We are so excited to announce the winners of Disney's Night of Joy contest!  Congratulations to Tamika M. of Arlington, TX and Carissa L. of Wichita, KS!  Have fun at Night of Joy!  We'll see you there!

2010 Christian music Artist of the Year Casting Crowns and past “Artists of the Year” Third Day, mercyme and Chris Tomlin head a star-powered 16-act lineup set for Disney’s Night of Joy 2010 Sept. 10-11 when the long-running Christian music event makes its return to Magic Kingdom.

Also part of the two-night event (when specific acts play one evening each): David Crowder*Band, Family Force 5, Red, BarlowGirl, Group 1 Crew, Day of Fire, Smokie Norful, Lecrae, Tenth Avenue North, Sidewalk Prophets, Thousand Foot Krutch and Britt Nicole.

From 7:30 p.m. until 1 a.m. each night – after regular Magic Kingdom hours – the special-ticket event will feature live performances on several stages throughout the park.  In addition, guests can experience some of the park’s most popular attractions during Night of Joy hours.

Musically, the acts add up to a lineup that runs the spectrum from Rock, Hip Hop and R&B … to Pop, Adult Contemporary and Gospel – continuing a tradition that has been a hallmark of Night of Joy since 1983 when the event began.

It’s also a lineup laden with accolades.  Eleven of the artists have amassed a combined 90 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards and six The Recording Academy Grammy Awards. Notable honors in 2010 include: Casting Crowns (Artist of the Year Dove), Tenth Avenue North (Song of the Year Dove – “By Your Side”), Sidewalk Prophets (New Artist of the Year Dove), Third Day (Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album Grammy – “Live Revelations”), David Crowder*Band (Praise & Worship Album of the Year Dove – “Church Music”), Smokie Norful (Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year Dove – “Justified”), Group 1 Crew (Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song of the Year Dove – “Movin’”) and Red (Rock Album of the Year Dove – “Innocence and Instinct”).

Six artists are new to Night of Joy, bringing the event’s all-time talent list to 145 Christian music acts.  The newbies: Tenth Avenue North, Group 1 Crew, Day of Fire, Sidewalk Prophets, Lecrae and Thousand Foot Krutch.

Night of Joy tickets and additional information about the event are available at www.nightofjoy.com.  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – September 16, 2009 – Thanks to the Gospel Music Association (GMA) and Walt Disney World, Indianapolis artist/songwriter Jake Brothers had the music experience of a lifetime when he shared the stage with Flyleaf and Jars of Clay at Night of Joy at Walt Disney World (www.disneyworld.com/nightofjoy) last weekend.
Brothers arrived in Orlando via Nashville where in August he won multiple honors at GMA IMMERSE (www.experienceimmerse.com), the Christian music industry’s premier training experience and talent competition.  At the four-day competition, hundreds of artist and songwriting contestants from all over the United States and Canada competed for grand prizes which included the “Disney Best of Show” award and performance slot at Night of Joy at Walt Disney World.  
 

As the recipient of GMA’s “Disney's Night of Joy Best of Show Award,” Brothers performed at the Walt Disney World® Resort for one of the top Christian music events in the country.  In addition to performing during the same event as artists like Jars of Clay, Chris Tomlin, P.O.D., Superchick, Newsboys, Kutless, Leeland and Flyleaf, Brothers received a vacation package for Disney World.
At GMA IMMERSE, Brothers competed as both as solo artist and as the Jake Brothers Band.  While Brothers won the Disney award, his band was also chosen as GMA’s Band winner.  
 

The GMA Artist & Song of 2009 National Competition is the Christian and gospel music community’s premier talent competition for unsigned artists and songwriters that has in recent years seen entrants like Chris Tomlin, Matthew West, Nichole Nordeman, BarlowGirl and American Idol 2007 winner Jordin Sparks go on to successful music careers.  Fellow American Idol finalist and another former GMA competition winner Chris Sligh hosted this year’s competition finals.  
 
More than 600 Christian artists, songwriters, worship leaders – and those that want to be someday – gathered last week in Nashville to IMMERSE in a four-day event presented by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) that is the Christian music industry’s premier training experience and talent competition.  The event, held on the campus of Belmont University, offered unparalleled training, professional and personal feedback, one-of-a-kind concerts and a sense of community to uniquely equip creative Christians to impact culture through music both in and out of the church.  

Next year, GMA IMMERSE is scheduled for July 28-31, 2010.  Complete information is available at www.experienceimmerse.com.  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – June 10, 2009 – American Idol winner Kris Allen is not the only new artist going to Disney World.  Later this summer, Walt Disney World will award a Disney Best of Show winner at the Gospel Music Association’s IMMERSE, the Christian music industry’s premier training experience and talent competition, sending the winner to Orlando to perform at the park’s annual “Night of Joy” concert in September.

