FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CELEBRATING GRACE ACQUIRES ICONIC CHURCHCHORAL MUSIC CATALOG BRENTWOOD BENSON FROM CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP
WORLDWIDE AGREEMENT COVERS THE ENTIRE BRENTWOOD BENSON CHORAL/PRINT MUSIC CATALOG. THE CELEBRATED CHURCH MUSIC BRAND, WHICH HALTED OPERATIONS DURING THE PANDEMIC, REOPENS UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP WITH CELEBRATING GRACE.
Nashville, TN… January 9, 2023 - BRENTWOOD BENSON, the world’s leading contemporary evangelical choral catalog, features music from acclaimed arrangers Russell Mauldin, Travis Cottrell, Bradley Knight, Cliff Duren, Marty Hamby, Jay Rouse, Luke Gambill, and David and Celeste Clydesdale, to name a few. The catalog’s award-winning array of products is anchored by the best-selling choral series, READY TO SING, from arranger Russell Mauldin and songwriter Sue C. Smith, with over 3 million READY TO SING Series books sold. Christian music publishing veteran, Dale Mathews, has been tagged to lead BRENTWOOD BENSON as Executive Vice President. Mathews will report to J. Thomas McAfee, Chairman and President of Celebrating Grace.
“I am beyond thrilled to be back at Brentwood Benson,” Mathews said. “I spent 28 years there, with the last 15 years of that time as President of the company. I have a special affection for the Brentwood Benson brand, and a passion for servicing the Church with excellent music resources. Nothing could make me happier than for things to have come full-circle, once again making these great products available to churches and creating new projects that will lead us into the future.”
“Brentwood Benson has been a respected name for a long time in the church music world,” McAfee said. “When Brentwood Benson closed last year, I began discussions regarding acquiring and relaunching the brand under Celebrating Grace’s banner. With its award-winning catalog and history of providing music for the church for over 100 years, I knew we could develop a great team to rebuild the publishing organization. Our team looks forward to making available accessible and worshipful music from the existing catalog and creating new music for the worship of God.”
”The suspension of the Brentwood Benson choral business last year left Capitol Christian Music Group with heavy hearts,” said Casey McGinty, General Manager at CCMG Publishing, “so we are elated to be passing this iconic choral catalog into the hands of Dale, Tom, and Celebrating Grace. With their experience and passion, they are the perfect people to reinvigorate this timeless catalog and provide compelling new choral resources to the church. We look forward to supporting them in their launch and service to the church.”
About Celebrating Grace
Celebrating Grace is a church music publishing and distribution organization headquartered in Macon, Georgia. Celebrating Grace produces the Celebrating Grace Hymnal, Accents Signature Music, Growing in Grace children’s music curriculum, and provides training opportunities for church musicians. www.celebrating-grace.com
About Capitol Christian Music Group
An unwavering vision combined with a commitment to excellence and an arsenal of exceptional talent continues to make Capitol Christian Music Group the leader in the faith-based entertainment industry. Representing such iconic artists as Amy Grant, Hillsong UNITED, Chris Tomlin, Tye Tribbett, TobyMac, and Jeremy Camp, Capitol CMG is a multi-faceted company whose assets include such legendary brands as Sparrow and ForeFront Records as well as an award-winning publishing division whose writers pen chart-topping hits on both the Christian and mainstream music charts.
Formerly known as EMI Christian Music Group, Capitol CMG is a division of Capitol Music Group, a Universal Music Group company. Over the years, the venture has grown from a scrappy family-owned independent label to a multi-faceted business that includes Sparrow Records, ForeFront Records, sixstepsrecords, Hillsong Music, Motown Gospel and Worship Together. The company’s roster features the top names in the Christian and Gospel communities, among them Tauren Wells, Kari Jobe, Danny Gokey, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Anne Wilson, We The Kingdom, and Crowder.
Contact:
Katie Soqui, Senior Marketing Manager, Celebrating Grace: katie.soqui@celebrating-grace.com