Matt- As hard as it is to say, I thank you that you have the boldness to call it for what it is. I believe God has equipped His songwriters and musicians as modern day Levitical priests and that privilege is too great to sum it all up in watered down lyrics and ear-tickling music. I have met very “successful” Christian artists who belonged to major labels, had their songs played on the radio and they all say the essentially the same thing: 1) I wasn’t looking for this, and 2) Now that I’m independent, I can make the music I know I’m called to write. Thank you for sharing this and I look forward to many more blogs that turn over the tables.

AGREE COMPLETELY. Sadly, Christian radio forms more “doctrine” for people than scripture. And the state of the church illustrates this.

I live in a market where “uplifting and kid-safe” is about as high as the bar is set. Having had multiple encounters with the station manager (who was put in to implement the owner’s shift in theology–read that compromise) I/we have been told that it is we who are the judgers, the ones standing in the way of Jesus. This is in response to the questioning of the board outside the station that say: No Judgement, or Just love, or any varient on that theme. The station is practically next door to Planned Parenthood and a local prolife group was told by this station manager that they were not welcome to use the parking lot because of the ‘hate’. Another ‘posotive’ strategy is to pay the food bill in the drive in for the car behind you. They tell you to give a note which says, in part: “This is just something I felt like doing. Listen to this station.” And the former head engineer told me that the new strategy is like a giant funnel hoping to grab them and then pull them down to church.

I am sorry but CHURCH is not the issue: JESUS is. Church is religion. Church is often what is wrong with Christianity. Jesus is the one who saves.

So, the music industry itself may be part of the problem but station owners make those decisions too. The music is not the only pablum that is vomited out. If I have to hear ‘Scott and Nicole’ giggle about cats or positive thinking, I will be the one vomiting.

Thanks for talking about this.

Not all stations are created, managed or produced equally, and I’m not defending those that are just in it for the bottom line.

I work with the industry, and unfortunately, most of what you say is just complaining about the symptoms of modern-day Christianity.

Sadly, the root is that most Becky(s) in the U.S., are usually the spiritual leaders in their home(s). They look for a safe place on the dial for entertainment and encouragement. Most men in the U.S., tune into sports or talk radio. Other than an occasional interview, I don’t usually hear many Christian voices proclaiming God’s truth or glory there.

All in all, I’m thankful for the many choices to hear preachers, teachers and musicians proclaim God’s love.

Looking forward to your examples and future blog posts on the subject.

Matt, gotta admit I never listened to a single song of yours prior to reading these two blogs on Christian radio. Having not grown up a Christian, I was used to hearing about the dark sides and light sides of people. When I had heard Christian radio for the first time (not “Christian” music, the radio specifically), I was really turned off.

Your post gives me hope. If more musicians can see that bowing to the ones who hold our airplays becomes idolatry, there may be hope for Christian radio too.

So….before today, never heard of you. Now, I’m a fan (This Changes Everything is pretty decent). Thank you!

Awesome, again thank you.

Thank you for taking a stand. I am a pastor in the Houston area and I hav written the local Christian radio station (KSBJ) on numerous occasions because of both theologically incorrect statements made over the air by DJ’s and poor . . . poor choice of songs and what they proclaim. All my efforts have reached deaf ears. It is amazing to me that we even have a Christian Radio station encouraging people to attend 5k runs and bike-a-thons on Sunday morning as they interrupt the “Christian” music on the drive to church.

I hope one of the songs you are going to name is Mike’s Chair – “Someone Worth Dying For.” I asked several DJ’s that if they could simply point out in scripture where the message of this song is proclaimed, I would be quiet. I even e-mailed a station “higher-up” and no one could support this song with scripture. It is simply sad. This is but one example.

Looking forward to reading your other posts.

Matt ~ A story of unintended consequences ~

Some will take this information and possibly remove their support of non-commercial Christian radio. I can’t begin to disagree with your basic premises, but I whole-heartedly warn you to remember the basics of the Christian walk.

* He chose us, not the other way around.
* We can do nothing to change what God has planned for this world.
* Music, as anything in this world, can & will be used to His glory (& to pretty much anything else.)
* Jesus didn’t go around shutting down Synagogues or killing Pharisees.
* Jesus DID tell His disciples who complained that ‘other people’ were healing in His name that they should leave them alone.

