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Vote Now For the Doves!
Once again, this year’s Dove Award for Artist of the Year is being partially decided by fans. You can vote both online and by text. See instructions below:
ONLINE
Visit http://gmclife.com/fanvoting to register & cast your vote
TEXT
Send DOVE CASTING TO 72648
Spread the word and tune in to gmc on Sunday, April 25 at 8/7c to watch the 41st GMA Annual Dove Awards. For more information, visit DoveAwards.com or GMCLife.com.
Dove Award Nominations
Casting Crowns & Mark Hall received several Dove Award nominations yesterday including Artist of the Year and Group of the Year, a category that the band has won for the past 5 years in a row.
*Artist of the Year
*Group of the Year
*Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year (“Until The Whole World Hears”)
*Special Event Album of the Year - Fireproof Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (“Slow Fade”)
*Special Event Album of the Year - Glory Revealed II: The Word of God In Worship (Mark Hall only, vocalist)
Visit GospelMusic.org for a complete list of this year’s nominees. The 41st Annual GMA Dove Awards will be presented Wednesday, April 21, 2010, at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN.
Living Your Life On Purpose Video Teaching Series
Join Mark as he reveals a 7-week video teaching series called “Until The Whole World Hears: Living Your Life On Purpose” on CastingCrowns.com.
"Come Together Now" Available on iTunes
“Come Together Now,” the Haiti benefit song that Mark & Megan sang on with Michael W. Smith and more than 50 other artists, is now available on iTunes. For more information, visit ComeTogetherNowHaiti.com.
Mark and Megan Sing on "Come Together Now" Haiti Benefit Song
Mark and Megan joined more than 100 artists in Nashville, TN, Wednesday night to help record “Come Together Now,” a song penned by Michael W. Smith that will benefit Haiti relief.
Read the feature story in the Tennessean and browse through photos of the recording process.
Also, watch this video from Nashville’s FOX affiliate showing Mark recording in the studio.
New CD $7.99 on iTunes + other great titles!
Download the newest Casting Crowns CD, Until The Whole World Hears, on iTunes for $7.99
Other great titles from Tenth Avenue North, Third Day, Brandon Heath, Leeland, and others available for $6.99. Happy downloading!
Amazon Catalog Sale
If you need to catch up on the Crowns back catalog of albums, now is a great time - Amazon has all of the band’s previous releases, including the live albums, available to download at great prices. Check the list below for pricing as of 1/5/10:
The Altar and The Door - $7.99
The Altar and The Door Live - $7.99
Lifesong - $7.99
Lifesong Live - $4.99
Casting Crowns - $4.99
Live From Atlanta - $4.99
Visit Amazon.com to start downloading!
New Album Goes Gold!
Here’s the official press release:
CASTING CROWNS CERTIFIES RIAA GOLD IN FOUR WEEKS WITH NEW ALBUM UNTIL THE WHOLE WORLD HEARS
FOURTH STUDIO ALBUM MARKS BAND’S FASTEST-SELLING PROJECT TO DATE
Casting Crowns Repeats as Billboard’s No. 1 Top Christian Album Artist for 2009; Band Maintains Position as Top-Selling Act in Christian Music since 2007
Nashville, TN - December 21, 2009 - Today, the blockbuster fourth studio album, Until The Whole World Hears, from GRAMMY, AMA and five-time Dove Award-winning “Group of the Year,” Casting Crowns (Beach Street/Reunion Records), reaches RIAA Gold status, only four weeks after the Nov. 17 release. This certification, signifying U.S. album shipments exceeding 500,000 units, marks the fastest-selling Casting Crowns album in its unparalleled six-year career.
With its sales continuing to demonstrate an upward trend, Casting Crowns is again named Billboard’s Top Christian Album Artist for 2009, for a third consecutive year. The repeated placement at No. 1 on the year-end Christian/Gospel chart (12/31/09) solidifies Casting Crowns as the top-selling act in Christian music since 2007.
Selling 167,000 first-week copies, the historical debut of Until The Whole World Hears set a sales record for the group as the highest debuting Christian Music artist in SoundScan history (week ending 11/22/09). The album released as the third strongest album debut in the country on Billboard’s Top 200 chart behind John Mayer and Norah Jones. With 44, 845 units sold this week, Until The Whole World Hears is No.1 for a fourth week on Nielsen SoundScan Current Contemporary Christian Album chart. At radio, the title track claimed a third week at No. 1 on Billboard’s AC-Monitored chart, marking a ninth career chart-topping song for Casting Crowns.
Last month, the band’s 2008 Christmas album Peace on Earth also certified RIAA Gold. The Christmas album continues a strong run with the week’s 59, 865 units sold, and is named the No. 5 best-selling album of 2009 on Billboard’s Top Christian Albums year-end chart (12/31/09). Both Until The Whole World Hears and Peace on Earth remain top performers on the national Billboard Top 200 chart, at No. 31 and 22 respectively, for week ending 12/13/09, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
The RIAA Gold certification of Until The Whole World Hears adds a third Gold album to the band’s collection. To date, all of the Atlanta-based band’s projects are RIAA certified, with a monster tally of two RIAA Platinum Albums, two RIAA Platinum DVDs, now three RIAA Gold Albums and a Gold DVD, further establishing its unprecedented six-year career.
