The ONLY way Catholic Contemporary Music is going to be played on radio IS to have an ALL Catholic Music station (OR a Network of stations, OR a Satelitte Radio Station). As the central point to start a network.
Except that, for those stations that are all Catholic, they play predominantly EWTN-based talk. It’s very expensive to constantly be playing music, and Catholics in general haven’t learned yet how to tithe, let alone donate funds to support favorite radio stations. Even on some of these radio shows, there are musical lead-ins from non-Catholic artists.
There are pockets of Catholic music radio shows, like EWTN/Satellite Radio’s “Catholic Jukebox”, which runs for a whopping 30 minutes, daily. Catholic Music Express too, has an hour of programming. I’m sure there are others.
And this is at a time where radio-listening is at an all-time low. Satellite radio, which was initially looked upon as the savior for music for-all-tastes, is forever in the red. Most people have bypassed radio completely and are focusing on their own personal radio stations (otherwise known as iPods).
Christian radio will not play any song that endorses any sectarian view. (So it’s not just about Catholics… you won’t hear any Presbyterian Rock either). Their goal is to get as many listeners as possible, and the moment they feel that a song’s doctrine will offend a certain segment of their audience, they will drop the song like it never existed. ClearRadio owns a majority of Christian stations, as well as many country and secular stations–they will treat such a song just how they treated the Dixie Chicks.
So Catholic music really is the proverbial musical “blind spot.” There’s no nationwide Catholic radio support, but where there is Catholic radio, it’s talk. There’s no nationwide Christian radio support (save for “Family Radio”, which, to its benefit, does play classic John Michael Talbot), but for those areas that do have Christian radio, the topics are severely limited to the most basic non-offending essentials of Christianity, which nearly all Christians can agree upon. So even the Catholics (Kathy Troccoli, newly converted Ragamuffin Band member Rick Elias, Ceili Rain, older Scarecrow and Tinmen, Rachael Lampa), are limited by what lyrics they can convey.
Not trying to instill a guilt trip, just wanted to lay out the foundations as to why groups like
topcatholicsongs.com exist–so to bypass radio altogether and create a framework where songs start ministering again–in practical, worthwhile ways. In a few weeks, we will be listing Top Lenten songs, Top Adoration songs, Top Holy Week Songs… you get the picture. It will help assist you in your devotions as pertained to the liturgical season, but it will also introduce you to phenomenal Catholic artists: Sean Clive, Nick Cardolino, Joel Stein, Annie Karto, Gretchen Harris, (me), and tons of others.
Lastly, if you’re reading this, and you are an independent Catholic musician, and you want more notice for what you’ve been doing, I encourage you to join the TopCatholicSongs community… where we can assist in building the proper buzz for your music. (Select “Join” on the
topcatholicsongs.com page).
Nick Alexander
The “Catholic Weird Al”
nickalexander.com
Go to
topcatholicsongs.com Today!
