Christmas Music
When is the right time for Southern Gospel radio to start playing Christmas music?
Obviously, there is no answer to this question. Every listener will have a different opinion. Some will say never and some will say before Thanksgiving, others will be somewhere in between. My personal opinion is to start sometime after Thanksgiving. That way the Christmas celebration doesn't overtake the Thanksgiving holiday.
Should Southern Gospel radio play secular Christmas music?
Again, that decision is best made by the programming department at the station. I personally don't see anything wrong with throwing in a Bing Crosby or Burl Ives every once in a while. I would probably not play pop or rock stars, though.
Is the quality of Southern Gospel Christmas recordings "up to par"?
The answer to that question depends on what recordings we are talking about. I think there are many SG Christmas recordings that are as good as any, anywhere.
Gold City has several Christmas CD's that are top notch. The Cathedral A Capella CD from years ago is a brilliant recording. The Gaither Vocal Band's "Still The Greatest Story" is an exceptional recording.
So there are some SG Christmas recordings that are very good. These CD's I've mentioned (and many others I will get into later in the Christmas season) will stand the test of time and be considered classics.
Should SG artists record "classic" Christmas music or all new material?
I think the answer to that is a balance of the two. I definitely enjoy hearing the classics of the season sung by my favorite artists. I also enjoy hearing a new song or two thrown in as well. Probably something like a 70-30 split would be good.
Finally, I would like to say that I think SG Christmas CD's should contain more material. It seems that a lot of these recordings only have 7 or 8 songs. This, to me, is shortchanging the fan and consumer. So all you SG artists, when you record your next Christmas CD, put 12 to 15 songs on there! Come on, you know the songs already!
Obviously, there is no answer to this question. Every listener will have a different opinion. Some will say never and some will say before Thanksgiving, others will be somewhere in between. My personal opinion is to start sometime after Thanksgiving. That way the Christmas celebration doesn't overtake the Thanksgiving holiday.
Should Southern Gospel radio play secular Christmas music?
Again, that decision is best made by the programming department at the station. I personally don't see anything wrong with throwing in a Bing Crosby or Burl Ives every once in a while. I would probably not play pop or rock stars, though.
Is the quality of Southern Gospel Christmas recordings "up to par"?
The answer to that question depends on what recordings we are talking about. I think there are many SG Christmas recordings that are as good as any, anywhere.
Gold City has several Christmas CD's that are top notch. The Cathedral A Capella CD from years ago is a brilliant recording. The Gaither Vocal Band's "Still The Greatest Story" is an exceptional recording.
So there are some SG Christmas recordings that are very good. These CD's I've mentioned (and many others I will get into later in the Christmas season) will stand the test of time and be considered classics.
Should SG artists record "classic" Christmas music or all new material?
I think the answer to that is a balance of the two. I definitely enjoy hearing the classics of the season sung by my favorite artists. I also enjoy hearing a new song or two thrown in as well. Probably something like a 70-30 split would be good.
Finally, I would like to say that I think SG Christmas CD's should contain more material. It seems that a lot of these recordings only have 7 or 8 songs. This, to me, is shortchanging the fan and consumer. So all you SG artists, when you record your next Christmas CD, put 12 to 15 songs on there! Come on, you know the songs already!
posted by Southern Gospel Perspective | 11/30/2004 10:40:00 AM
3 Comments:
You made an excellent point in your last paragraph about short collections of Christmas music being sold by SG groups . . . particularly since very few record that much original material for their Christmas projects. Many Christmas songs are in the public domain, so it isn't like they're having to pay royalties on those.
I've bought some in the past that were relatively short. They might actually have 12 to 15 "songs," but two or three cuts turn out to be medleys.
Thanks for the comments David. You make a good point about royalties...
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