Christian adult contemporary, also known as Christian AC, CAC, or Christian Adult Contemporary Airplay, is a form of

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

-played

contemporary Christian music Contemporary Christian music (CCM), also known as Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music, is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christianity, Chri ...

, ranging from 1960s Jesus music and 1970s

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

soft rock Soft rock (also known as light rock or mellow rock) is a form of rock music that originated in the late 1960s in the United States and the United Kingdom which smoothed over the edges of singer-songwriter and pop rock, relying on simple, mel ...

music to predominately

worship Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity or God. For many, worship is not about an emotion, it is more about a recognition of a God. An act of worship may be performed individually, in an informal or formal group, ...

-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of

easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...

, CCM,

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

, Christian R&B, quiet storm and Christian rock influence. Primarily in the United States and Canada, Christian adult contemporary radio stations cater to a mostly adult audience and are similar to mainstream

adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...

stations in that they play hits often and for long periods of time. Christian adult contemporary is generally a continuation of the easy listening and soft rock style Jesus music that became popular in the 1960s and 1970s with some adjustments that reflect the evolution of

pop/rock music. Like mainstream adult contemporary, Christian adult contemporary tends to have lush, soothing and highly polished qualities where emphasis on

melody A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of Pitch (music), pitch and rhythm, while more figurativel ...

and harmonies is accentuated. It is usually melodic enough to get a listener's attention, abstains from complex lyricism, and is most commonly used as

background music Background music (British English: piped music) is a mode of musical performance in which the music is not intended to be a primary focus of potential listeners, but its content, character, and volume level are deliberately chosen to affect behav ...

in heavily-frequented family areas such as

supermarket A supermarket is a self-service Retail#Types of outlets, shop offering a wide variety of food, Drink, beverages and Household goods, household products, organized into sections. Strictly speaking, a supermarket is larger and has a wider selecti ...

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a large indoor shopping center, usually Anchor tenant, anchored by department stores. The term ''mall'' originally meant pedestrian zone, a pedestrian promenade with shops along it, but in the late 1960s, i ...

convention center A convention center (American and British English spelling differences, American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a Convention (meeting), convention, where individuals and groups ...

s, or

restaurant A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...

s that are heavily influenced on Christian faiths and beliefs. Like most of

(and

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Street, eds, ''iarchive:cambridgecompani00frit, The Cambridge Companion to Pop ...

in general), its songs tend to be written in a basic format employing a verse–chorus structure. The format is heavy on

songs which use acoustic instruments such as

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to p ...

s, and sometimes an

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

l set. However, electric guitars and

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

is also used, with the electric guitar sound relatively faint and high-pitched. Additionally post-80s adult contemporary Christian music may feature

synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

s (and other electronics, such drum machines). A Christian AC station may play

, but it usually excludes

Christian hip hop Christian hip-hop (originally gospel rap, also known as Christian rap, gospel hip-hop or holy hip-hop) is a cross-genre of contemporary Christian music and hip-hop. It emerged from urban contemporary music and Christian media in the United State ...

and some forms of

dance-pop Dance-pop is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit ra ...

and

teen pop Teen pop is a sub genre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards Preadolescence, preteens and teenagers.Lamb, Bill"Teen Pop". About.com. Retrieved January 28, 2007. Often, the artists themselves are teenagers during their break ...

, as these are less popular among adults, the target

demographic Demography () is the statistics, statistical study of human populations: their size, composition (e.g., ethnic group, age), and how they change through the interplay of fertility (births), mortality (deaths), and migration. Demographic analy ...

. Christian AC radio, like mainstream AC radio, often targets the 25–44 age group, the demographic that has received the most attention from advertisers since the 1960s. Over the years, Christian AC has spawned subgenres including "Christian hot AC" (or "modern Christian AC"), "Christian soft AC" (also known as "contemporary inspirational"), " urban AC

" (a softer type of

urban contemporary gospel Urban/contemporary gospel, also known as urban gospel music, urban gospel pop, or just simply urban gospel, is a modern subgenre of gospel music. Although the style developed gradually, early forms are generally dated to the 1970s, and the gen ...