Official Spring Tour Press Release
CASTING CROWNS ANNOUNCES 41-CITY SPRING LEG OF ‘UNTIL THE WHOLE WORLD HEARS’ TOUR FOLLOWING RECORD-BREAKING SALES OF NEW ALBUM RELEASE
Spring 2010 Tour Features Special Guests Kutless on First Half, Tenth Avenue North on Second Half, and Indie Rock Band CALEB
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - December 14, 2009 - GRAMMY, AMA and five-time Dove Award-winning Group of the Year Casting Crowns is announcing plans to continue its highly-successful “Until The Whole World Hears” Tour in 41 more cities this spring. Kicking off on February 4, in Kansas City, Mo., the tour features a brand new lineup with special guests Kutless on dates in February and March, and Tenth Avenue North rounding out the tour’s final segment of shows in April and May. Indie rock band CALEB, featuring brothers Caleb and Will Chapman, will also join the tour roster.
The spring leg of the “Until The Whole World Hears” Tour follows a well-received, 41-city run of fall dates on which Casting Crowns played in front of nearly 150,000 people at multiple sell-out performances. The spring tour also comes on the heels of the record-breaking release of the band’s new studio album, Until The Whole World Hears, which recently sold more than 167,000 copies in its first week, making Casting Crowns the highest-debuting Christian music artist in SoundScan history. The album landed at No. 1 on the Nielsen SoundScan Current Contemporary Christian Album Chart and No. 4 on Billboard’s Top 200 chart behind John Mayer and Norah Jones.
The Atlanta-based Casting Crowns has established itself as the top-selling artist in Contemporary Christian music in recent years. To date, all of the band’s projects are RIAA certified, with a monster tally of two RIAA platinum albums, two RIAA platinum DVDs, two RIAA gold albums and a gold DVD. The group has generated nine No. 1 songs at radio including the latest single, the title cut from Until The Whole World Hears. Remarkably, the band’s seven members also continue to work in student ministry in the Atlanta area, with lead vocalist Mark Hall serving as a full-time youth pastor. Casting Crowns tours and records around its weekly commitment to mentoring teens.
“This year, we had sold-out and near-capacity crowds in six cities with Casting Crowns,” says concert promoter Dan Fife of Awakening Events, LLC. “Every night the ministry is strong and we walk away hearing stories where attendees were blessed and received a message that changed their lives. I think the new CD is giving Casting Crowns an opportunity to carry a message of hope across America at a critical time. We are excited to provide a platform for this band and want to encourage people to bring their neighbors and friends to hear the message in song this spring.”
Promoter Greg Carnes of Sugar Spring Productions adds, “Casting Crowns continues to deliver worship music that is touching folks in such a way that it has never been about a concert or entertainment, but more like being at church. We have been promoting Crowns concerts since they came on the scene and we are big believers in their ministry. That is why we continue to do so, and look forward to this next tour in 2010.”
The “Until The Whole World Hears” Tour is sponsored by Christian humanitarian organization World Vision. World Vision provides assistance to approximately 100 million people in nearly 100 countries by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. Casting Crowns has helped to generate a total of 44,334 child sponsorships for World Vision to date.
About Casting Crowns:
Christian music’s GRAMMY, AMA and five-time Dove Award-winning Group of the Year, Casting Crowns is headed by frontman/principal songwriter Mark Hall. The platinum-selling band’s recent fourth album, Until The Whole World Hears, continues to perform in the top of the sales charts since its Nov. 17 release. The album’s title track marks a ninth career No. 1 radio single. The song currently tops multiple Christian radio formats, spending a sixth week at No. 1 on Billboard’s AC-Indicator radio chart and a second week at No. 1 on the AC-Monitored chart. In addition, Casting Crowns’ 2008 Christmas album, Peace On Earth (10/7/2008), was recently certified RIAA Gold, and continues to be one of the top-selling Christmas albums of the season. Despite an unprecedented six-year career with Casting Crowns, the seven band members remain active in student ministry in the Atlanta area and tour part-time around their local church duties. Serving his 18th year in youth ministry, Hall is the student pastor at Eagle’s Landing First Baptist Church in Atlanta. As a remarkable occasion, Casting Crowns performed for a second time in North Korea in April 2009, in partnership with Global Resource Services, as the band continues to forge invaluable relationships with the people in the D.P.R.K.
Millions of fans can now stream the band’s entire catalog of music and video from the band’s newly created fan-centric web site, CrownsFans.com. For more information, visit ProvidentPress.com, or CastingCrowns.com. *Follow the band on Mark Hall’s Twitter at Twitter.com/markhallCC.
