by Erin Turner | Aug 13, 2015 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Christian music artists, fans and community members will return to Music City this fall to unite for the 46th Annual GMA Dove Awards show, “Better Together.” “Since 1969, the GMA Dove Awards has honored the outstanding achievement and excellence of our music community,” GMA executive director Jackie Patillo said in a press release. “We hope to bring much more light to our mission with this year’s ‘Better Together’ theme as we focus on unity, diversity and creativity and come together during this exciting time in our industry.” The awards show will be held under Lipscomb’s roof in Allen Arena for the third consecutive year on Tuesday, Oct. 13. The Gospel Music Association now calls Lipscomb home after holding the awards show in Atlanta. Most may know Nashville as home of country music, but it is now a hub for the Christian music industry as well. On Wednesday, Aug. 12, a press conference was held at which award nominations were announced and Mayor Karl Dean spoke about the importance of music in Nashville’s community. “Not only do we get to celebrate the diversity of the music in Nashville, but we also get to celebrate the fact that hundreds of music fans will be traveling here in October and they will get to see our city firsthand,” Dean said. “Music is one of the top econmic drivers we have. It is the city’s DNA and it is who we are.” Dean described the music industry as Nashville’s “econmic engine,” with 215 million people listening to Christian and Gospel music each month, for example. “Lipscomb, along with other campuses, is a huge part of the boom we’re...
by Erin Turner | May 22, 2015 | News Slider
What has recently become its own school will also have its very own new contemporary music program. Lipscomb’s School of Music recently announced the expansion of its existing classical music offerings to include contemporary music undergraduate programs, which will dive into songwriting and music production. This charge first began after Lipscomb formed its College of Entertainment and the Arts that houses the new school. School of Music director Sally Reid said that the idea of having a College of Entertainment and the Arts, and even the School of Music, have been in the works for a while. “At some point the president [Lipscomb President Randy Lowry] intervened and said ‘this really sounds like a new college,'” Reid said. After the new college was formed, Lipscomb’s filmmaker-in-residence Steve Taylor had a connection that made the contemporary music program come to life. “Steve had this really good friend who was at a point in his career where he was looking to give back,” Reid said. Producer and singer-songwriter Charlie Peacock will serve as Lipscomb’s artist-in-residence for the contemporary music program. “I really think that we couldn’t launch out and do this without his guidance, because none of the faculty are trained in contemporary music or have any experience,” Reid said. “We needed new faculty, and we needed someone who understands the music industry.” And Peacock has demonstrated his understanding of the music industry ever since he started his career in the ’70s, producing hundreds of albums. He will lead the new program to become more integrated with Music City. “His vision is for it to be Nashville-centric in that it immerses the students in how business...