), and "

rhythmic AC" (a softer type of

rhythmic contemporary). Some stations play only "Christian hot AC", "Christian soft AC", or only one of the variety of subgenres. Therefore, it is not usually considered a specific genre of Christian music; it is merely an assemblage of selected songs from artists of many different

genres.

Demographics

The target audience of Christian adult contemporary radio, generally females in their thirties or forties, has been nicknamed "Becky" by the Christian music industry. However, artists that are played on Christian adult contemporary radio are predominantly male. Male Christian artists outnumber female Christian artists by at least a 2:1 ratio and, according to ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'', 43 of the top 50 Christian songs of the 2000s were performed by males. Females held the top spot on the Christian Songs chart for just 11 weeks out of the chart's 337 weeks of activity during the 2000s. Audience testing has revealed that men test well to audiences, while women test low to audiences. This discrepancy has been associated with an overall shift in 2003 from a mainly pop sound to a more rock-oriented sound. As the genre shifted towards more rock-driven songs, deeper male voices from artists such as Third Day, Jeremy Camp, and Todd Agnew became popular, and established female artists like Amy Grant or bands with females like Point of Grace and Avalon, who tested extremely well among audiences, went out of style, along with their pop-oriented sound. Another reason for this discrepancy is audience concern of sexuality among female artists, especially worship leaders, and possible jealousy towards female artists among the format's generally female listener base. Opinion is split on whether or not this represents a permanent shift or just a temporary trend.

Christian adult contemporary formats

Much like mainstream adult contemporary, in radio broadcasting Christian adult contemporary is divided into several sub-formats, each with their own musical direction and demographic targeting. Christian hot adult contemporary formats generally feature an uptempo

rotation Rotation or rotational/rotary motion is the circular movement of an object around a central line, known as an ''axis of rotation''. A plane figure can rotate in either a clockwise or counterclockwise sense around a perpendicular axis intersect ...

of recent Christian hits that appeal to a wide adult audience. A station formatted as "Christian adult contemporary" with no qualifier generally has a similar playlist to Christian hot AC stations, but tends to have a broader rotation of classic Christian hits from past decades. Christian soft adult contemporary formats have a more conservative sound oriented primarily towards adult women, urban AC gospel focuses on Christian R&B and

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music vary according to culture and social context. Gospel music is compo ...

that appeal to African American adults, and Christian rhythmic AC focuses on Christian dance music and other rhythmic

genres.

Christian hot adult contemporary

''Christian hot adult contemporary'' (Christian hot AC) radio stations play a wide range of

that appeals towards the 18–54 age group; it serves as a middle ground between the youth-oriented Christian contemporary hit radio (Christian CHR) format, and Christian adult contemporary formats that are typically targeted towards a more mature demographic. They generally feature uptempo Christian hit music from the last 25 years with wide appeal, such as Christian pop and

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

songs, while excluding more youth-oriented Christian music such as

. Older music featured on Christian hot AC stations usually reflects familiar and youthful Christian music that adults had grown up with. Likewise, material from legacy Christian pop acts such as Plus One, Matthew West,

Mat Kearney Mathew William Kearney (; born December 1, 1978) is an American musician born in Eugene, Oregon, and based in Nashville, Tennessee. So far, he has a total of five top 20 hits on the Adult Top 40 Chart. '' Just Kids'' was released on February 2 ...

, and BarlowGirl is prominent within the format.

Modern Christian adult contemporary

''Modern Christian adult contemporary'' refers to Christian AC formats with a stronger lean towards modern Christian rock and

. In the 1990s and early 2000s, modern Christian AC was typically targeted towards women. The format typically focused on female Christian rock acts, and

folk rock Folk rock is a fusion genre of rock music with heavy influences from pop, English and American folk music. It arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music re ...

-influenced Christian bands. Today, the format is fairly uncommon.

