Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

 


 

Can you put me in contact with an artist?
 

Unfortunately, we do not forward communication from fans directly to the artists. If we have contact information about an artist it will be located under the "Links" tab on the artist page. These are the publicly acceptable methods to contact a given artist, and we invite you to use them. In most cases, we've found that artists are very willing to communicate with their fans. But we can not pass on your notes or comments to artists. Thanks for understanding.

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You are missing information about a specific album or artist.
 

The CMA is constantly growing. We understand that the database may be missing information about a specific artist because we just haven't gotten to it yet. Most of our information comes directly from physical albums, and it could very well be that we haven't located a specific album yet. The beauty of the Archive is that you can contribute information. So if you notice something that is missing, add it! Click the Submit button in the top menu bar and you can start contributing information! It's free to add, and you'll be helping build the archive into the ultimate Christian Music fan site!

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The information you have is wrong.
 

Ooops! We really do try our hardest to make sure the information is correct and accurate. But if you notice something that is inaccurate, please tell us and we'll correct it as soon as possible. You can notify us by sending an email using the Contact Us link in the top menu bar.

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Where can I buy an album?
 

Many of the titles you'll find on the Archive are out of print and hard to find. We are constantly on the lookout for albums to make sure that we are including accurate info. Here are some of the places we like to visit:

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I'd like to share my digital files from out-of-print albums.
 

Being "in print" or "out of print" is irrelevant from the perspective of copyright law. If the copyright is still valid, it is enforceable -- and copyrights last so long these days that's its unlikely that any recorded works will be moving into the public domain anytime soon. In fact, unless the copyright law is amended to make the terms even longer, 2048 is the first year anything currently covered by copyright can move into the public domain.

Can you make digital files of music that you own? If the songs are covered by copyright, see above. There is no issue with transferring to MP3, AIFF, or other formats for your personal use. The issue lies with sharing those files with others.

To that end, the Christian Music Archive does not offer digital files of copyrighted music and we do not condone their distribution. We do, however, provide links to sites where you can buy legal copies of the albums online.

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Why do you have albums by artists whose walk with God is no longer healthy?
 

The Christian Music Archive is about documenting people and albums who have made music that glorifies God. Anytime you try to classify what "Christian" is, you'll run into differences of opinion. This is an age old question that church leaders who are a lot smarter than we are have wrestled with. Does the commandment "Thou shall not kill" apply to war? Is baptism a sprinkle, dunk, or spiritual experience? Can one sin be worse than another? These are examples of how Christianity can be divided by the details.

Another challenge is that people's hearts change. Someone who once walked in a close relationship with God may choose to turn their back on His love and teachings. But does that make the impact of the music they recorded while they were practicing an active relationship with God any less valuable or important? Does sinful activity (however defined, intentional or not) on the part of the artist negate the Godly inspired work they have produced in the past?

We have decided to leave the judging of a person's Christian walk to God. (Matthew 7) And our intent for the Archive is not to create idols to worship. (Luke 4)

To that end, we document albums that have been released by Christian record labels. Even some non-Christian labels release music that espouses Christian values, and those albums may be included here as well.

We have chosen not to remove music by an artist who backslides or commits a sinful act. We have chosen not to remove information about artists who have divorced, become gay, committed tax crimes, stolen from ministries, or been caught speeding in their car. We trust that God uses broken people in spite of our wrong-doing. Our intent is not to glorify the sinner or the sin, but rather rejoice in God's work through music.

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