Christian media does not help Christian artists?

I have been in Ireland for a few days at a wedding so sorry for the silence. This was posted as a comment on my last post, I like it so much it deserves it's own special post:::

I agree with what you are saying but don't be mistaken into thinking that Foy Vance gets played on Greys Anatomy not because he's a christian but because it is good music. People get their music played on tv / film / computer games because they have a good publisher with good connections. Daniel Bedingfield spent years playing at the crossrhythms festival and had something like 90 tracks out before one of them was picked up and made commercial. U2 get played because they get on the radio 1 playlist because they shift units.

A lot of 'Christian' music doesn't get a lot of airplay because the bands sign sub standard publishing deals or with labels that have no real connections with the right people that can get the band playlisted. The problem isn't so much the bands as it is labels / publishers, who force Christian artists to take a certain route ie. playing Soul Survivor, Spring Harvest, Big Church Day Out, Alton Towers etc.

This has become the Christian 'circuit' because they are easy gigs to get and easy money to make. Not just from the gig but from the CD / merch sales. The only way for bands to break from that seems to be signing to a 'secular' label, who often don't want Christians to make a big thing of being Christian.

It would be good if some of the Christian labels went out and pushed for more difficult gigs, got their artists going the route of 'secular' artists and still continued to play the Christian gigs too.

In my opinion it's the Christian media that have forced this scared / secular divide and not the artists themselves.

Anyway... that was a little rant.

Well said