CCM Magazine

CCM Magazine was a monthly magazine published by Salem Publishing, a division of Salem Communications. It was first published in July 1978, and it has always been a Christian music magazine. On January 16, 2008, Salem announced that the April 2008 issue would be the final printed issue of the magazine. On July 8, 2009, Salem announced that CCM Magazine will be re-launched as an online publication, released 4 times a year.

When the magazine was first published, it was actually called Contemporary Christian Music and specifically covered that music genre. The name was later shortened to CCM which was still an acronym for Contemporary Christian music. For a short time, the magazine changed its name to Contemporary Christian Magazine (keeping the CCM but broadening the scope) but then ultimately went back to Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). Then in May 2007, the name's meaning was changed to "Christ. Community. Music." The editor quickly pointed out that the term "contemporary Christian music" was dated and in some cases downright offensive. The name change was most likely a result of bands like Switchfoot being hesitant to be in a magazine that labeled them Christian. Now the magazine's editor says that Christ, community, and music are three entirely different things - thus, the periods after each word of the acronym to show that they are not related. The editor's explanation of the name change can be found in the May 2007 issue of the magazine.

In October 2006, CCM launched its own social networking site, MyCCM.

Since its start, CCM has covered a wide range of musical artists that mix spiritual themes with their music. From mainstream artists like Bob Dylan, T Bone Burnett, Victoria Williams, The Call, Sam Phillips, U2 and Bruce Cockburn to the more mainstream Christian radio artists like Amy Grant, Larry Norman, Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman, Steve Taylor, Phil Keaggy and Randy Stonehill. In the 1980s, CCM also paid enormous attention to some of the more obscure spiritual artists coming out of the Southern California punk rock and new wave scene like the 77s, Daniel Amos, Undercover, Altar Boys, Crumbacher, The Choir, Adam Again, and others. However, as the 1990s rolled around, the magazine seemed to focus more and more on artists that were heavily played on Christian Radio.