Looking for Contempoary Christian Music Format

[shreveville]

We are switching to a Contemporary Christian format. Does anyone know of a service that provides the music? We use TMStudios on our other stations. TM offers music - barter – in exchange for our station airing their commercials. Does such a service exist for Contemporary Christian? TMStudios does not offer this format.

We don’t really want to go satellite but we will if there are some really good Contemporary Christian satellite services. What is the best company? Any recommendations? Thanks

 

[xmusicmatt]

We are switching to a Contemporary Christian format. Does anyone know of a service that provides the music? We use TMStudios on our other stations. TM offers music - barter – in exchange for our station airing their commercials. Does such a service exist for Contemporary Christian? TMStudios does not offer this format.

We don’t really want to go satellite but we will if there are some really good Contemporary Christian satellite services. What is the best company? Any recommendations? Thanks

http://www.salemmusicnetwork.com/tcm.shtml Today's Christian Music from Salem is a 24/7 Satellite format.

http://www.christianfm.net/ Christian FM is another option -- Christian FM is powered by the Storq automation system.. it allows you to do local tracking, local insert, make the format sound very local (they provide a system with music... and voice tracks customized for your station is sent via satellite in almost real time).

 

[rbrucecarter5]

WAY-FM has a really good format. If you want something really creative, you could call WPOZ and ask about carrying The Rock or Hot 95.9, or call KSBJ and ask about carrying NGEN.

 

[xmusicmatt]

WAY-FM has a really good format.

WAY FM is no longer providing syndication of their 24/7 live feed to non way fm owned stations (as of July1 st). - That's why I didn't mention them.

 

[WPHA]

I can vouch for Christianfm.net
They have a style and sound similar to K-love, but with MUCH LESS repetition! (A deeper playlist.) Yes, that "Storq" satellite automation system that they use works well, but still sounds a little "canned".

Thanks to powerful digital editing tools for the PC, local people can still voicetrack an airshift in much less time than realtime. There are SO MANY options available to you! Networks are fine, but they aren't really LOCAL. YOU live in that area, YOU know the local churches and they know you. The networks can only "fake" that. (Granted, they can fake it pretty well, but it's still "fake".) They also won't REALLY be able to properly pronounce the names of local places like the natives!

 

[shreveville]

Thanks Willie. I agree with you - nothing EVER beats local. That's why we would love to find a service where we can do own music. We are just having trouble finding a company that provides CDs / MP3s for the Contempoary Christian format. We would love to voice track the songs ourselves. It would be great if there was a barter service that offered the music to stations. Anyone know of a company out there? Where are Contempary Christian stations that are not using satellite getting their music?

Thanks everyone.

 

[shreveville]

So if you want to play the contemporary Christian format – you have to pick it up from a satellite? There no stations that receive the music from a service to play themselves?

 

[radioboy]

It's been a while since I programmed a CCM station. We used to have all the labels mail the music
to the station. That station had no computers and no automation! We could only play CDs or vinyl.

Now, you might be able to do that (contact the labels) and receive downloads via mpe and/or similar distribution platforms.

I'm using this method now for my country station and the labels and services have been very helpful
in helping me build a good competitive music library.

 

[WPHA]

So if you want to play the contemporary Christian format – you have to pick it up from a satellite? There no stations that receive the music from a service to play themselves?

Allan McCall mentioned an excellent resource! www.plaympe.com

They provide music to radio stations and even to radio program producers. When I was the Music Director for WFIF, I was able to add quite a few new songs to the library from PlayMPE. Now that I am working for WIHS, I once again have access, and they are using the music, there.

Once you have been validated, look for the "get more music" link on their site, and request the formats you want. It also helps, when you find great music, to GIVE FEEDBACK to the artists, letting them know you're playing their songs! (Or WILL BE playing them.)

 

[R.D.P.]

Now for a curveball.

Should my own LPFM thing work out, would it be wise for me to play the songs I already own or get new copies of them?

Want to start off with the many CD's I already have.

Been building me a great music library for years now.

R.D.P.

P.S. Thanks for the info on the music services too. May check into those links and see about their product, should my dream work out.

 

[radioboy]

RDP,

You can certainly play the songs you already own.

Once you have your station, you may want to do what the majority of radio stations have done and digitize your music. Then you can also contact the record labels to send you more current material.

I began collecting music around 1970, when I was 12 years old. Through the years I did buy music. After I launched my Internet station and got it fully licensed, then I let labels and music distributors know. The last CD I bought was around 2005 or so. I receive probably a dozen or more songs now per week.

I am old fashioned enough that I have a full studio that can play mp3, CDs, vinyl records, and even the occasional cassette. That's not the norm, but it would take years to digitize everything.

The program part of this is the easiest. Getting the engineering together and passing through the FCC process will be the longest and toughest part of LPFM. And maybe getting and keeping it funded. Save your music purchasing funds and get engineering help.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Now for a curveball.

Should my own LPFM thing work out, would it be wise for me to play the songs I already own or get new copies of them?

Want to start off with the many CD's I already have.

Been building me a great music library for years now.

R.D.P.

P.S. Thanks for the info on the music services too. May check into those links and see about their product, should my dream work out.

