Issue #5
02-27-2003
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 another edition of the stepchild portion of this site, Ask CMCentral. Why does The Chart get all the attention here? Why, I ask?! Okay, I'm kidding. I love The Chart and Greg Webb is my secret hero. But we (AskCMC) need drama and controversy if we want to spike our Neilson ratings to ensure we are picked up by the network for another season. Hey, it worked for the Michael Jackson special... Anyway. I am your host and answer man, Michael Janke. I saw Daredevil last week and the best part of the whole movie was that Jennifer Garner was in it. I think I'll pass on the DVD.

To kick things off I want to follow up on my opinion column from last week, Bono and the Pharisees. Christianity Today has put Bono on their latest cover and their article on him and his work on the AIDS crisis is a fantastic read. Please take a minute to view it (the link will open in a new window). I was convicted and humbled by his message, which is one that the whole church should be giving their attention to. Tim Hammond, the above two links should answer the question you sent in.

Reality television update time. I am digging this men-vs-women format on Survivor. But what is up with JoAnna, the Christian? Initially she seemed like a really cool woman. But then she goes off on how the immunity idol is evil. Umm, hello, if you thought it was evil why did you go on the show in the first place? It's a piece of wood, not an object of worship. And you were rained on not because the idol was in your camp - you were rained on because you're in the middle of a rain forest. Then she goes and gets an attitude with Christy, waving her hand in front of her face? Not only is that bad behavior, but it is made worse by the fact that Christy is deaf and relies on being able to see a person's mouth to understand what they are saying. JoAnna, girlfriend, I'm afraid that it's almost time for the tribe to speak, so you can take a trip to the losers lounge.

Book recommendation of the week: C.S. Lewis' A Grief Observed. For anyone suffering heartache - especially due to the loss of a loved one - this is an amazing read. Lewis is even more human in his dialogue than usual and the book, though a short read, takes us on a journey with him through his struggles, questioning of God, and ultimately the place where he can find his faith and balance again. A true classic in every sense of the word, and a powerful message to those of us who are hurting.

Enough of this. On to week's batch of questions!

Q: Why do Christian distributors charge more for CDs than their secular counterparts? Example: the new Further Seems Forever, How to Start a Fire, lists for $16.98 at Family Christian but at Best Buy it lists (not sale price) at $9.99. We're supposed to be good stewards of our money so it only seems right to not "waste" my extra 7 bucks at a Christian store.
    Wally

A: Wally, you've hit on something that many Christian music fans often wonder. The common misconception is that Christian stores raise their prices, for whatever reason. In reality, the opposite is true. From my experience, and what I understand, the price difference is not due to Christian retailers raising their MSRPs or the mainstream stores getting preferential treatment in regular pricing. The Christian retailers are selling at or below what the suggested price that they buy from distributors at. The differential is due to the fact that mainstream mass merchants, like Best Buy or Wal-Mart, buy in huge bulk quantities which enables them to take a greater discount in their purchase, and that lets them price the albums lower. For instance, if you are the buyer and you are ordering the new Switchfoot album the price you pay for each unit will be discounted greater if you buy more. A small, independent store may only buy 30 copies. A bigger chain will buy thousands. The bigger chain is going to pay less per unit to their distributor because of the size of their purchase, though the discount is offered to all. The smaller chain simply can't afford to buy at a level that enables them to take advantage of it

Also, many of those bigger stores use music as a loss leader, which means they mark the price down even more because they don't intend to use those sales to make a profit. They sell it at cost or lower - making no money on the sale - simply to draw customers into their stores in the hopes that while they are buying the album for less they will also buy higher ticket items during their visit. Christian retailers cannot do this - they operate on a much smaller margin and must sell music at the regular price in order to stay profitable and in business. These are general rules of thumb. Some stores may vary in their policies and practices, but the usual difference in price relates to what I have described here. If, hypothetically, a Christian retailer became as big as a Best Buy-type chain they too could afford to price albums the way that Best Buy does, because they could buy differently themselves.

Q: Could you please tell me if Chris Rice has ever recorded the song "Jesus, Lover of My Soul" and if so where I could find it? Also, I was viewing Chris' web site and someone had mentioned him having a song called "The Candle Song." Could you please point me in the direction of where I could locate this?
    Denise

A: No, Chris has never recorded "Jesus, Lover of My Soul," to my knowledge. As for this "Candle Song," I don't know of any song by Rice with that title. They were probably referring to "Go Light Your World," which is a song he wrote that was recorded by Kathy Troccoli. Its chorus goes: "Take your candle, and go light your world." That song can be found on her CD entitled Sounds of Heaven. Oh, by the way, I have heard Chris' new album, Run the Earth, Watch the Sky, and it's excellent.

Q: I'm trying to get some info on former solo artist and guitarist for Grammatrain, Pete Stewart. I know he played some guitar for Tait for awhile and has done some producing. Is he gonna put out another solo record?
    Yamach

A: Good timing with your question, Yamach. It turns out that with the news of the member shuffle in P.O.D., Pete is now lead singer in a new band that Marcos, formerly of P.O.D., is a part of. View this news article for more information.

Q: Mike, why has Sixpence None the Richer covered Crowded House's 1987 hit, "Don't Dream It's Over?" Is there a special meaning or story behind why the band or Leigh wanted to do it?
    Woody

A: Woody, this is currently my favorite song of the moment, so thanks for the question. In an interview with Rhythmandnews.com, Leigh stated the following: "I thought we were finished with the record but the president of Warner's thought it was a great song to cover. We all love Crowded House so we jumped at the opportunity to cover it. The decision wasn't to try and have a charting song with an old hit, but to do a great song we loved."

A side note. For some reason every time I hear this song it reminds of the episode of Beverly Hills 90210 where Dylan and Brenda break up after she returns home from the summer in Paris. She finds out that he was seeing Kelly on the side and they split; as Dylan leaves her standing the camera pans back and "Don't Dream It's Over" is played. Now, I love 90210 and all but I'd rather have a new association for the song, know what I mean?

Q: I heard that Phat Chance is going for a name change. How come, and would something like that change the band?
    Lauren

A: They are changing their name, supposedly due to the number of changes in the band. I believe it probably has a lot to do with the limitations that the name "Phat Chance" places upon them, though. It's hard to be a successful group in today's market with a name that is so obviously geared towards pre-teens only. As for band changes, I know that Brandon Johnson is no longer with the group.

Q: I heard that True Vibe broke up. Can you confirm this?
    Betsy

A: The word is that the group has indeed broken up, though I have yet to see an official press release. View this thread in our forum for all of the discussion.

Q: I thought Kendall Payne's Jordan's Sister CD was one of the nicest surprises in Christian music a few years ago. Unfortunately, it seems that since then she's become a non-entity, and I haven't heard of any follow-up releases. Do you have any idea what's happening with her?
    Ron

A: Ron, that is a popular question. Ashley and Ami were wondering the same thing. And I have to be honest. I don't know. If any of our readers out there can help with this I will gladly publish whatever news we can find on her status.

That wraps up another column. I was going to answer a few more questions but I'm hungry and need to visit the kitchen ASAP. Please keep the questions coming, to ask@cmcentral.com. Any subject is up for grabs, so don't hold back. And if your question still has not been answered, don't fret because it may still see the light of day. I'll be back next week with my opinion column, and AskCMC will return the week after with news on the grudge match between AskCMC and The Chart. I think we're going to Wrestlemania. If you smell what The Rock is cookin'...
          Michael Janke

All questions are subject to editing. Not all questions can be answered due to editorial considerations, and personal replies are not possible due to time constraints.