Christian soft adult contemporary

The ''Christian soft adult contemporary'' format typically targets women 25–54 and at-work listening. Christian soft AC stations are generally conservative in comparison to Christian hot AC, focusing on

contemporary worship music Contemporary worship music (CWM), also known as praise and worship music, is a distinct genre of Christian music used in contemporary worship. It has evolved over the past 60 years and is stylistically similar to pop music. The songs are of ...

, and other familiar, light Christian hits.

Urban adult contemporary gospel

The '' Urban adult contemporary

'' format focuses primarily on current and classic Christian R&B and

. The format typically targets African-American adults 25–54 and 35–64. The format typically excludes youthful Christian rhythmic music, such as

and rap, that are usually associated with the

format. The urban AC gospel format is also associated with the " quiet storm"—mellower R&B worship songs and slow jams, often in a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

-influenced style. As urban contemporary gospel stations prefer hit-driven Christian hip-hop songs, labels typically service Christian R&B songs to the urban AC gospel format only.

Christian rhythmic adult contemporary

The ''

rhythmic adult contemporary Rhythmic adult contemporary, often abbreviated as rhythmic AC or RAC, is an adult contemporary radio format. The format focuses primarily on rhythmic contemporary, rhythmic hits aimed towards an adult audience, often resembling a mixture of the cla ...

'' format generally focuses on a variety of current and classic Christian dance music, such as

, and Christian R&B (often resembling a blend of the

rhythmic oldies and Christian hot AC formats in practice). The exact composition of current and recurrent content can vary between stations, depending on local cultures and the heritage of rhythmic Christian formats in the market, ranging from late-80s/early-90s Christian dance hits to

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

and Motown gospel.

Christian adult album alternative

The ''

adult album alternative'' (''Christian triple-A'' or ''Christian AAA'') format generally features a diverse playlist of Christian music that appeals to an adult audience, with a focus on emerging songs and artists, and often featuring songs that were not released as singles. The exact composition of a Christian triple-A station's playlist can vary, with Christian alternative rock,

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

, and

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with a DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and s ...

commonly used as core genres, and some stations featuring more uncommon genres such as

alternative country Alternative country (commonly abbreviated to alt-country; also known as alternative country rock, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative) is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that diffe ...

, Americana,

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

, and

world music "World music" is an English phrase for styles of music from non-English speaking countries, including quasi-traditional, Cross-cultural communication, intercultural, and traditional music. World music's broad nature and elasticity as a musical ...

Christmas music

Similar to mainstream AC stations, since the 1990s it has become common for many Christian AC stations to play primarily or exclusively Christmas music during the Christmas season in November and December (which is typical among Christian radio stations in general). While these tend to be contemporary Christian seasonal recordings by the same artists under the normal format, most stations will also air at least some vintage holiday tunes from older pop, MOR, and adult standards artists – such as Boney M.,

The Carpenters The Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen Carpenter, Karen (1950–1983) and Richard Carpenter (musician), Richard Carpenter (born 1946). They produced a distinctive soft musical style, combining ...

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and Traditional pop, pop ...

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an American singer, actor, and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, from 1943 until 1987 ...

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

, Percy Faith, Mannheim Steamroller,

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor, and comedian. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Cool", he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of ...

Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer. Starting his 69-year career with singles of standard (music), standard music, Mathis is one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century and became highly popular as ...

, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and

Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...

– many of whom would never be played on these stations during the rest of the year. These Christmas music marathons typically start a few weeks before or the day after Thanksgiving Day and end after Christmas Day, or sometimes extending to New Year's Day. Afterwards, the stations usually resume their normal Christian music fare. Several stations begin the holiday format much earlier, at the beginning of November especially after

Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...

. The roots of this tradition can be traced back to the beautiful music and

stations of the 1960s and 1970s.

Syndicated radio shows and networks carrying the Christian adult contemporary format

* ''20 The Countdown Magazine'' * '' Weekend Top 20'' – A spin-off of the popular countdown show '' Weekend 22'' which began in November 2003 as ''Weekend Top 25''; cut to 20 starting in 2006. * K-LOVE * HIS Radio

References

{{Pop music 20th-century music genres 21st-century music genres Contemporary Christian music Radio formats