Added artist Bloodgood.
Yes, that Bloodgood. Turns out they reunited in 2002 and are working on re-releases of their old music as well as new stuff. You can hear a few songs on their myspace page.
Enjoy!
The CCM world is, like every other part of our world, chock full of politics. Don’t believe me? Maybe you don’t remember when Amy Grant, then the darling of the church world, decided to reach beyond the walls of the church and reach the lost. In a word, there was a national uproar. Some said that she was compromising her faith, some said that she was losing her salvation, and some said that it was about time that a successful Christian artist took their music to the masses.
Amy was followed (with less success) by Michael W. Smith, DeGarmo & Key, and others. Today’s successful crossover acts include Switchfoot, Sixpence None the Richer, Kutless, Underoath, and P.O.D. Some Christians have traditionally had a hard time accepting what they considered a betrayal of the faith, and some non-Christians have traditionally had a hard time accepting these artists as worthy of a second look.
Enter Earthsuit. They used to be a “Christian band”. They believed that working with Sparrow Records (now EMI/CMG) would keep them from reaching a non-Christian audience…and so they changed both their name and their representation. They became Mute Math and signed with Warner, where they expected to be marketed as ‘a band’ to the mainstream market. Instead, they were marketed as a “Christian band” by Warner’s Christian division, Word Records.
Believing their brand to have been compromised, Mute Math sued Warner for “breach of contract and negligent misrepresentation”. Their position seems to be that being marketed as a “Christian band” would alienate them from the very people they’re trying to reach: non-Christians.
What do you think? Should Christian artists “cross over” to the secular market? Should Christian artists avoid being labeled “Christian” for the sake of reaching the world for Christ? What do you think are the underlying issues?
Discuss!
Free mp3s from Underoath:
It’s Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door
Reinventing Your Exit
When the Sun Sleeps
You’ve got to be kidding me, right? Tooth and Nail Records is offering a sampler of 32 (thirty-two) songs for download…FREE! These aren’t fringe artists offering song samples with bad production values. These are T&N artists offering full songs fresh from the studio.
You’ll need to be a PureVolume member, but that’s a good thing to do anyway.
Free mp3 of The Way I Will by The Elms from their album The Chess Hotel.
