Though music sales have taken a big hit in recent years, the category still has life in it with Christian retailers reporting good sales through in-store disc burning.

"We are really starting to see some results,' said Jeff Williams, co-owner of Bible Book Store in Victoria, Texas. "We're finding that once people really understand the capabilities of the digital stuff, they are really impressed."

A participant in a Christian Retailing roundtable discussion on music sales, Williams said: "If you don't have digital, you need to get it in the door. Try to understand where the market is for your location. ... The buying public is interested in that immediate satisfaction and we need to make sure they are getting that in our stores and not going to an online place to get the same thing."

Charlotte Myrick, owner and manager of Baptist Bible & Book House in Laurel, Miss., said it was important to help customers understand how in-store digital systems work.

"Take them over, sit them down, let them know what to do," she said. "We have three listening centers. People come in now, some of them will stay for hours... Once they realize how easy it is to use, they're just blown away that they can sit there and listen and pick out music that they would have never heard maybe before."

Brenda Harrison, co-owner of Lighthouse Christian Bookstore in Bedford, Ind., noted that the systems are especially popular with people seeking accompaniment tracks. They like being able to "get it right then and there rather than special-ordering it.

Accompaniment tracks are something you might need immediately for a funeral and to be able to do it right there."

Read more of their discussion in the August issue of Christian Retailing magazine.

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