Sparks from the Fire » christian music

Who Buys Inspirational Music?

Peter Link — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 15:34:41 +0000

Or…
What Kind of people Are Inspirational Music Lovers and Consequently Buyers?

The potential customers of Inspirational music line up by the millions. First, let’s remember that Inspirational music is entirely trans-denominational – it attracts people from all religious denominations. And this attraction is world-wide.

Of course there is the Christian music market. The Christian book market is estimated to be worth more than $4 billion. The Christian music market has become an industry powerhouse, selling 43 million albums in the United States as long ago as 2004.

As a whole, the Christian video game industry is only expected to grow… and fast. In fact, estimates are that the video games market could be worth more than $55 billion by 2008 from the $22 billion reported in 2003. Wal-Mart, for one, is smart enough to know from selling about 550 Christian music titles and more than 1,200 Christian-themed books.

Beyond the Christian market lies a fascinating unclaimed market. We like to call that the Spiritual, But Not Religious market. These are people who may not go to church or, in fact sometimes do attend church sporadically.

They are seekers of spirituality who might go to their Methodist church, but also watch Wayne Dyer on television, have taken part in the amazing Oprah Winfrey/Eckardt Towle “A New Earth” internet explosion or might read Deepak Chopra. This market is 20% of America.

They are people who are not following a religious tradition per se, but are seeking beyond the boundaries of any one particular religion. They are people who think for themselves and are working out their sense of spirituality individually.

This market is on the rise at a time when people the world over need to turn to a higher power to find their way through the problems of this world. We clearly need an end to the financial crisis in the world. President Obama and other world leaders are doing their human best to balance the world’s economy, but the real answer here lies in this higher power.

At this time what the world needs now is a little (or a lot) of Inspiration. What lifts our lives daily? What brings the message of new hope? What better elixir than Inspirational music?

~ Peter Link

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For more inspiring music you can download
and information about Peter Link, please visit Watchfire Music.

Even More Inspiration

Long Live New Music!

Peter Link — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 19:47:31 +0000

In the old record business model it used to be that the life span of an artist’s new CD was about 3 months. After 3 months, if a song or CD did not “break out”, the record company would usually give up on the CD and stop the promotion. Then the CD would die. Often, because of the high costs of storage, the excess CDs would simply be destroyed.

It usually takes 6 months to a year to create a CD. Why then so short a life span?

Because the money it took to promote it nationally, even locally, through radio was so exorbitant. In those short 3 months a company could literally spend millions of dollars basically promoting one single off the CD. If it tanked, bye bye to all the work. And most of them did just that – they tanked. For a great variety of reasons – many of which had nothing to do with the worth of the music.

Today, it’s an entirely different story. Radio is fast slipping away as the communication medium for music. The internet is the new radio. No longer do artists have to manufacture tens of thousands of CDs in preparation for launch. Digital downloads took care of that. The high cost of storing all those jewel cased CDs does not exist anymore. Promotion on the internet relies more on smart creativity than the almighty buck.

So now good and even great music does not have to die and disappear. It can simply sit there in virtual space and wait to be discovered. And so in a very intriguing way, music always remains new – new to the listener who discovers it.

This is one of the high concepts behind Watchfire Music. It’s a trusted destination for people of all faiths and cultures to explore, experience and ultimately purchase new Inspirational music – no matter how old it is. It is always new. Fifty years from now it can still be sitting there on our site at virtually no cost to us waiting to be discovered.

A good reason to explore the site. It’s all new.

~ Peter Link

Even More Inspiration

Insight-Nancy Morris

Peter Link — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 20:04:18 +0000

Nancy Morris with Bobby Stanton

I’m sitting here in my easy chair, Mac in my lap, hot chocolate in my cup, drifting along to the Inspirational sounds of Nancy Morris’ new CD, My Favorite Hymns. This was one rough day. Lately it just seems like an inordinate number of close friends have been called to move on.

Perhaps she was needed elsewhere

Perhaps wherever elsewhere is

They’ve got their troubles too

Perhaps that mighty spirit

Just joined Mindy and John

Yeah that’s why they’re gone

They were needed elsewhere*

Perplexing, this life. Jill, Suzanne, Chucky, Don, — all great friends, gone, but not forgotten.

So I sit here and simply remember. But the phone rings, the sirens wail, the pressures of tomorrow loom and I just can’t wrap my mind around it all. So I put on some music — Nancy Morris’ new CD, My Favorite Hymns – to be specific. And the world goes away. The images of meaningful lives pass through my consciousness and the music takes me to the heart.

Hymns. Amazing, simple, evocative hymnsongs. What could be sweeter? At this moment, nothing. I don’t get a chance to slow down very often, but this moment, right here and now, I’m in my right place – because of the music.

Ahhhh, there’s my friend Bobby Stanton on guitar adding his magic – no words, just pure music and simple straightforward classic hymns. And Jill, Suzanne, Chucky and Don are here with me smiling and laughing and singin’ along.

Thank you, Nancy.

*From: Needed Elsewhere, Lyric by Peter Link