Winter Jam #4 of All World Tours

Once again ranking among the biggest first quarter tours in the world, the Winter Jam Tour Spectacular brought its 2017 Eastern U.S. run to a close earlier this month. Christian music's largest annual tour landed at #4 on Pollstar’s “1Q YTD Worldwide 2017 Ticket Sales Top 100 Tours” chart, it was recently announced, ahead of tours by such artists as Twenty One Pilots, Drake and Guns N' Roses.

Hitting a total of 46 cities from January through April, Winter Jam played to more than 27,000 people at Atlanta’s Georgia Dome, marking not only one of the tour’s largest crowds to date, but the last concert ever at the historic venue. In addition, sellouts continued at St. Louis' Scottrade Center; Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis; Verizon Arena in Little Rock, Arkansas; and the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina, among numerous leading arenas. 

Showcasing 10 Christian music artists, Winter Jam featured Crowder, Britt Nicole, Tenth Avenue North, Andy Mineo, Colton Dixon, Thousand Foot Krutch and NewSong.  The tour was also highlighted by a special appearance from “Duck Dynasty” television star Sadie Robertson, as well as a message from acclaimed author, speaker Tony Nolan.

An array of special guest artists and athletes appeared in various cities during Winter Jam’s first quarter outing, including Matthew West, Lauren Daigle; “Duck Dynasty’s” Willie & Korie Robertson; “American Idol” alum Danny Gokey, Francesca Battistelli, Jordan Feliz, Zach Williams, Atlanta Braves great Otis Nixon; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Chris Conley; and Nashville Predators captain Mike Fisher.

“This has been such a special year for Winter Jam,” said Eddie Carswell, tour creator and NewSong founding member. “The fantastic lineup, the packed arenas and the special guests who joined us made it an incredible tour, but the best part—as always—is seeing so many people come to Christ through this ministry each year.”

MercyMe's LIFER Hits No. 10 on Billboard Top 200

MercyMe's LIFER debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard Top 200 and No. 1 on Billboard Christian Album Charts. Throughout its release week it reached as high as No. 2 on the overall iTunes and Amazon Music Charts. LIFER also pulled in No. 1s internationally, garnering the highest chart placement on the iTunes Christian & Gospel Albums Chart in India, Singapore, Switzerland, United Kingdom and Italy. The GRAMMY nominees latest chart topper follows a string of top releases for the band, including the RIAA Gold Certified Welcome To The New.

MercyMe appeared on FOX & Friends to perform their hit single 'Even If' the day after the album dropped.

Tauren Wells To Open for Lionel Richie's All The Hits Tour with Mariah Carey

Tauren Wells is the opening act for Lionel Richie's upcoming tour, All The Hits, with very special guest Mariah Carey. Hitting the biggest arenas in 22 markets across the U.S. and Canada, the tour will kick off July 21 and run through September 5 wrapping in Seattle, WA. 

Wells could not be more excited for this momentous opportunity to be part of Lionel Richie's tour and share his music with thousands of concertgoers. "I'm ecstatic to be added to a tour with such music icons," he exclaims. "It's an amazing opportunity God has provided for me to share some of my new music, and I'm grateful to my team for working so hard on my behalf to make dreams like this a reality."

2017 has already been off to a great start for Tauren Wells. Along with the release of his debut EP Undefeated, he also performed at a special fundraising event in support of the 21Strong Foundation held during Super Bowl week with numerous current and former NFL players in attendance. This spring Wells will appear on the B413 No Filter Live Tour and is slated to perform at the KLOVE Fan Awards, and in June he will join the lineup of artists set to perform at KTIS Radio's Joyful Noise 2017 festival.

Lauren Daigle and Reba McEntire To Perform in Country Music Awards

The Academy of Country Music announced additional performers, presenters and an unprecedented number of duos and special collaborations for the 52nd Academy of Country Music Awards. The special will be broadcast live Sunday, April 2 8:00-11:00 PM/ET on CBS.

The featured collaborations will include 14-time ACM Award winner and 14- time ACM Awards host Reba McEntire and Christian artist Lauren Daigle performing “Back to God,” Tim McGraw and Faith Hill premiering “Speak To a Girl,” and Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban performing their hit single “The Fighter.”

Solo performances include Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town and Rascal Flatts.

"Break Every Chain" is Golden

Motown Gospel is celebrating the gold certification of “Break Every Chain,” the ground-breaking single by Tasha Cobbs.  The award was granted by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to commemorate sales of more than 500,000 units.

Cobbs received a gold plaque Saturday in Las Vegas during a surprise presentation by Ken Pennell, President of Gospel Music for Capitol Christian Music Group. “With the changing climate of the music industry it’s rare that we have the opportunity for moments like this in gospel,” Pennell said. Speaking before a crowd of artists, songwriters, and industry executives at the Motown Gospel-ASCAP Morning Glory Breakfast, Pennell elaborated, “While many in our marketplace are still hesitant to embrace streaming, Tasha’s growing streaming presence enabled us to carry her music to audiences around the world and to cross this important threshold.”

Named by Billboard Magazine as the Most Streamed Gospel Artist and Top Female Gospel Artist of 2016, Cobbs is currently at work on new music for her upcoming project "Heart. Passion. Pursuit."