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Contemporary Christian And Gospel Music Sold In Record Numbers At Mainstream Retail In 2000
Total sales of contemporary Christian and gospel albums ended the year at 44,031,000 units, according to SoundScan. That total was 46,852,000 in 1999, a six percent decline, due primarily to the lack of new studio releases in 2000 from the industry's top gold- and platinum-selling artists like dc Talk, Jars of Clay, Steven Curtis Chapman, Sixpence None the Richer, Amy Grant and Point of Grace. The overall music industry is reporting a modest four percent growth in album sales due to increases in the alternative, rap, metal and R&B categories. Latin, country, soundtracks, jazz and classical genres also experienced sales declines. Mainstream retail stores saw their biggest increase ever in sales of contemporary Christian and Gospel music, selling 23,109,000, over two million more than in 1999, a 9.2 percent increase. Mainstream sales accounted for 50.4 percent of total contemporary Christian and gospel music sales in 2000, with the Christian Booksellers Association (CBA) retailers, accounting for 47.2 percent of the total sales. Direct Response and Internet sales tallied 2.03 percent of total sales. The mix of releases mostly affected a CBA sales decline this year, particularly the absence of new projects by core CBA-selling artists. "Mainstream retail once again experienced this year that contemporary Christian and gospel music sells. That this increase occurred even without new studio albums by some of our typically top-selling artists demonstrates that the market for this music continues to grow and to find new audiences. Mainstream retail has done a great job of marketing urban and rock music, especially with acts like Yolanda Adams, P.O.D. and Mary Mary, some of our biggest sellers this year. This is an area with great upside potential for our CBA stores going forward. They now know there is a huge audience for this style of Christian music, and I think you'll see them make gains in that area in the future," said Frank Breeden, president of the Gospel Music Association (GMA) and Christian Music Trade Association (CMTA). Four of the top ten albums of the year came from artists who had never been at the top of contemporary Christian and gospel music charts. Yolanda Adams and P.O.D. ranked numbers one and two respectively, while new artists Mary Mary and Plus One also scored top ten albums for the year. In addition, five other new artists Stacie Orrico, ZOE girl, Rachael Lampa, Nicole C. Mullen and Mark Schultz have sold more than 100,000 units to date of their debut releases. By comparison, only two of the five nominees for last year's Best New Artist Dove Award had sold more than 100,000 units in 1999. "When you witness the rate at which these new artists are selling compared to their counterparts in the past, you can't help but be optimistic about the future growth of these artists, and indeed, our entire industry. In the past, it has taken an artist in our genre two or three albums to establish a large fan base, but artists like Plus One and Mary Mary are doing that on their debuts, and we can only expect their audiences to grow," Breeden observed. In the year's top ten, contemporary Christian and gospel music's diversity was once again on display with the top-selling albums representing several musical styles, including urban, rock/pop and modern worship. After Mountain High…Valley Low by Yolanda Adams and P.O.D.'s The Fundamental Elements of Southtown at #1 and #2 comes Charlotte Church's Voice of an Angel at #3 and Thankful from Mary Mary at #4. The pop compilation WoW 2001 ended the year at #5 followed by WoW Worship Blue at #6. Anne Murray's gospel debut, What A Wonderful World, sold strong at #7 followed by WoW Worship Orange and WoW 2000 capturing the #8 and #9 rankings. Plus One's debut, The Promise, rounds out the top ten. "The top selling albums for 2000 reflect the continued promise of contemporary Christian and gospel music," said Breeden. "It's especially apparent that teens and adults will buy albums with spiritually passionate lyrics and compelling music, and that is what today's artists are creating. The music is diverse and relevant, but the message of the Gospel that makes this music unique has never been stronger. We have much to look forward to in 2001." Breeden expects healthier sales in 2001, due to sustained strong sales from the newest crop of top-selling artists and anticipated new studio projects from Amy Grant, Point of Grace, Steven Curtis Chapman, CeCe Winans, Newsboys, Avalon, Fred Hammond, Sixpence None the Richer, the Mississippi Mass Choir, Audio Adrenaline and solo projects from dc Talk's Michael Tait, Kevin Max and Toby McKeehan. The Oak Ridge Boys also plan a return to gospel music in 2001. Some additional highlights from the year-end report: - Adult contemporary style of Christian music continues to be the most popular, representing 34 percent of the total album units sold in 2000. Praise & Worship and gospel music sold 17 and 16 percent respectively, followed by children's music at 12 percent and southern gospel at eight percent. Rock sales accounted for seven percent, instrumental, four percent and country, two percent. - The top sales markets in 2000 were (in order): New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Detroit and Dallas-Fort Worth. - Compilation projects once again were big sellers in 2000. The WoW series continues as the strongest brand in Christian music. Four of the top ten albums were WoW projects, including WoW Worship Orange and WoW Worship Blue, indicating a growing audience for Praise & Worship music. In fact, five of the top ten albums sold in CBA stores were worship albums. - Video sales experienced an 11 percent increase in 2000 over 1999. Total sales of videos were 6,300,000, up from 5,654,000 last year. Leading the video charts were two new VeggieTales releases: King George & The Ducky and Esther: The Girl Who Became Queen. Left Behind: The Movie, based on the popular book series, came in at the #3 spot. Big Ideas' newest video entry, 3-2-1 Penguins, Trouble on Your Planet Wait Your Turn came in at #4. - Contemporary Christian and gospel music saw a record number of gold, platinum and multi-platinum certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), 25 in all, including multi-platinum certifications for dcTalk (Jesus Freak), Kirk Franklin (The Nu Nation Project) and WoW 2000 and WoW 1999. The CMTA is the contemporary Christian and gospel music industry's trade organization responsible for managing the Christian SoundScan and creating opportunities for growth and penetration of the marketplace for music-related products, services and activities which communicate the gospel throughout the world. Founded in 1964, the 5,500-member Gospel Music Association is dedicated to educating the public and the music industry concerning the mission and role of gospel music in today's world. The GMA produces the Dove Awards‰, which recognizes achievement in all genres of Gospel music and is the premiere television awards show for the contemporary Christian and gospel music industry. The 2001 Dove Awards‰ will be held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville on Thursday, April 26, 2001.
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