About Kutless:
Launched by original members Jon Micah Sumrall (lead vocals) and guitarist James Mead, Portland, Oregon-based Kutless formed first as a modern rock/worship band at Warner Pacific College in Portland in 2000. The band signed to Tooth & Nail/BEC in late 2001 and released its self-titled debut the following year, which went on to become the fastest-selling debut in the label’s history. Kutless has emerged as one of Christian and rock music’s hottest acts, playing before more than 2 million fans in the past five years. The band has been nominated for multiple Dove Awards, earning its first for the band’s participation on the Special Event Album of the Year, the soundtrack to Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Kutless’ music has also been featured in television and film, including the song “All of the Words,” which appeared on the NBC hit TV show “Scrubs,” in an episode titled “My Bright Idea.” In 2008, the band’s song “The Feeling” was featured as a Rock Band 2 downloadable track for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii. In 2009, the band was awarded RIAA Gold Certification for their worship-based album Strong Tower in addition to Gold Certification for the long-form video “Live From Portland.” Kutless recently released their second worship-oriented album, It Is Well, which gave the band their highest Billboard debut at #42. Kutless is: Jon Micah Sumrall (vocals), James Mead (guitar), Dave Luetkenhoelter (bass), Jeff Gilbert (drums), and Nick DePartee (guitar). For more information, visit Kutless.com.
About Tenth Avenue North:
Named GMA Dove Awards New Artist of the Year (2009), Tenth Avenue North was the best-selling and most played new Christian artist of 2008, scoring three No. 1s at radio and crossing the 100,000 sales mark with its debut Over and Underneath (5/20/08) in just seven months. The band - Mike Donehey (lead vocals/acoustic guitar), Jason Jamison (drummer) and Jeff Owen (electric guitar/background vocals) - has toured extensively over the last year in support of Over and Underneath (recently crossing the 200,000 mark in total album sales), and recently wrapped an impressive run of shows on its very first headlining tour- “Inside and In Between”. Tenth Avenue North is one of the few debut bands that have experienced enough momentum to headline its own tour with only one album under its belt. For up-to-date information on Tenth Avenue North please visit TenthAvenueNorth.com.
About CALEB
Introducing CALEB, an independent rock band out of Franklin, Tenn., with founders songwriter/frontman Caleb Chapman and drummer Will Chapman. CALEB is musical parts alternative, rock and pop with pondering lyrics that ask and answer big questions in life, and do so with inspiring melodies that easily get caught in your head. Ultimately the heart of the band beats to create music that’s accessible to everyone while maintaining artistic integrity and honesty. For more information, go to CalebChapman.com.
CASTING CROWNS “UNTIL THE WHOLE WORLD HEARS” SPRING TOUR 2010
*Dates, markets and venues subject to change without notice.
FEBRUARY
(Dates in February and March feature special guests Kutless and CALEB)
2/4 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
2/5 Tulsa, OK Spirit Bank Events Center
2/6 Oklahoma City, OK Crossroads Church
2/11 Bossier City, LA CenturyTel Center Arena
2/12 Birmingham, AL Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center
2/13 Tupelo, MS BancorpSouth Arena
2/18 Baltimore, MD 1st Mariner Arena
2/19 Rochester, NY Roberts Wesleyan College
2/20 Newark, NJ Prudential Center
2/21 Portland, ME Civic Center
2/23 Binghamton, NY Broome County Arena
2/25 Plymouth, MI Northridge Church
2/26 Wyoming, MI GR First AOG Church
2/27 Pittsburgh, PA Mellon Arena
2/28 Hershey, PA Giant Center
MARCH
3/5 Woodstock, GA First Baptist Church Woodstock
3/6 Baton Rouge, LA The River Center
3/11 San Antonio, TX Municipal Auditorium
3/12 Cypress, TX Berry Center
3/13 Lake Charles, LA Christian World
3/25 Huntsville, AL Von Braun Civic Center
3/26 Pensacola, FL Olive Baptist Church
3/27 Winter Park, FL Calvary Assembly of God
APRIL
(Remaining dates below feature special guests Tenth Avenue North and CALEB)
4/1 Dayton, OH Nutter Center at Wright State University
4/2 St. Charles, MO The Family Arena
4/9 Des Moines, IA First Federated Church
4/10 Sioux Falls, SD Sioux Falls Arena
4/11 St. Paul, MN Xcel Center
4/13 Cedar Falls, IA Mcleod Center
4/15 State College, PA Bryce Jordan Center
4/16 Charleston, WV Charleston Civic Center
4/17 Lynchburg, VA Thomas Road Baptist Church
4/22 Fayetteville, NC Crown Coliseum
4/23 N. Charleston, SC North Charleston Civic Center
4/24 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum
4/29 Nacogdoches, TX William R. Johnson Coliseum
MAY
5/1 Grand Prairie, TX Air Hogs Minor League Baseball Stadium
Spring Tour Dates
Spring dates for the Until The Whole World Hears Tour have been announced on the tour page. Kutless will join Casting Crowns through March and Tenth Avenue North will play the April and May dates. Caleb will appear at all shows.
