to as a "Christian band", mostly due to their involvement with the Christian rock scene in their early days. But the band has always shunned this label: "For us, it's a faith, not a genre,..." says Jon Foreman. "...these songs are for everyone. Calling us 'Christian rock' tends to be a box that closes some people out and excludes them. And that's not what we're trying to do. Music has always opened my mind—and that's what we want".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2004/01/09/switchfoot_steps_toward_stardom |title=Switchfoot steps toward stardom |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=January 9, 2004 |access-date=2006-08-09 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050123135046/http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2004/01/09/switchfoot_steps_toward_stardom?mode=PF |archive-date = January 23, 2005}}</ref> Duly, Foreman's lyrics steer clear of preachiness, exclusive declarations of faith, or even any mention of [[Jesus|Jesus Christ]], instead [[Social commentary|questioning the status quo]], probing [[Existentialism|existential]] issues through "[[Socratic dialogue]]"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.utahstatesman.com/media/storage/paper243/news/2004/10/13/Features/Question.And.Answer.With.Switchfoots.Jon.Foreman-751862.shtml |title=Question and Answer with Switchfoot's Jon Foreman |date=October 13, 2004 |access-date=2006-08-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130208220210/http://www.utahstatesman.com/media/storage/paper243/news/2004/10/13/Features/Question.And.Answer.With.Switchfoots.Jon.Foreman-751862.shtml |archive-date=February 8, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> in which he answers questions with more questions, exploring frustrations, or simply being inspirational. Even so, this position has not alienated their Christian fans. As in their [[Indie (music)|indie]] days, they are still distributed to Christian retail outlets through [[Sparrow Records]], featured on Christian radio and charts, and presented [[GMA Music Awards|Dove Awards]], even after having been signed to the mainstream [[Columbia Records]]. [[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] writer Andrew Beaujon takes the view that "their lyrics often have two different meanings, one meaning for a Christian audience and one meaning for the rest of us. They try to relate to two different groups of people at once".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=444350 |title=Rocking for Jesus |date=June 30, 2006 |access-date=2006-08-09 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060706140202/http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=444350 |archive-date = July 6, 2006}}</ref>

====In video====
The trend continues when examining religious videos. Many Christian bands produce videos with rotation on [[MTV]] in mind, however, the images can lead to an ambiguous impression of the portrayal.

In 1982 MTV featured two videos, "Constantly Changing" and "It's Mad" (which was the first one to be featured), made by the Swedish Christian rock band [[Jerusalem (Swedish band)|Jerusalem]] to promote their 1981 release ''Warrior''.<ref name="MuLe_2_9">{{cite magazine |title=A Cable Music First? Lamb & Lion act to be seen and heard on MTV. |pages=43 |magazine=Billboard |date=November 20, 1982 |volume=88 |issue=? |publisher=[[Billboard Magazine]] }}</ref> [[DeGarmo and Key]] was the first Christian band in the US whose video appeared on MTV, made a video for their single "Six, Six, Six" off their 1984 release ''Communication''. While the video was shown on MTV for a short time, it was subsequently pulled for a scene which depicted the [[Antichrist]] engulfed in flames, which MTV described as "senseless violence."<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite journal |title=MTV Rejects DeGarmo and Key Video, Cites 'Violent' Scene |pages=3, 15 |journal=MusicLine |date=February 1985 |volume=2 |issue=9 |issn=0746-7656 |publisher=[[CCM Communications]] }}</ref> Eventually the video was re-edited for MTV—however, the unedited version continued to play in Christian bookstores and on Christian television networks, like [[Trinity Broadcasting Network|Trinity Broadcasting]].<ref name="MuLe_3_1">{{cite journal |title=DeGarmo and Key Video Airs on MTV |page=3 |journal=MusicLine |date=May 1985 |volume=3 |issue=1 |issn=0746-7656 |publisher=[[CCM Communications]] }}</ref> The video received a [[Dove Award]] in a category created especially for it, "Gospel Music Visual Song" in 1985.<ref name="MuLe_3_1"/>