I said elsewhere that I am a Radio DJ. Music aside, I take the calls from listeners, including Becky, who are in pain. Maybe they’ve been listening, having their ears tickled for YEARS… then one day tragedy struck. Becky’s husband left her or died. Becky’s daughter was killed in a car accident. Becky’s daughter was pregnant at 15. Becky had just cheated on her husband with a co-worker. She hears the words to “Blessings” or “If You Want Me To” or “I Will Follow” and she picks up the phone and calls the only people who have been by her side for years without judging her.

When that call comes in… hopefully there is a real live person on the other end to pray for Becky and to point her to Christ. In some cases we talk Becky out of drinking a bottle of pills and encourage her to call her pastor or a hotline. At our station this will happen during 12 of our 24 hours on the air each day. Financially, we cannot afford to be live and local for 24/7.

Christian radio is more than the music we play, although the playing “the right song at the right time” has fielded us more un-prompted phone calls than I can count. We have prayed for and cried along side so many men, women and children it makes us humble and reminds us of our ministry to listeners.

If your diatribe removes one dollar of support to this ministry, you will have realized the sad unintended consequence of tossing the baby out with the bath water. There isn’t a whole lot of money in this business. DJ’s often work below the poverty level. Artists? Oh, artists make some coin when they get the big record deal and have a song chosen for a movie score. You ever hear of an artist sending a check to a DJ for being the major key to the success you describe? No, in fact it would be illegal.

Well, when the watered-down Christian radio stations start folding like cheap suits, I hope you provide your phone number on this blog and then make sure it comes to mind when Becky is at the end of her rope and needs to be reminded that Christ is her all-in-all.

Thank you, Matt. I work in the industry, and this has been my burden for the last decade. Please pray for Christian radio. There are many who agree with you, but we are in spiritual warfare, and it is an uphill battle. (Eph. 6:12). As I consider where God has placed me, the bottom line is what you said in your first post: I am not here to build a career, I am here to fulfill a calling. Someday, I will stand before God and give an account for what I did with the “talent” with which He entrusted me. I want to hear from HIM, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” With all due respect, it’s not about what Becky thinks or wants — it’s about what HE wants.

I was unaware of your music ministry before this. I am praying that God will strengthen you and your ministry.

Matt,

A friend of mine linked me to this piece because he’s heard me rant about the same things before. You make a number of significant points and the comments have been interesting to read. I must apologize in advance for my lengthy post. (Feel free to edit/delete as needed).

First, let me give you some of my background only for the sake of perspective. I began my career in radio in 1979. I’ve been on-air, done production, music programming and PD/OPS for successful Christian and secular stations, both commercial and non-commercial. I spent several years working with artists on booking and promotion and also had the benefit of working with a couple of labels on publishing, rights and permissions, etc.

This is one of those discussions that will never come to a conclusion everyone agrees with. I remember posing the same questions in a Letter to the Editor in CCM Magazine back in 1985 when John Styll was the publisher (before the evil Salem empire took over). A ‘letter to readers’ had been written and signed by a number of prominent Christian artists at the time saying (in effect), “we just want to be servant-musicians, we don’t care about money or notoriety, please just accept us for us.” Sounded good. But these were the very same artists whose record label promoters were calling me every week to see if we would give a few more spins to the artist’s latest single. The irony was undeniable; if artist X wanted to be ‘just folks’ why did they sign a publishing/record deal with a label that was pushing their records to retail and their songs to radio?

Since then a lot of things have changed. People like Michael Card, Steve Camp, Mark Heard, and industry vet and former Word Records/StarSong executive Stan Moser have challenged the industry to be more introspective and self-critical. As Moser put it in a 1996 piece in Christianity Today, “…in the seventies, we were on a mission from God. We had no choice but to communicate the gospel. Now we’ve built our careers, we’ve built our ministries, we’ve built our houses, we’ve built our companies, and we’ve sold them–at great profit. We’ve made money–and now we’re accountable to make more money for the new owners. In many cases, we are creating music because it’s time to create more music. ‘It’s been 18 months since my last record; I’ve got some decent songs, we have the production dollars to make them sound even better. So we might as well.’”

“But to be candid, I look at the majority of the music I hear today and think it’s virtually meaningless. There are some great songs; there are some fine artists. But when I pick up any of the magazines that review Christian music, I often wonder, “What is this? Why on earth are they reviewing this thing?” The answer is because we’ve created the opportunity for business to happen and for the media to exist. Now we’re obligated to put something out, give the stores something to sell, and the magazines something to write about. We’re driven by ‘It’s time for another record.’ The bottom line is “if it is commercially viable, produce it.”

