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Susan B. L'Ecuyer, NARM, (856) 596-2221

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NARM Receives GMA’s Impact Award

At Gospel Music Week

The National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM) was honored with the Gospel Music Association’s Impact Award on April 23, during GMA’s Gospel Music Week 2001 events in Nashville.

“The Impact Award is one of GMA’s Special Awards that give the association a chance to honor those in our industry who go above and beyond to bring Christian music and entertainment to the world,” said Frank Breeden, president of GMA.

The Impact Award is given to the non-artist individual or organization that has made the greatest contribution to the Gospel music industry in the past few years. NARM’s special focus on helping to promote Christian music to general market retailers, including many years of Dove Awards point-of-purchase campaigns, resulted in last year’s 9 percent increase in mainstream sales of Christian music.

GMA reports that sales of contemporary Christian and Gospel music are seeing double digit increases in 2001. At the end of the first quarter, both mainstream and Christian bookstore album sales were up a total of 17 percent over the first quarter of 2000.

“NARM is grateful for GMA’s recognition of our efforts to bring your thriving and diverse genre to a broader audience,” NARM’s Executive Vice President Jim Donio said in accepting the Award. “To be added to the previous list of deserving Impact Award recipients like Sandi Patti, The Young Messiah Tour, CCM Communications, EMI, The Gaither Homecoming Series, and ‘WOW’ means a great deal to the Association.”

Founded in 1964, GMA is dedicated to educating the public and the music industry about the mission and role of Gospel music in today’s world.

NARM serves the music and other prerecorded entertainment software industry as the pre-eminent forum for insight and dialogue for its more than 1,000 member retailers, wholesalers, distributors, entertainment software suppliers, and suppliers of related products and services.

National Association of Recording Merchandisers' Executive Vice President

Jim Donio (center) stands with Frank Breeden (left), President of the

Gospel Music Association, and Jeff Moseley, Chairman of GMA's Board of

Directors, after accepting GMA’s Impact Award on April 23, during Gospel Music

Week 2001 events in Nashville.