Hearitfirst.com
Encyclopedia
hearitfirst.com is an online listening post for Christian music
.
Users must create profiles in order to receive newsletters, enter competitions and participate in forums.
, Tennessee
, hearitfirst.com was launched by EMI Christian Music Group
in 1998 to promote the Grammy Award
winning artists dc talk
on the release of their album Supernatural
. Over a period of 4 weeks, 2 tracks were streamed from the site for preview. After Supernatural, hearitfirst.com evolved into a listening post for contemporary Christian music
, focusing on the rock
, pop, worship and indie genres.
The current site was relaunched in December 2005 and has focused on becoming a nexus for fans, spectators and industry partners of contemporary Christian music. the site was acquired by Spinnaker Media, James Ackerman Chairman, in June 2008 and continues to cover artists on all labels are hosted and promoted. The database of artists ranges from Jars of Clay
, Switchfoot
, tobyMac
, Newsboys
, Third Day
, Casting Crowns
to BarlowGirl
, Family Force Five, High Flight Society
, Aaron Shust
, Dizmas
and independent artists/bands. Artist promotion includes album reviews, biographies, video clips, full length song audio clips, photos, tour dates and Six degrees, a Flash
application that positions a chosen artist with six other related artists by genre.
Exclusive video content, including behind-the-scenes coverage of the 2007 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, frequent contests and free legal music downloads via newsletter subscriptions, have become a major promotional tool for the site.
and hearitfirst.com partnered to host their first Battle of the Bands competition. The winners were -
This was followed by a partnership with the Gospel Music Association
for their 2007 Battle of the Bands competition. As of writing, submissions have been closed and voting has begun for the first round of the competition.
, Casting Crowns
, Third Day
, Jeremy Camp
, Mercy Me, Sanctus Real
, Hawk Nelson
, Kutless
, Chris Rice
and others. Each week participants can share the promotion with up to five friends and receive an additional bonus download. New downloads are made available each week.
Christian music
Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely across the world....
.
Users must create profiles in order to receive newsletters, enter competitions and participate in forums.
History
Based in BrentwoodBrentwood, Tennessee
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 23,445 people, 7,693 households, and 6,808 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 7,889 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.63% European American, 1.89% African American,...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, hearitfirst.com was launched by EMI Christian Music Group
EMI Christian Music Group
EMI Christian Music Group is a subsidiary of EMI which contains its Christian music record labels, and is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee...
in 1998 to promote the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
winning artists dc talk
DC Talk
DC Talk is the first studio album released from vocal trio DC Talk. It is the most hip hop-oriented of all of their albums as each later album gradually progressed into a more rock-centered sound. Michael Tait stated that their original goal for the album was to sell 10,000 units. It sold 7,142...
on the release of their album Supernatural
Supernatural (dc Talk album)
Supernatural is the sixth studio album from DC Talk. It was the last album released by DC Talk that featured all-new studio material and it debuted on the US Billboard Chart at #4...
. Over a period of 4 weeks, 2 tracks were streamed from the site for preview. After Supernatural, hearitfirst.com evolved into a listening post for contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
, focusing on the rock
Christian rock
Christian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...
, pop, worship and indie genres.
The current site was relaunched in December 2005 and has focused on becoming a nexus for fans, spectators and industry partners of contemporary Christian music. the site was acquired by Spinnaker Media, James Ackerman Chairman, in June 2008 and continues to cover artists on all labels are hosted and promoted. The database of artists ranges from Jars of Clay
Jars of Clay
Jars of Clay is a Christian rock band from Nashville, Tennessee. They met at Greenville College in Greenville, Illinois.Jars of Clay consists of Dan Haseltine on vocals, Charlie Lowell on piano and keyboards, Stephen Mason on lead guitars and Matthew Odmark on rhythm guitars...
, Switchfoot
Switchfoot
Switchfoot is an American rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman , Tim Foreman , Chad Butler , Jerome Fontamillas , and Drew Shirley .After early successes in the Christian rock scene, Switchfoot first gained mainstream...
, tobyMac
TobyMac
Toby McKeehan , better known by his stage name TobyMac , is a Christian recording artist, music producer, hip-hop/pop artist, singer-songwriter, and author....
, Newsboys
Newsboys
Newsboys are a Christian pop rock band founded in 1985 in Mooloolaba, Australia. They have released 15 studio albums, six of which have been certified gold...
, Third Day
Third Day
Third Day is a Grammy award-winning Christian rock band formed in Marietta, Georgia during the 1990s. The band was founded by lead singer Mac Powell, guitarist Mark Lee and former member Billy Wilkins. The other band members are bassist Tai Anderson and drummer David Carr...
, Casting Crowns
Casting Crowns
Casting Crowns is a Grammy Award and Dove Award winning Contemporary Christian/Christian Rock band. Casting Crowns was started in 1999 by youth pastor Mark Hall at First Baptist Church in Downtown Daytona Beach, Florida as part of a youth group. He now serves as a lead vocalist...
to BarlowGirl
BarlowGirl
BarlowGirl is an American Christian rock–CCM all-female band from Chicago, Illinois. The band is composed of sisters Alyssa , Rebecca , and Lauren Barlow . The band has won several awards in their genre; their song "Never Alone" was the longest running No...