The majority of Christian radio stations and networks in the U.S. are non-commercial, in other words they are listener-supported. They may run sponsorship mentions and promotional announcements but you won’t hear an ad for Target or the local Ford dealer on them. Therefore, they are deathly afraid of offending their donor base. Sometimes that means that they ‘play it safe for the little ears’ for so long that they fall behind listener’s constantly changing tastes. That bores listeners. On the other hand, if the station employs the services of a consultant they’ll follow the traditional secular radio formulas and have a very tight playlist with little variety and a lot of repetition. That annoys listeners.

So what is the process of getting a song played on the radio? Record labels release singles via digital delivery services in advance of the artist’s forthcoming record. Radio is encouraged to play them and most do. Why? Because everybody else is. It’s like traveling to a city and finding a strip with the same Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Radisson and Walgreens as the last five cities had. A few stations try something different but the majority follow the norm and sound alike as a result.

Another aspect is the perpetual question, is what we’re doing ministry or entertainment? Does it have to be one or the other? Can it be both? Personally, I’m comfortable with the suggestion that it’s entertainment with ministry a hoped-for by-product. Consumers have a multitude of choices for listening to music that weren’t available even ten years ago. So what we do had better be entertaining. Much of it is basic consumerism. Like any lifestyle choice, Christian radio listeners identify with the musical styles, artist personas and song lyrics. They consume the product like cotton candy at a state fair. “I don’t want Christ to radically change my life. I’m just looking for a few tweaks here and there and to get a few prayers answered.” Think about how many people get their theology and Biblical understanding from song lyrics; it’s a scary proposition.

I agree with another of your comments but I think it only reveals half the story. You wrote, “I am simply saying that the system is broken….and that radio in large-part “forces” Christian artists to succumb to compromise. MANY bands/artists whore themselves and their Lord all for the sake of getting a song on the radio, i.e. “making it”.” I agree that the system is broken. And because radio is still the primary way most people hear about or are introduced to new music, you could argue that “radio in large-part “forces” Christian artists to succumb to compromise.” But as I mentioned, the CCM industry is equally at fault. It produces and markets what sells. Being a mass-market culture, that dumbs down the level of artistry. Originality is not rewarded. Sales are. I’ve always been amazed that so many people think this multi-million dollar industry is a benevolent benefactor there to share the love of Jesus like a mission organization. Is it ministry or business? Duh. If Chris Tomlin wrote a few crap songs (not that he hasn’t) and they didn’t get airplay and didn’t connect with Passion audiences and didn’t sell, he’d be back in Texas selling used Hondas.

There’s nothing wrong with it being a business. We all just have to be realistic enough to stop looking to the CCM industry or Christian radio for those things it is not designed to be or provide. The music business used to be about music. It was run by musicians and producers and people willing to take a risk. Since the accountants and lawyers moved into the executive suites things are very different. Being owned by international secular media conglomerates may give labels bigger budgets and better distribution but the margins are so thin that a record that doesn’t begin to recoup and connect with listeners immediately doesn’t get a second chance.

I believe the underlying problem, whether it’s the CCM business or Christian radio or just about anything else in the evangelical subculture, is that we’ve succumbed to the notion that if it’s labeled ‘Christian’ it must be good. That’s simply not the case. Christian media, Christian films, Christian bookstores, Christian coffee shops, Christian house cleaning services…please. If your product is well-done and purposeful you won’t have to rely on a religious adjective to sell it.

Change will happen when consumers demand more, demand better. But as long as we’re lulled into complacency (and in some cases, mediocrity, as Frank Schaeffer would say), nothing’s going to change. Christian labels will continue to release stuff; some of it good, some not so good. Christian radio stations and networks will continue to play a lot of it. And fifteen years from now, if both the CCM industry and Christian radio still exist in their present form, people will be having this same conversation.

Matt, I appreciate your point of view and I hope this becomes an ongoing discussion. There are some really good people in the business who are struggling to balance their calling and art with the challenges of commerce. May God be with them and with us all.