Another artist, [[Brian Welch]], whose ''[[Save Me from Myself (album)|solo debut]]'' was released to Christian markets, found their album pulled from some Christian bookstores after the music video for "Flush" was released.<ref name="BrianW"/> The video is an interpretation of the authors personal experience with [[methamphetamine]], before his religious conversion. At the time the album was pulled, Brian Welsh released a statement about the visual content of the video, relating its symbolism to his personal experiences of addiction and redemption. He also issued the following statement: "The video for 'Flush' is about [[Methamphetamine|crystal meth]] addiction and the crazy things anyone addicted to meth will do while they're [[Substance intoxication|high]] or to get their fix. Everything the models were doing in the video is what I was wrapped up in while I was addicted to meth... I believe I would be dead right now if I continued using meth, but instead, I chose to [[Salvation#Christianity|surrender my life]] to Christ and die to myself so He could share His resurrection with me... There is a huge message of hope on my CD and I believe those retailers that are pulling the CD from their shelves are robbing someone spiritually by taking it off of the shelves."<ref name="BrianW">{{cite news|title=Ex-Korn guitarist Brian "Head" Welch defends 'controversial' video|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=105600|date=September 25, 2008|access-date=2008-11-01|work=[[Blabbermouth.net]]}}</ref>

{{Pie chart
| caption = Classification of videos on Z Music by content<ref name="PMS_S99"/>
| label1 = Ambiguously Religious
| value1 = 31
| color1 = Red
| label2 = Moderately Religious
| value2 = 52
| color2 = Blue
| label3 = Unequivocally Religious
| value3 = 17
| color3 = Green
}}

A study of visual elements of Christian music videos on [[Z Music Television]], a now defunct MTV-like channel for Christian music, found that almost one third of the channel's videos could be described as "Ambiguously Religious" at best (red area, right).<ref name="PMS_S99"/> The conclusion was that the channel's programming was designed to make its Christian nature "apparent only to those willing to listen for it."<ref name="PMS_S99">{{cite journal |last=Gow |first=Joe |date=Summer 1999 |title=Rockin', Rappin', and Religion: Programming Strategy on Z Music Television |journal=Popular Music and Society |publisher=[[Bowling Green State University]] Popular Press |issn=0300-7766 |volume=23 |issue=2 |page=17 |doi=10.1080/03007769908591730}}</ref>

===Other arguments===
Some critics describe the Christian music industry as being committed "to the goals and strategies of the commercial marketplace – industrial growth, increased market share, and greater profits."<ref name="RPCinA">{{Harvnb|Forbes|Mahan|2000|loc="Evangelicals and Popular Music: The Contemporary Christian Music Industry" pp. 105–109}}</ref> This became more apparent in the 1980s and 1990s as the largest Christian record labels became subsidiaries of the "mainstream" labels (who are themselves owned by huge [[media conglomerate]]s like [[Viacom (2005–present)|Viacom]] and [[Time Warner]]).<ref name="AoR1999">{{Harvnb|Howard|Streck|1999|p=9}}</ref><ref name="Hendershot2002"/> Others see the industry as taking on the roles traditionally reserved for the church. Concerts are the equivalent of religious services, and commodities symbols of faith.<ref name="RPCinA_art">{{Harvnb|Forbes|Mahan|2000|loc="Evangelicals and Popular Music: The Art World of Contemporary Christian Music" pp. 109–115}}</ref> Under these conditions "[[evangelism]] becomes rhetoric—justifying the propaganda value of the industry's work – not spiritual reality."<ref name="RPCinA_art"/> One critic comments that "perhaps the 'ghettoization' and parallel institutionalism of CCM manifests itself nowhere more apparently than at numerous [[Christian rock festival]]s."<ref name="JMIA">{{Harvnb|Nichols|2008|loc=Chapter 5: "Jesus on Vinyl" pp. 122 – 146}}</ref>