Jars of Clay was virtually snubbed for this year's Gospel Music Association Awards, receiving just one nomination �?for Rock Contemporary Song of the Year ("Show You Love"). But their album, Who We Are Instead, received no nominations. In response to fans' frustrations over the apparent snub, Jars posted a letter on their website's messageboard (registration required) about the GMA nominations and the Christian music industry as a whole. Among other things, frontman Dan Haseltine said the industry "still has a long way to go in supporting true artistry and not simply perpetuating a cultural Christianity." (You can also read Haseltine's message here.)

Wanna send somebody a valentine and a chance to hear the lovely new Lifehouse track, "You and Me"? Click here.

The New York Times recently ran a feature on Skillet and looked at how the mainstream industry is picking up on the commercial potential of Christian music.

Smitty Rocks? So says Rocketown Records, which will be putting out a tribute album of the same name in honor of their boss, Christian pop icon Michael W. Smith. There's no scheduled release date for this or any word on who will be covering what, but according to the David Crowder Band's official website, DCB has already recorded their take on the '80s classic "Secret Ambition." "This is our song of choice due to it fricken rocking our socks," said the band in the announcement. They'd better do it justice.

Selah has announced that founding member Nicol Sponberg has departed the group to join husband Greg Sponberg in new ministry opportunities. In a letter posted at their official website, the trio revealed that Melody Crittenden will be Sponberg's replacement, and she's already rehearsing with the group in preparation for their upcoming Healing Rain Tour alongside Michael W. Smith and Watermark.

After nearly four years of inactivity, vocal duo Anointed is finally returning with Now is the Time, their first album for Sony Urban/Integrity and their fifth overall. The album features the production talents of Warryn Campbell (Mary Mary, Ruben Studdard), Mark Heimermann (Jaci Velasquez, Amy Grant) and Roger Ryan, and it promises to be their funkiest yet. It has a street date of April 5, 2005.

Craving some exclusive stuff from Steven Curtis Chapman? EMI CMG will make available the elusive Abbey Road Sessions EP starting on March 15. The project contains unreleased rarities and acoustic remakes that Chapman and his band recorded while visiting London's renowned Abbey Road Studios, the iconic birthplace where the Beatles recorded much of their work. The set includes new mixes for "Lord of the Dance" and "The Walk" (previously included in his Greatest Hits project), as well as the never-before-released retakes of "More to This Life," "Treasure of You," and "For the Sake of the Call." The set also comes bundled with The Walk, the behind-the-scenes one-hour documentary about the first ten years of Chapman's acclaimed career from 1987-1997, available now for the first time on DVD.