Death in the subculture

Demise of Christian music magazine signals hard times for Christian rock | David Sessions

Some cultural phenomena—rock music, for example—seem to die once a decade. Now veterans of the Christian music industry are asking whether Christian rock is dead.

Fueling the speculation was CCM magazine's announcement last month that it will discontinue its print edition in April, on the 30th anniversary of its first issue in 1978. The press statement announced that CCM readers "want information faster than a print magazine can deliver" and explained the folding of the print magazine as an intentional move to allow CCM to put its energy into online content. CCM for much of its history set the trends and made the brand among Christian youth, but over the past few years the magazine has fought a losing battle for audience.