Lesa Scholl, in an article for The Melbourne Anglican, has noted that Today’s Christian Music (TCM), the music chart of the most played songs on Australian Christian radio stations has no local artists in its top 30 for the first time in its 25-year history.
The RCS Media Monitors National Radio Airplay charts of more than 50 commercial stations across Australia and including triple j by comparison this week had 8 in their top 40. Commercial stations and Christian are required to play at least 25% Australian music.
As part of a CBAA submission to the National Cultural Policy, Christian Media and Arts Association (CMAA) said 91% of Christian radio listeners found it an outlet for views not heard elsewhere and 95% felt their station had a positive impact on their lives. As most stations are not for profit one of the biggest challenges they face is continuing to be able to support the development of Australian Christian music artists.
Scholl spoke with TCM founder Wes Jay who said the radio industry is supportive of Australian Christian music but there are fewer songs available. More Australian artists were moving to the USA, especially Nashville where there was a large Christian music industry, but the US Christian music industry is fascinatingly more interested in radio airtime than social media following.
Jay said:
“The size of the Christian market in America is larger than the entire Australian music industry.”
The dearth of new Australian music of all genres getting radio airplay is still a hot topic after last year’s Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs decided not to pass the Copyright Legislation Amendment (Fair Pay for Radio Play) Bill 2023.
Christian station 96five has also been exploring through a podcast the impact on the industry of the demise of Christian music festivals like Easterfest (pictured Easterfest in 2011 pre a tremendous rainstorm – from Facebook). You can listen via this link: https://96five.com/the-rise-fall-of-easterfest/
TCM and Wes Jay have been campaigning to organisations and individuals who supply music to Christian radio stations to up the ante:
“It usually takes a few weeks for a song to get national traction. I’ve been saying to them, this is an opportunity as the radio door is open.”