, Family Force Five, High Flight Society
High Flight Society
High Flight Society is an American Christian rock band from Cedartown, Georgia. The band was originally on Selectric Records for the release of their EP From Far Above Somewhere. They were then signed onto RKT Music, a subsidiary of Rocketown Records, in March 2007...
, Aaron Shust
Aaron Shust
Aaron Michael Shust is an American Contemporary Christian Music artist on the Centricity Music label. Shust was named the songwriter of the year at the GMA Dove Awards of 2007, and his song "My Savior My God" received the Song of the Year award.-Biography:Shust grew up near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
, Dizmas
Dizmas
-Band history:Nick Aranda, Clayton Hunt, and brothers Zach and Josh Zegan began playing together as teenagers in 1998 while attending Desert Christian High School in Lancaster, California. They were later joined by Jon Howard, who is from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania....
and independent artists/bands. Artist promotion includes album reviews, biographies, video clips, full length song audio clips, photos, tour dates and Six degrees, a Flash
Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
application that positions a chosen artist with six other related artists by genre.
Exclusive video content, including behind-the-scenes coverage of the 2007 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, frequent contests and free legal music downloads via newsletter subscriptions, have become a major promotional tool for the site.
Battle of the Bands Competitions
In 2006, Creation FestivalCreation Festival
Creation Festival consists of two annual, four-day Christian music festivals held in the United States. According to www.Creationfest.com, the festivals have become the "Nation's Largest Christian Music Festivals." This is in reflection to Creation Northeast being known to attract 100,000...
and hearitfirst.com partnered to host their first Battle of the Bands competition. The winners were -
Creation West
- Candlefuse
- Daydreamer
- Noel McLeary
This was followed by a partnership with the Gospel Music Association
Gospel Music Association
The Gospel Music Association was founded in 1964 for the purpose of supporting and promoting the development of all forms of Gospel music. There are currently about 4,000 members worldwide...
for their 2007 Battle of the Bands competition. As of writing, submissions have been closed and voting has begun for the first round of the competition.
WAY-FM Partnership
In May 2007, hearitfirst.com partnered with WAY-FM to begin the "2 minute challenge" over a 12 week period. The competition began on June 19, 2007. According to the rules of the competition listeners of WAY-FM are directed to http://www.hearitfirst.com/wayfm where they listen to a 2 minute audio clip. After the completion of the audio clip, participants are offered free music downloads from artists including Chris TomlinChris Tomlin
Christopher Dwayne "Chris" Tomlin is an American Christian Contemporary Music artist, worship leader, and songwriter from Grand Saline, Texas, United States. He is a former staff member at Austin Stone Community Church and is signed to EMI's sixstepsrecords. Tomlin also leads worship at many...
, Casting Crowns
Casting Crowns
Casting Crowns is a Grammy Award and Dove Award winning Contemporary Christian/Christian Rock band. Casting Crowns was started in 1999 by youth pastor Mark Hall at First Baptist Church in Downtown Daytona Beach, Florida as part of a youth group. He now serves as a lead vocalist...
, Third Day
Third Day
Third Day is a Grammy award-winning Christian rock band formed in Marietta, Georgia during the 1990s. The band was founded by lead singer Mac Powell, guitarist Mark Lee and former member Billy Wilkins. The other band members are bassist Tai Anderson and drummer David Carr...
, Jeremy Camp
Jeremy Camp
Jeremy Thomas Camp is a contemporary Christian musician from Lafayette, Indiana. Camp has released seven albums, four of them RIAA-certified as Gold and two are live albums, and 17 number-one hit songs...
, Mercy Me, Sanctus Real
Sanctus Real
Sanctus Real is an American Christian rock band formed in Toledo, Ohio, in 1996. The group is composed of Matt Hammitt , Chris Rohman , Dan Gartley , Pete Prevost , and Mark Graalman...
, Hawk Nelson
Hawk Nelson
Hawk Nelson is a Christian rock band from Peterborough, Ontario. The band has become very popular in the Christian music scene and was voted "Favorite New Artist" by CCM Magazine in their February 2006 Reader's Choice Awards. In 2006 Hawk Nelson won a No...
, Kutless
Kutless
Kutless is a Christian rock band from Portland, Oregon formed in 1999. Since their formation, they have released six studio albums including their latest, It Is Well. The band has also released a live album, Live from Portland. Currently, they have sold almost 2 million records.-Biography:Formed in...
, Chris Rice
Chris Rice
Chris Rice is an American songwriter who works in the contemporary Christian music, contemporary folk, and adult contemporary genres with a style similar to David Wilcox and James Taylor. He became a recording artist as well in 1996 after signing a contract with Michael W...
and others. Each week participants can share the promotion with up to five friends and receive an additional bonus download. New downloads are made available each week.