Over the past four decades, Christian music has undergone a profound transformation, evolving from traditional hymns and gospel songs to encompass various genres and styles. This evolution has brought blessings and challenges as the industry has expanded to include more artists, genres, and distribution avenues. As we delve into the history and development of Christian music, the NRT staff explores the trends and changes that have shaped this genre, reflecting on its impact and relevance in today's diverse musical landscape.
Oversaturated Market
I have seen things change significantly in Christian music. In the 90s and much of the 2000s, many artists wrote songs about life and how God helps us deal with life's issues. Gospel singers often sing about God guiding them through life's challenges and His goodness. Some artists dedicate albums to praise and worship. Christian rock bands Sanctus Real, Petra, and others journeyed into that area.
Also, gospel artists like Fred Hammond and West Angeles Church of God in Christ performed praise and worship in the ‘90s when many were not making full albums. Fast-forward to now. The market is saturated with praise and worship. Yes, we are to "enter His gates with thanksgiving and enter His courts with praise," as Psalms 100:4 says. I love worshipping God.
Shout out to many talented artists penning songs of worship and praise. However, there may be an oversaturated market. I miss times of more versatile content, or at least when more airtime was given to those who present the music in a relatable way. There is room for it all.
- Dwayne Lacy
Too Much Music
The music industry has experienced massive disruptions that have affected how consumers engage with artists and their music. Christian music is no different. The most significant shift I have witnessed these past two decades is how we approach the evolving music landscape. There needs to be more excitement, anticipation, and connection with what's being released. It's harder to get hooked on a release when everything is available to us at every moment of the day. The music fan's focus is scattered, and even when they come across something they love, they are ripped away into some other artist's world almost instantly. There's no time to breathe with music. To stop and soak it in. To get so engaged in every corner means something. Accessibility is one side of the coin. Volume is the other. And combined, the overall value has greatly diminished.
- Kevin McNeese
40 Years of Christian Music
Where should I begin? I could write a doctoral thesis on how Christian music has evolved over the last 40-plus years. I have witnessed both good and bad changes firsthand. Over the years, Christian music has expanded to include various genres. There are now more artists and bands than ever before within Christian music. There is now more variety for every music fan of any genre, like rock, metal, punk, hip-hop, Ska, gospel, Southern gospel, worship, country, folk, and bluegrass. This has led to both the overall popularity of Christian music and the expansion of the industry. There are now more radio stations, podcasts, streams, playlists, and Christian music festivals and concerts than ever. All of this has led to the rise in the popularity of Christian music and the exposure of Christian artists, all of which is good.
However, many negative things within Christian music have evolved and expanded over the last 40 years. With the expansion of Christian music, there are plenty of fakers (artists who claim to be followers of Christ but are that in name only). I have also seen many labels, managers, and promoters in the "industry" exploit and use many artists for their goals and financial gain. I have seen some artists who, once they become popular, lose focus on the one they claim to represent and instead make their success about fame, money, and themselves. I have seen way too many artists get burned out, disgusted, and ultimately stop producing Christian music.
One negative effect on the music industry is the decline in physical media sales and attendance at live events, harming artists and bands. Although I love the convenience of purchasing and accessing music quickly through services like iTunes and Spotify, I know that artists and bands receive minimal benefits from those purchases. That is why I buy physical CDs from any band I like besides the MP3s. Ultimately, the expansion of genres, the amount of new music, artists, and ways we access and listen to Christian music is excellent, especially for exposing more and more people to the gospel and leading them to Jesus Christ.
- Tommy G
Music of the Ages
Music has changed. So, it's understandable that Christian music would change with it. One of the earliest known "Christian" music that remains today is Gregorian Chant. These ancient Latin chants are still regularly used in Catholicism and other denominations. Then, we have classic hymns that date back centuries. "Amazing Grace" you know well. "All Creatures of Our God and King" text dates to the 13th century with St. Francis of Assisi, most set to a German piece from the 1600s, "Lasst uns erfreuen."
Of course, we all know classic Christmas carols like "Silent Night" and "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" now north of a century old. These musical styles often seem so at odds with the popular songs of today that it's difficult to even think of them in the same category. Such is the variety of music.
Music has changed more in the past century than in most centuries since Christ. The swing and big band sounds of the 1940s seem so foreign to the heavily produced pop sensibilities that are popular today.
When contemporary Christian music took shape in the 1960s and 1970s, with folks like Larry Norman leading the way, we can see the roots of the industry we've all come to know and love. But even looking at their musical and lyrical content compared to today? It feels like more than just a generation or two removed.
I can't pinpoint exactly when I fell "out of touch" with popular music. One day, I looked around and realized the bulk of the new music I was consuming was the latest releases from artists I'd been following for years. And most of what I was listening to was throwbacks from the 1990s and 2000s.
When did I become old? I can criticize the current state of Christian music; some might even carry more weight than "musical tastes change." There are legitimate conversations to be had about the complacency and staleness in the lyrics of much of Christian music. But I can also admit that much of my distance from it is a purely stylistic preference.
Much of what is current today will sound incredibly dated in ten or twenty years, just like the big hair bands of the 1980s or the angsty emo rock of the 2000s do to today's ears. But, music will continue to change with the tastes of the generations.
But no matter how much it changes, music will always remain one of humanity's most prominent expressions of art. With it, artists will create music that speaks of and glorifies the creator of the notes we compose.
Perhaps most wondrous is that music may be among the few earthly things we will see in heaven. Where endless songs of praise are more beautiful than any we could ever imagine, here will fulfill and complete the "evolution of Christian music."
- J.J. Francesco
OpenAI's ChatGPT provided some assistance with this article. Assembled from the four corners of North America and many other corners in between, the NRTeam comprises staffers whose energy is equally dispersed towards loving and writing about the music they love.
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