We checked the legality of playing our own CD's over the air before we did it - you are good to go. Most of our music was CD's we bought at Long' Christian bookstore in Orlando. They had a fantastic Christian rock section, well stocked with new releases. We would spend hours there reviewing material to see what would be good radio cuts and what wouldn't. Which is good advice for any format, really. This was pre-digitized days - although MP3 had just been introduced right before we called it quits. Bottom line on MP3 is DON'T. The MP3 encoding throws away the handles the optimod needs to make your music sound crisp over the air. MP3's sound flat and just awful. If you digitize, go full .WAV file. Hard drive space is really cheap these days, you can put thousands of full .WAV files on the new hard drives. Just make sure your over the air semi-automated mode allows you to mix. Some of the best semi-automated software allows you millisecond control so you can match beats if you do a dance mix show. Hope all of this doesn't throw you - you are going to have to deal with optimods and over the air software and high end computers / servers if you do anything other than raw CD's in a CD player. You even have to worry about buying the right type of CD player - remember it takes several seconds to seek a track! We struggled with "select / track number / play / pause" until we found some Panasonic auto-cuing CD players: "track / autocue". Two less keystrokes really makes a difference in the hectic on-air environment! Remember you will need at least two CD players even if you go "bare bones" - which I wouldn't recommend. Get some decent software right from the start.

 

[shreveville]

Is there no CD service for Christian stations. I know there are many services provided for CHR, Country and any other format. About to give up on this format.

 

[radioboy]

I really am kind of surprised there's not, shreveville.

TM used to do so but discontinued it several years ago. It was called the PraiseDisc.

 

[WPHA]

Go to www.plaympe.com
Download and install their client software on your computer. Create an account and fill in the desired format choices. Also, look for the link, "Get more music". Once you start getting songs in your "Available Tracks" folder, evaluate them and download the ones you want to use. Also, I strongly encourage you to send feedback to the artists/reps of the songs you like. Other Labels will start to add you, and soon you will be getting at least a few new songs every week.

I have been using PlayMPE since it first launched, around 2005. It is absolutely TOP SHELF! They have excellent Tech Support, also, if you ever have issues with their service. Not only are all of the MAJOR Christian Labels using it, there are quite a few excellent "Indie" artists there as well.

As for PAST music, Amazon.com has an INCREDIBLE amount of EXCELLENT Christian music going all the way back into the 1980's! They have a good built-in search. Just type in an artists and title, and chances are good you will find the song and/or album!

There are other sites, also, that sell older Christian music. Check out the links here: www.wphafm.org/songlist.htm

Also remember that Google is your friend.

You can also find some VERY high quality Indie artists here: www.indieheaven.com
Many of their artists are, truly, major Label quality!

This should get you WELL on your way to building your library of Christian music!

God bless!

 

[WPHA]

I really am kind of surprised there's not, shreveville.

TM used to do so but discontinued it several years ago. It was called the PraiseDisc.

Ah, yes... the PraiseDisc! I added quite a few great songs to WFIF's library with those! Ah, but then, along came PlayMPE and the world was changed for the better!

 

[xmusicmatt]

Praise Disc only existed as it was funded by a few of the labels I believe.. After other technology came along .. CCM labels (mostly owned by major labels now days) decided on DRM based options to service stations.

 

[joshzz]

All Christian Music is delivered by PLAYMPE nowadays. Best way to program station is pick up programming via FTP. We are considering the possibility of offering a syndicated program. It would be delivered FTP utilizing RADIO SPIDERS. You can sign up with two or three services and have all your programming delivered this way and it will sound great and be cost effective.

You can contact us at LIFT FM dot com

 

[Jay77]

There is one source I did not see mentioned....Promo Only!

http://www.promoonly.com/view_format.php?IssueTitleID=28

I know of Radio Stations using their service. They will probably work out a deal with you on back issues.

Back in the 90's when I programmed a CCM 50,000 watt FM I brought many of the personal CDs I had purchased over the years and worked the labels. It took some work but it paid off. I subscribed to the CCM Update and anything that was not on it I called the labels. The station had also worked out a "trade" with a local bookstore. Back then you could buy whole albums/cds directly from the Radio Department of the label for $5.00! That was a great way to build a back catalog.

I have a large library (80's to mid 90's) that ended around 1997 but then picked back up with the Praise Disc series...those were awesome. Ahhh memories. I'm currently in the process of ripping my entire library...a slow process. Ooops sorry for getting off track...

If you're serious about having your own local CCM format programmed by yourself I think your best bet will be snagging all the Promo Only Christian cd's that you can and then look through current charts and past charts so you will know what the hits were. If you want to have a deeper library but not sure what those "hits" were perhaps do a little Internet Radio research...there are some great online only stations playing the great CCM Classics. I'm partial to CCMBacktracks.com CCM Rewound is another good station with a deep library. Listen for those songs and then try finding them on Amazon or even reach out to the artists directly introducing yourself and informing them what you are doing and would like to air their classics. I imagine they would be very helpful...I know David & The Giants was to me when I programmed that 50,000 watt FM I was referring to above. No doubt it is work but it should be fun if your heart is in it.

 

[WPHA]

Being a 50,000 watt FM, the Labels were probably VERY eager to work with you.

That wasn't my experience at WFIF... several of the "big guns" gave me the cold shoulder because the station "didn't play enough music". That really bothered me, but what could I do? I PRAYED!!

With the advent of PlayMPE and other online music distribution services, that was much less an issue, and from 2005-2007, I was getting quite a bit of excellent music from them! Now at WIHS, I am not involved in the music, but I am seeing plenty of new music coming into the station from PlayMPE.

There are a GREAT MANY of the older songs available on Amazon, so if there are some MUST-HAVE songs you can't find elsewhere, you can buy them.

I just looked at the promo only site, and anything before 2011, it says "Issue no longer available".