The threatened Gospel Music Association (GMA) has canceled its annual industry music conference, while rebranding the April 2010 calendar date as "Dove Awards Week" with events leading up to the prizes show, which is scheduled for April 21. GMA members were notified Thursday by e-mail.

The conference part of GMA Music Week, which included the Christian Music Retail Conference (CMRC) and music industry leadership workshops, which once drew thousands to Nashville, has faced shrinking attendance in recent years and will be retooled for 2011, GMA officials said.

Similar to activities around the GRAMMYs, Dove Awards Week, scheduled for April 19-21, will include events such as Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) and American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) songwriting award dinners.

Two highlights of GMA Music Week's industry conference--the Songwriters' Showcase, featuring artists playing new music in an intimate setting, and Sunday Evening Worship--are expected to move to GMA's Immerse artist and industry development conference, scheduled for late July 2010 at Nashville's Belmont University.

Ed Leonard, GMA board chairman and Daywind Music Group president, said that he expected other events sponsored by labels and artists to take place during Dove Awards Week with GMA acting as a "hub" of information.

"We will promote those events to our membership and to the Nashville community," he told Christian Retailing. "And we will help coordinate to make sure no one is running on top of each other."

Leonard said the Dove Awards are a "huge component of what we do to celebrate gospel music" and would not be retooled or downsized. Gospel Music Channel, a key sponsor, is expected to air the show again next year.

"I think it'll be right in line with what it's been in the past," Leonard said. "Same quality show, great artist lineup, with those unique combinations that you don't see any place else."

The GMA has faced a year of change due in large part to declining memberships and a 20% drop in attendance at its April industry conference. In September, Christian radio representatives--who accounted for a significant portion of the industry conference's attendance--organized their own gathering called "Momentum '09" in Orlando, Fla., under the Christian Music Broadcasters banner.

Also in September, John Styll--who had served as the organization's president and CEO for six years--stepped down as part of a cost-cutting effort to keep the group alive, although he remains a board member.

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