The crisis of music and Christian bookstores in the U.S.
One issue that was discussed loudly in the exhibition "International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) (The Christian international exhibition for companies that sell at retail), which this year was held in Atlanta, was the crisis faced by independent bookstores the Christian music industry in America. 
Last year Christian music sales in the United States dropped by 20 million. The causes are obvious and some are similar to those affecting Latin America:
- Piracy. The United States does not escape this situation although it has nothing to do with the massive piracy in Latin America, where in many markets sell thousands of Christian music CDs between $ 1 and $ 3, and where even in some Christian bookstores are distributed these copies. While writing this article I am in Quito, Ecuador. Here pirated CDs are sold in less than a dollar in the street, but a friend tells me that is also sold copies of higher quality for a little more in stores.
- The quality of the productions. I thought this was a problem for us only, but the Americans even with its big budgets and technologies, have difficulty creating productions fresh, innovative, inspiring people to live closer to God. In Latin America, sometimes you hear a CD of praise and it's as if everyone listened. However, I must admit that there are categories of Christian music, Christian rock as the Red Group, where creativity goes hand in hand with spirituality. Of course there are also motivating as creations of Ingrid and Julissa, among others. But I think out of ten CDs that I listen to two or three are really creative and innovative, and with lyrics that say something to inspire us and not all repeat chorus.
- Legal downloads. Itunes changed the way that young people buy music. Instead of buying an album with eight songs (most of the same) to buy the song they like. In Latin America the same thing is happening. The Christian Legal music downloads over the Internet has begun. Major labels like CanZion, and many others not so well known, have begun selling songs on iTunes and other smaller sites. But not all young people in Latin America have access to international credit cards, this model has not affected Christian bookstores and the United States.
Christian bookstores are also in crisis
A while ago I wrote about the crisis of Christian bookstores in Puerto Rico. I thought the purchase of books and Bibles at discount stores would not affect much of Latin America. But the model is now entering some countries. Walmart and Sam's already has a U.S. office in buying products to sell in its stores in Latin America. No doubt this will spread quickly and independent Christian bookstores in the continent begin to disappear as in the United States of America.
The Christian publishing industry in the United States, according to a recent study by the Christian Bookseller Association (CBA), is $ 4.63 billion but only $ 2.42 billion sold in Christian bookstores. 52% of the publications are sold in Christian channels, 33% of the overall market and 15% in other media.
It strikes me that the big publishers say they sell more to the secular market than the amounts reported in their study CBA. In between Christian bookstore chains sell more than 50% of these products. In short small bookstores sell less indepedentientes percent of Christian products.
Interestingly, CBA fair sponsored by the ICRS, mostly representing these libraries and trying to change the situation.
CBA wants to maintain the channel strategy and publishers have switched to a strategy for each account. The more you buy, the more benefits you receive. In Latin America it is also happening something similar but in smaller proportions. Channels no longer have the protection they had before and many publishers do not just sell more secular channels, but also sold directly to consumers with discounts of up to 25%.
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Topics: Bible, church, Christian bookstores
Too bad da read such reports. I think literature and music "Christian" needs to have more air to Christ, we have unfortunately come to think that all thinkers, writers, and musicians, are in the U.S. or Europe, but we do not realize that in Latin America, God is raising great men who have a reputation but not like others, are impacting the region, creating an inspiring material, which costs much less, and that is something: THE ROLE OF GOD.
United States and Europe, Latin America's turn, while there are concerned about how much units were sold or left to sell .... there are people playing hearts, have no money, no "high numbers" of sale, but you have to have everything, a mighty God who is using them anonymously in their countries ....
Blessings!
Strongly agree with you Richard. It is better to win souls to money.
Much materialism and fame in those parts.
Just as The Lord bless you
Celeste