Despite efforts to attract attendees by lowering registration rates and offering seminars on financial management to address an unstable music environment, attendance was significantly down at this year’s Gospel Music Association (GMA) Music Week. But the annual gathering was “very beneficial” for retailers and music professionals, GMA officials said.

Held April 18-22 and culminating with the 40th Annual GMA Dove Awards in Nashville, the five-day festival—part industry convention, part celebration of Christian music—had a 30% decrease in turnout from 2008, although the event still attracted more than 2,000 people.

The lower numbers were influenced by the sliding economy and an unsteady music environment in which Christian album sales were down 9.7% in 2008, according to the music association.

A number of factors also appeared to have contributed to the attendance decline. Unlike previous years, many radio stations were absent from the gathering likely because the Christian Music Broadcasters—the trade group that organizes the radio educational track at GMA Week, but whose contract with GMA expires this year—recently announced a conference of its own called “Momentum” that will be held Sept. 10-12 in Orlando, Fla.

Some members of the press also had difficulty getting in GMA Week, as media was not credentialed this year for financial reasons, music association officials said.

“There were many great moments that happened at GMA Music Week and for many attendees, it was a very beneficial and productive week,” Gabriel Aviles, vice president of marketing and business development for GMA, told Christian Retailing.

Randy Ross—a music inventory specialist for Parable stores and chairman of the Christian Music Retail Conference, a retail advocacy group that created the retail educational track for GMA Music Week—agreed.

“It definitely could have been a lot worse than it was,” he told Christian Retailing. “With fewer attendees, there was a heightened sense of camaraderie among the registrants. There was room to breathe in all the busy-ness. I spoke with retailers, artists and record labels, (and) all said this year’s GMA Week was actually one of the best they had attended.

“There wasn’t a panic mood to what was presented at all,” Ross added. “There was hope.”

Michael Brink, manager and buyer for music, entertainment and apparel at Arrowhead Parable in Johnson City, N.Y., said the event was still worth attending, especially because his store’s music sales were down.

“This is my seventh year (at GMA Week), and I felt like this was when I could least afford to miss it,” Brink told Christian Retailing. “On a personal level, I enjoy it. I find it refreshing.”

Joshua Mosey, music buyer for Baker Book House in Grand Rapids, Mich., also enjoyed the gathering. Mosey told Christian Retailing that he was not going to attend the music event because his store recently cut all nonessential travel. But after Mosey received free admission to the show for winning a GMA-sponsored writing contest on how Christian music had changed his life, his store decided to pay for his travel and hotel expenses despite the travel ban.

Speakers during GMA Week included Russ Crupnick—senior analyst and vice president for the NPD Group, a research and consulting firm—who noted that two-thirds of music buyers in 2008 exclusively bought CDs.

“I think there’s a place for (CDs),” Crupnick said. “Retailers hear (bad news) and give up on (CDs), but consumers haven’t. As much bashing as everyone does, there are still two-and-a-half as many people buying CDs as digital downloads. But when retailers stop promoting CDs, it becomes a ‘death spiral.’ ”

Crupnick also talked about “the hybrid consumer”—music fans who buy both CDs and digital music. According to Crupnick, hybrid consumers make up about 24% of contemporary Christian music listeners and 19% of gospel music listeners. Hybrid consumers bought 22% more CDs in 2008 than 2007, he said.

“They see the value proposition; they are buying more CDs to upload to a portable digital music player,” Crupnick said.

Mike Hockett, CBA’s training and consulting manager, gave a presentation on 12 best practices that music retailers should implement, which included the importance of partnering with Christian radio stations to drive traffic and sell CDs.

“Over half of our Christian music buyers, 57% listen to Christian radio every day, and 83% listen every week,” Hockett said. “So if you can match that audience up with your core customer, it’s going to help you.”

Mosey said he was encouraged by Hockett’s presentation and felt good that his store was “doing 11 of them.”

Other sessions included Dave Ramsey’s Wealth Coach Program, “The Financial Hurricane Creates Opportunity” led by author, speaker and business consultantMichael Q. Pink.

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