Another aspiring artist will score a development deal with rising independent and Word-distributed label Centricity Records; a missions-minded artist will find themselves on a mission trip with Compassion International and a songwriter who best captures the Scripture in music will be honored by the American Bible Society.

These are the highlights of the prizes to be handed out at IMMERSE as a part of the talent competition held in Nashville July 29 to August 2.  The first step to winning the valuable prizes is registering for the artist and songwriting competitions by the June 30 deadline.  All the detailed information IMMERSE is available at www.experienceimmerse.com.  Follow GMA’s Immerse on Twitter at http://twitter.com/GMAimmerse.

Christian artists, songwriters, worship leaders, music business professionals– and those that want to be someday – will gather at IMMERSE, a four-day event during which registrants will train with the industry’s most influential professionals, leading artists and songwriters, connect with top music insiders and others who share a passion for God and music; compete in Christian music’s official talent competition and enjoy exclusive music opportunities that only Nashville can offer, including the valuable prize packages.
The sponsor prizes are exclusive to GMA’s IMMERSE and give winners unique opportunities to move their careers forward in the areas of performing, recording and serving.  The key prizes are:

•    Walt Disney World Best in Show.  One artist finalist will be selected to receive a performance slot at the  "Night of Joy” event at the Walt Disney World® Resort, September 11-12, 2009 in Florida, performing on the same stage as Jars of Clay, Chris Tomlin, P.O.D., Superchick, Newsboys, Kutless, Leeland and Flyleaf. The prize includes a vacation package for the winning artist, including accommodations at a select Walt Disney World® Resort hotel, airfare, Disney theme park tickets and Night of Joy tickets.

•    Centricity Music Development Deal. A winner will be chosen to receive a development deal with the Word-distributed.  Centricity Music is anindependent, family owned, full-service music company with offices in Seattle and Nashville and whose artist roster includes former GMA competition winner Circleside. The agreement will include music and career advice and council, song consultation, demo recordings, and potential expansion into an exclusive recording or publishing contract.

•    American Bible Society (ABS) Scripture Song Awards. Three overall SONGS chosen from the amateur, semi-pro, and professional non-artist classes will receive a personalized Bible from ABS, and one Steuben Crystal Award.

•    Compassion International Missions Experience. One competing artist will be chosen to receive an all-expense paid ministry trip to a Compassion International destination. This trip provides a great opportunity to explore the practical integration of music and ministry. This winner will be chosen by Compassion representatives through advance interviews with competitors that already have a heart for ministry.

The talent competitions are one of the highlights of IMMERSE. The IMMERSE Artist of 2009 National Competition is the Christian music industry’s official talent competition for unsigned acts.  At the National Competition which is inclusive of all musical styles and genres of Christian music, IMMERSE contestants will be judged by Nashville music executives and popular Christian music artists as they compete for the grand prize titles for Solo 2009, Group 2009 and Band 2009.  

The IMMERSE Song of 2009 National Competition awards grand prize titles, including Song of 2009, and the ABS Scripture Song of 2009. Songs of all musical styles and genres with Christian lyrical content are accepted in the competition and are judged based upon the excellence of songwriting skills within the musical style. The overall song categories are divided by class based upon level of songwriting experience and are given for Amateur, Semi-Pro and Professional Non-Artist classes. The deadline to compete in either the Song or Artist competitions is June 30.

In addition to competitions and prizes, at the heart of IMMERSE are the unparalleled opportunities to attend seminars taught by artists and other industry professionals, which cover everything from getting signed by a label to performance techniques to tools for songwriting. Aspiring songwriters and artists can also have their song or demo tapes professionally critiqued.  Topics will cover marketing, promotion, radio, A&R, management, publishing, PR, legal and more.  The classes will also focus on the roles of an artist/songwriter's team for those who are interested in management, booking, promotion and more. In addition to the classes and competitions, IMMERSE takes full advantage of its location in Music City with many opportunities to hear music and hear from the artists creating it, along with a field trip through Music Row.

Artists including Michael W. Smith, Natalie Grant, Pillar, Aaron Shust, Chris Sligh, Melinda Doolittle, Phil Stacey, Martha Munizzi and Travis Cottrell will all perform and/or teach at IMMERSE.  Professionals such as Mitchell Solarek (manager/Natalie Grant); Laurie Anderson (manager/TobyMac); Brad O’Donnell (A&R, EMI CMG); Chris Blaney (booking agent, Third Coast Artists Agency); Leigh Holt (VP of Branding & Merchandising, Word Records) and author David Nasser are confirmed to participate in GMA’s IMMERSE.  More artists and professionals will continue to be confirmed in the coming weeks.