Matt, I haven’t heard of you before seeing this link on Facebook (sorry), but I like what you have said in both your articles. I will throw my 2 cents in here; I haven’t read every reply, so I’m sorry if I’m being repetitious. Here are several comments, in no particular order: 1) Amen to truthful content. Some stations wouldn’t have Christ speak on the air; not positive and encouraging enough. 2) Truth doesn’t come only from Christian mouths (though it does all come from God, via either general or special revelation). If I had my own station (a fantasy I’m sure 99% of respondents to these posts have had), I would play music that reflects God’s truth, AND his beauty, creativity, and originality, regardless of its source. It wouldn’t be safe; I would depend on listeners to turn it on or off, using their discernment for personal application. The station would close in 3 months for lack of listeners. 3) I have three young children. 95% of what we listen to is Christian radio, of which there is only one in our area. I made a negative comment today about it; my wife said, “at least they aren’t listening to Lady Gaga.” I must say Amen to that. On that level, I’m glad it’s safe for young ears. I just don’t think it constitutes a substitute for real teaching, by me or the church. 4) Contrary to what most people say, I think “style” DOES matter. There is high quality music, and there is junky music; and I mean the MUSIC, not the lyrics. Examples of artists who produce creative, original tunes that are appropriate for the context and the content, include, but are not limited to: James Ward; Phil Keaggy; Tait; Jennifer Knapp (discounting the recent revelations); and many others. Sorry, I’m old, can you tell? Not all music belongs in the sanctuary. Not all music serves to entertain. Not all music has to be geared to corporate worship. 5) Lastly: sadly, this problem has come full circle–from the church, to the radio, back to the church. Now, instead of singing 19th-century tunes that at least build a story if all the verses are sung, and at least are singable by ordinary people, we stand and vaguely mouth half-comprehended words to tunes that are designed for performance by tenors only, struggling to engage our voices, not to mention our minds and hearts. There is precious little “sanctuary”–no accessible music, and no silence to promote contemplation. I don’t think Luther is the only one who would be offended (he would just be the most likely to say so). Charles Wesley wouldn’t be happy either.

Hey Matt…. another Christian radio DJ here…. big network…

I totally get what you’re saying about Christian radio… and for the most part I totally agree. But I think that we are trying to ask radio, Christian radio, to be something that it cannot be. And as much as I hate to type out the word… it’s RELEVANT. Radio is background, and yes it’s pablum.. baby food. All radio is. Radio ISN’T where you go to get ‘meat’. Oh man, I would love it to be different, but… it’s not. Every couple of weeks, I add songs KNOWING they won’t “test” well with our “Becky”. But, I’ll sneak one in anyway, hoping that something amazing might happen. Hey, I wished “Open Hands” did better. I really like your stuff.

When I was in my teens, early 20s… and I wanted “meat”… radio was the LAST place I went. I found Roxy Music, Joy Division, Lou Reed, etc.. by digging around at record stores…

And today…. since we can find virtually anything online.. if we’re willing to look…. it’s like one giant record store. And there are artists making great music, and making a great living, with virtually NO radio airplay.

Going back to the pablum though… Sometimes… baby food is the necessary sustenance. Even if the pop rock, formulated, 3:15 song just cracks the service of someone’s heart… then maybe, just maybe, it has it’s place.

I don’t know… I could be wrong.

Hey Matt…. another Christian radio DJ here…. big network…

I totally get what you’re saying about Christian radio… and for the most part I totally agree. But I think that we are trying to ask radio, Christian radio, to be something that it cannot be. And as much as I hate to type out the word… it’s RELEVANT. Radio is background, and yes it’s pablum.. baby food. All radio is. Radio ISN’T where you go to get ‘meat’. Oh man, I would love it to be different, but… it’s not. Every couple of weeks, I add songs KNOWING they won’t “test” well with our “Becky”. But, I’ll sneak one in anyway, hoping that something amazing might happen.

When I was in my teens, early 20s… and I wanted “meat”… radio was the LAST place I went. I found Roxy Music, Joy Division, Lou Reed, etc.. by digging around at record stores…

And today…. since we can find virtually anything online.. if we’re willing to look…. it’s like one giant record store. And there are artists making great music, and making a great living, with virtually NO radio airplay.

Going back to the pablum though… Sometimes… baby food is the necessary sustenance. Even if the pop rock, formulated, 3:15 song just cracks the service of someone’s heart… then maybe, just maybe, it has it’s place.

I don’t know… I could be wrong.

Is this what Chris Rice’s Song “Me and Becky” was poking at?