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I find there aren’t too many artists in Southern Gospel who don’t state that they sing for the glory of the Lord and that theirs is a ministry. Yet, in numerous cases, I see these same groups making a major effort to get a song onto the Singing News or other Southern Gospel hit chart. Is this the key to success? Is this the way it should be? Is it beneficial?

I really began thinking about the value of “charting” after I passed by the Camp Family booth at the recent National Quartet Convention and spotted a large poster, shown in the box below.

Recently, Singing News management convened a group of industry leaders to discuss how to re-structure the magazine’s Top 80 chart to more accurately reflect what is transpiring in the marketplace … radio airplay and CD sales. And, a fair amount of discussion on the subject has ensued in various “forums.”

As part of a statement sent to Chuck Peters at www.southerngospelreporter.com regarding the debate, Kevin McManus, the President of the Zion Music Group, wrote: We are so focused on getting on the charts that we have left the ministry behind. God is not happy with the way we are conducting business and that probably has a lot to do with why our industry is struggling. There are bigger fish to fry than the charting system, so why are we dealing with this issue when we can’t put people in seats, get along or sell product?

Making a judgment based on E-mails and telephone calls from, and conversations at the NQC, with enLighten 34 listeners, the answer to the questions I posed above is “no.” A recurring theme among a fair percentage of our listeners is that they know nothing about the Singing News Top 80 and who’s on it. We’ve had dozens of listeners name a major group, saying “we’ve never heard of them prior to hearing them on enLighten … where can we get their CD’s?”

Both Jason Camp and Kevin McManus are essentially saying the same thing … that the best route to success for a Southern Gospel artist or group is to focus on pleasing the Lord and glorifying Him through a commitment to excellence … not spending dollars trying to “get on the charts.”

I would say the response from our listeners confirms the value of this. And, no promotional fees are ever charged, nor can an artist buy his way onto enLighten. The only requirement is delivering a recording to us which is excellent in every aspect … and we must feel it’s appropriate for inclusion.

If I may be so bold as to say it … with the arrival of enLighten 34, there’s a whole new ball game in Southern Gospel music! This is thanks to this wonderful Lord-glorifying music now being available on radio throughout all of North America! Yes, it’s something about which I’m quite proud and pleased. I don’t make this statement with “pride” … only with joy in my heart for the way the Lord has used enLighten in the last two years. This week is the second anniversary of when Channel 34 and XM Radio’s other music channels became available via DirecTV’s audio service, and was followed six months later by the addition of enLighten to XM’s satellite lineup.

Thanks to the tens of thousands of devoted Southern Gospel music lovers who are listening to enLighten . . . accounting for a good 50% or more of all Southern Gospel radio listening in the United States and Canada … two of Kevin McManus’s points are witnessing a change. Group after group reports greatly increased CD sales due to being heard on enLighten, and other reports tell of listeners liking the music of a particular group, then looking in the Singing News concert listings to see if the group will be singing in any location they can get to. Numerous listeners have written us to say that we’ve opened up a whole new world for them, as previously they knew mostly about groups who may have come to their area at some point, or were played on a local station if and when they had one.

As I try to wrap this up, I must share with you that a longtime prominent member of the Southern Gospel music industry recently stated “enLighten 34 is the greatest thing that has happened to southern Gospel music since the Gospel Singing Jubilee television program began airing across America in 1964.”

Ladies and Gentlemen … I am humbled that the Lord has made it possible for me to be a part of the enLighten 34 team. I did not mean for this to read like a “puff piece,” but I felt a need to share with you, our dear listeners, that … through our combined actions … we’re making a difference and helping support those folks who traverse the highways of North America carrying this uplifting message in music, to comfort and strengthen your walk with the Lord. Dan Dixon and I are truly thankful for this. Now … if we can only help make it possible for them to visit more states and provinces . . . so that all of you enlighten 34 listeners can have the opportunity to hear good Southern Gospel music live!

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Filed Under: Musings