MusicFaith

I started MusicFaith in 2005. I was 14 years old as a school project to learn how to code. I have always like music and writing. So I combined two of my passions together and started the website.

Within two years, the site had exploded. I was interviewing my favorite artists and bands, going to countless shows, and reviewing every album the record labels sent to me.

In 2007, I started promoting concerts with my local church. We hosted bands like Needtobreathe, Building 429, Disciple, and more. At this time I had started a band with some friends and started playing at churches in our area.

After high school, I got a job for a Christian tour promotions company as their graphic and web designer and moved to Franklin, Tennessee, the home of Christian music.

I went on the road with some of the biggest names of Christian music in the 90s and 2000s, designed album covers for big names, and built websites for various artists.

Yet, something wasn’t right.

I always felt conflicted reviewing music by people who were proclaiming to be doing ministry work. No question, there is some very poor quality and cheesy Christian music, but just because it didn’t appeal to me didn’t mean it wouldn’t appeal to someone else who may benefit from it.

Furthermore, I remember sitting in a meeting discussing which Christian artists to reach out to for an upcoming tour. We would whiteboard a bunch of names and reach out to their agents to find out ballpark prices.

I would say a name and it would get veto’d. I learned quickly to stop asking why. “That guy has children in five different states.” or “He’s gay.”

It opened my eyes.

Christian music was/is simply a term used by the record labels to sell music to Christians.

I have a lot of problems with Christian music. A lot of lyrics are theology questionable. From a musical standpoint, a lot of modern Christian music is redundant and uninspired.

Despite my opinion of what constitutes good or bad music, the industry itself was a dark place that I left completely.

I don’t want to go back into the industry, but I do want to highlight music that moves me on a spiritual level and share it with likeminded people.

As MusicFaith nears its 20th anniversary I have decided to restart the site with a new purpose. Find the intersection between faith and music. Whether its a secular artist or Christian artist, highlight how God uses song, melody, and lyrics to move you.

That is the what the new MusicFaith is about.

-Jeremy Koering