Capitol Christian Music Group (CCMG) has completed its acquisition of the existing Tooth & Nail music catalog, which includes Tooth & Nail Records, BEC Recordings and Solid State Records.

The acquisition excludes the catalogs of artists Demon Hunter, August Burns Red and the latest recordings by Love and Death and the Supertones. Tooth & Nail founder and co-owner Brandon Ebel, who retained rights to all label names and trademarks with the acquisition, will relaunch Tooth & Nail as an independent label group, with forthcoming releases planned from August Burns Red, The Almost, Demon Hunter, Emery, Icon For Hire, Nine Lashes, Living Sacrifice and All Things New, among others.

"It's been my privilege to work alongside Brandon Ebel for the last 12 years," said CCMG President and CEO Bill Hearn. "He's a great record man and has developed some of our industry's best artists and music. Together, we have built a strong catalog, which CCMG will continue to develop and grow. I wish Brandon continued success as he re-establishes himself as one of the leaders in the independent music community."

Ebel said Tooth & Nail/BEC Recordings has had a "very successful" partnership with Capitol Christian Music Group, formerly known as EMI CMG Music Group until it was rebranded recently.

"We are confident that our artists' back catalogs will be well served under CCMG," Ebel said. "Moving forward, we are excited to continue developing our artists on Tooth & Nail Records, Solid State Records and BEC Recordings."

Details of release dates and distribution for the relaunched Tooth & Nail label will be announced soon. During the transition period, Capitol Christian Music Distribution will continue to distribute all Tooth & Nail products. BEC Recordings' award-winning artist Jeremy Camp's catalog, including the recently released Reckless, will now be promoted by CCMG.

Click here for more information on Capitol Christian Distribution. 

Publishers, retailers and authors are responding to the March 13 ascension of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio to the papacy, taking the name Francis I. Chosen by the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church, the 76-year-old Argentinian is the first Latin American pope and the only pope in history from the Jesuit order.

Image Books, the Catholic imprint of Random House, was first on the scene to announce a new book on Pope Francis. Robert Moynihan, founder and editor of Inside the Vatican,  offers an introduction to Bergoglio’s life and work in Pray for Me: The Life and Spiritual Vision of Pope Francis, First Pope From the Americas, releasing April 30.

The Parable Group has appointed Madison Avenue veteran William (Whit) Whitney as its new creative director. Whitney, who has more than 30 years experience as an art director, creative director, writer and producer, will be "instrumental in the accelerated growth of Parable," company officials said.

"His addition to our team will add significant value for our clients and bring innovation and additional creativity to our accountable marketing platform," said Parable Group CEO Steve Potratz. "The addition of Whit as our creative director heightens our enthusiasm for what's in store for 2013 and beyond."

Whitney joins Parable after serving as executive creative director of print, digital marketing, direct mail and television for Los Angeles-based Rapp, whose clients included Bank of America, Lexus, Toyota, DirectTV and Hewlett-Packard.

Whitney spent 11 years with RappCollins Worldwide in New York City, where he served as group creative director for television, print and direct mail. He was also executive producer for the agency's broadcast department. Under his supervision, the agency conducted campaigns for Sports Illustrated, the New York Knicks, Mercedes-Benz, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Forbes magazine, Chase Manhattan Bank and U.S. Navy recruiting.

"Today's consumers really have the power to select how, what, when and where they receive their marketing messages, so relevance has never been more critical," Whitney said. "By leveraging our extensive data to help inform, we can deliver not only relevant, but compelling and memorable stories to Christian consumers."

Linda Johnson-LeBlanc has joined the staff of Judson Press as marketing director.

“Linda brings a rich mix of skills in market analysis and project management as well as experience in product placement, pricing and promotion from a long history in the corporate settings of pharma and IT,” said Laura Alden, publisher at the American Baptist press. “I believe you will find Linda to be a responsive and helpful colleague. Please join me in welcoming her to our world!”

Johnson-LeBlanc can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 800-222-3872, ext. 2458.

Send The Light Distribution celebrates its first anniversary as a management-owned company this month.

In March 2012, management of STL Distribution North America purchased the distributor from its parent company, Biblica. The buyout was a year in the making.

With an estimated 75% of companies failing in their first year, and few showing a profit, the leadership of the newly renamed distributor is pleased with the company’s accomplishments.

Zondervan's The Story, an abridged, chronological version of the Bible, has reached a major milestone with more than 1 million copies sold. Using the updated New International Version translation, The Story condenses the Bible in 31 chapters in the format of a novel.

"It is quite an accomplishment when any title crosses the 1 million units sales milestone, but seeing The Story do so in just 20 months is gratifying because it shows that people still love the greatest story ever told," said Chip Brown, senior vice president and publisher at Harper Collins Christian Publishing and Zondervan. "It is especially rewarding to have provided churches with a Bible engagement resource that has helped them see significant increases in both attendance and engagement."

Zondervan is celebrating the milestone by giving away 20 free copies of The Story signed by authors Max Lucado and Randy Frazee, who both wrote the foreword. The contest, which started March 14, can be entered through The Story's Facebook page. 

Zondervan created a church campaign kit with The Story for small groups, Bible studies, Sunday schools and sermons. More than 3,100 churches and hundreds of thousands of people have participated in campaign since it first launched in 2010, company officials said. The Story has also topped the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association's Bible best-sellers for months.

Click here for more information on The Story.

Retail sales grew in February by the most in five months as an improved job market helped offset the impact of rising gas prices and a 2% payroll tax hike.

The 1.1% increase exceeded all projections in a Bloomberg survey and followed a revised 0.2% gain in January, U.S. Department of Commerce figures showed this week, Bloomberg reported. Core retail sales—excluding the more volatile categories of autos, building materials and fuel—rose 0.7%, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF).

"Retail continues to show its importance to the economy," said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. "That said, our consumer research consistently shows a cautious shopper that is making tough spending decisions based upon economic uncertainties, lower paychecks and higher prices for things such as gas.

"This is particularly true among those making $50,000 or less a year," Shay added. "While retail sales numbers indicate good momentum for the economy, consumers with less earning power may continue to face ongoing pressure and retail sales will encounter further challenges as sequestration takes full effect in March."

Retailers hired almost 24,000 new employees in February, contributing to a 236,000 rise in payrolls that exceeded the median forecast of economists surveyed, Bloomberg reported. The unemployment rate also dropped to a four-year low of 7.7%.

"Consumers, once again, exceeded economists' expectations and estimates in February," NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said. "It may be too early to measure the impact of the payroll tax hike and higher gasoline prices on consumer spending. However, this portends a good, but not great, first quarter for retailers as consumers continue to breathe life into the economy."

Sporting goods, hobby, book and music stores' sales decreased 0.9% seasonally adjusted month-to-month, but increased 0.6% unadjusted year-over-year, NRF said. Clothing and clothing accessories stores' sales dincreased 0.2% seasonally adjusted month-to-month, but increased 0.4% unadjusted year-over-year.