Issue #8
04-14-2003
by Michael Janke

Got a burning question? Trying to understand recent events? Need clarification on a rumor? Want to know how and why things happen the way they do? Ask CMCentral!

Welcome back to Ask CMCentral, home of the most comprehensive GMA/Dove Awards coverage on the web. My name is Michael Janke and I was not a part of that coverage. Oh, The Chart gets to go, but AskCMC has to stay home. I see how it is...

I'm kidding. I love The Chart.

Regarding your e-mails. You can send me any questions you like. However, I am beginning to get a lot of repeat questions (Jennifer Knapp, Kendall Payne, Polarboy, etc). If the question submitted is a repeat it will not be re-answered, unless the answer has somehow changed. Therefore you might want to do yourself a favor and go through the Ask CMCentral archives. They can be accessed by clicking the menu to the left. If you don't want to spend the time, feel free to submit your question. But if it is not answered be aware of the possible reasons why.

ChristianBEATS would like me to mention that they are a viable alternative to the Radio and Records charts that I mentioned last issue. You can access their charts at christianbeats.org.

Reality television update time: what was America thinking when they let Ricky get voted off of American Idol? He gave the performance of his life Tuesday night on "Endless Love" and shouldn't have been near the bottom three, let alone the one to be booted. Clearly, talent is taking a backseat to simple popularity right now, and while that is to be expected, I guess, it's sad to see nonetheless. In other news, The Amazing Race is returning this summer for season four. And there was much rejoicing.

Alias is a repeat tonight, so on to this week's questions.

Q: What's the difference between a label and an imprint?
    Luke

A: Great question, Luke. The basic answer is that an imprint is a part of a label, but a label cannot be part of an imprint. Using the Christian market as an example, Word Records used to be one of the biggest labels in the business. But sometimes a label wants to publish music that sounds different than what they usually sell. In these cases they generally create a new "label" for that music to be sold under. That is what's known as an imprint; it's not really a new label, since it is owned by the pre-existing label, but it functions in a more independent manner since the artists that they sign need different types of marketing and attention. Myrrh was the most famous imprint under the Word label (it has since been folded into Word).

Q: I'm looking for Lil iROCC Williams website to order his CD. Do you know it?
    Denise

A: Ahh, Denise, I love the easy questions that don't require research. You can find his site here: http://www.liliroccwilliams.com

Q: Can you tell me anything new about Kutless? All I can find is old articles and reviews.
    Angie

A: Kutless was the number one selling new Christian artist of 2002. Tooth and Nail lobbied hard for them to receive a New Artist of the Year nomination at the Dove Awards but, alas, fell short of that goal. Currently the group is touring as a part of The Go Show, along with Audio Adrenaline, Mercy Me, and The Swift. No word yet on a new project.

Q: Is Dakona a Christian band? What record label are they on, since I saw them associated with Maverick Records, a mainstream company.
    Joel

A: Dakona is a Christian band. At least, the band is made up of Christians. Don't you love these new distinctions we make today? Anyway, the group is indeed a part of Maverick, but they are also being distributed by Word to the Christian market. Word is, pardon the pun, they've got a hot album on their hands.

Q: I have heard that Michael W. Smith is coming out with a DVD called The Bigger Picture. I thought that was a new album that he had coming out? My question: is Michael W. Smith coming out with a new album?
    Dan

A: Dan, this question was recently answered at GMA week. To quote Robin's report: "He says that his next album will be another greatest hits album, The Second Decade, releasing in September, and his next pop album (which he's recently been at Skywalker Ranch working on) won't be out until 2004. This despite previous word from Reunion Records that the pop record would be out this summer, and would be titled The Bigger Picture (which is apparently just a DVD release)."

Q: I heard that All Together Separate broke up. What's the deal there?
    Emily

A: All Together Separate is indeed no longer, umm.... together. That is, they are now separate. All together. Or something. By all reports, the group has indeed called it quits; removing themselves from summer festivals and such. I have seen no official press release, but all information seems to indicate that is a safe conclusion to draw. If anyone has more information on the story, please submit it. P.S. All Star United is still united, just in case you were wondering.

Q: I am a Petra fan from Germany and found out only today that there is a Petra Revival DVD! Now I am trying to buy it, can you tell me where I can buy this DVD?
    Daniel

A: Daniel, always nice to meet another Petra fan. So what's your favorite Petra album? Mine would be Beyond... oh, sorry, you were asking a question. There is indeed a Revival DVD. It's pretty bare bones, but definitely worth picking up. If you've seen VH1's Behind the Music you will know what the format is like. I've searched around online and can't find it new anywhere, but did find it used at some z-shops and auctions so that's probably your best bet. Try Amazon or eBay.

Q: I have heard that Gotee records is signing two new artists. Do you know who they are and if so their style or backgrounds?
    Mark

A: I believe the two artists you refer to are Sandtown and Paul Wright. You can read about Sandtown here, and Paul Wright, who has a personal website. Wright, in particular, sounds intriguing.

Stumper of the Week

Q: Whatever happened to Tim Miner? I remember he was fairly big in the early 90's as an artist and producer for Frontline, then signed to Motown, which was huge at the time, and disappeared after one album. Do you know what happened?
    AJ

A: No one could answer last issue's stumper about EH Holden, apparently. If you know the answer to this week's Stumper, please write in and see your name published on the world's most popular Christian music website.

That wraps up this issue. Keep the questions coming, to ask@cmcentral.com. I'll be back next Monday with my opinion column, and AskCMC will return the week after.
          Michael Janke

Please include your name with all submissions. All questions are subject to editing. Not all questions can be answered due to editorial considerations, and personal replies are not possible.