As Christian Music Sales Skyrocket, CrossDogs.com Announces Creative Alliance With SoulFest 2006

MEDIA ADVISORY

Mercy Me, Rebecca St. James, Casting Crowns, Fort Pastor join 100 other acts

ORLANDO, FL (January 28, 2006) --- Crossdogs.com, the innovative online booking and promotional system that connects Christian musicians to thousands of booking opportunities, has announced a creative alliance with SoulFest 2006. Over the last several years SoulFest has grown to be New England’s premier Christian music festival and family retreat. This years SoulFest is scheduled for August 2nd though the 6th at New Hampshire’s Gunstock Mountain Resort.

Expected to attract some 15,000 music lovers from across the nation, SoulFest 2006 is a dynamic five-day music extravaganza featuring world renowned Christian artists of all genres on five separate stages. The festival also offers a vast range of family activities including extreme sports, onsite camping, swimming, mountain biking, horseback riding, chair lifts to the Mountain Top Stage, nature walks, hiking, skateboarding, and food courts featuring unlimited lip-smacking grub.

Through an exclusive agreement with SoulFest, Crossdogs will showcase one of the bands it features through its electronic press kits (known as Electronic Dog Tags EDT™ -- or EDTs™) in a 40 minute set at SoulFest2006.

“Crossdogs is thrilled to team up with SoulFest 2006 and offer one of our independent artists an opportunity to showcase their talents alongside the biggest names in Christian music,” said Gary LeMaster, one of the founders of Crossdogs. “Crossdogs is all about bringing together Potential and Opportunity. Our online EDT™ format is making that happen.”

With Christian music sales topping 43.5 million units in 2005 (a rise of two and one-half percent over sales in 2004), Christian and Gospel music is alive and well in a market that has otherwise seen a seven percent fall-off in traditional album sales.

“Gospel music held its own in 2005, maintaining its album market share in an overall music industry that was down in sales,” said John W. Styll, president of the Nashville-based Gospel Music Association, in a release announcing the year-end figures.

"As the demand for Christian and Gospel music increases and more and more faith-based artists make the transition into secular mainstream music, Crossdogs.com is positioned to become the next ‘Big Thing’ that labels, promoters, and radio stations look to in search of the hottest bands and music,” said Susan Zahn of WDC Media, Crossdogs’ publicist.

With the corporate slogan “Where Potential Meets Opportunity,” Crossdogs.com is revolutionizing how musicians and bands communicate with venues, book dates, and take advantage of the nearly unlimited opportunities that exist within the Christian music industry.

For a small annual membership fee, musicians use Crossdogs.com to create their own Electronic Dog Tag™ (EDT™), which is a user friendly, web-based press kit that includes all the elements of a traditional hard-copy press kit – plus audio and video demos, a photo albums, and much more. They then e-mail the EDTs to their own list of churches and other ministry venues, eliminating the high costs of duplicating and mailing hard-copy press kits.

“We’re thrilled to see how Crossdogs.com is opening doors for independent musicians all over the nation,” said Brant Christopher, co-founder of Crossdogs and a member of the indie band Fort Pastor. “We expect to see more and more of our EDT™-featured artists showcased at venues like SoulFest in the coming months.”

Guests of SoulFest 2006 will also enjoy performances from over 100 national and regional artists and speakers, including some of the biggest acts in Christian music. This year’s artists include:

Casting Crowns • Mercy Me • Newsboys • Jeremy Camp • Hawk Nelson • Rebecca St James • Sanctus Real • Audio Adrenaline • Paul Colman • KJ 52 • Chris Tomlin • Jars of Clay • Skillet • Third Day • John Reuben • Family Force Five • DJ Maj • Maeve • Brant Christopher of Fort Pastor • Seventh Day Slumber • Disciple • Decyfer Down • Spoken • Casting Pearls • FlyFire • The Myriad • 4th Avenue Jones • P.I.F. • Krystal Meyers • Dizmas• Stellar Kart • Fire Flight • Last Tuesday • Need To Breath • Hyper Static Union • Fighting Instinct • Day of Fire • Jim Trick • Unspoken • Nico • Justin McRoberts • Bethany Dillon • Taylor Sorensen • Kids in the Way • Holy Fire • Human Flight Committee • and more...

SoulFest 2006 will take place in the beautiful White Mountain range in New Hampshire at Gunstock Mountain Resort, an idyllic haven for guaranteed soul rejuvenation and celebration. To learn more visit http://www.thesoulfest.com.

To learn more about Crossdogs, visit www.crossdogs.com

Media Contact:

Dave Bohon
WDC Media
Tel. 877-862-3600
Direct. 612-940-8406
davebohon@wdcmedia.com

Posted by WDC Newswire

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Dave Bohon

VP

WDC Media PR

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