David C Cook Acquires Integrity Music From Integrity Media Inc.
Effective June 1, 2011, David C Cook and Integrity Media reached an agreement whereby Integrity Music became part of the David C Cook family. The decision to acquire Integrity Music was motivated specifically by David C Cook’s desire to expand its global impact in the area of worship. Per the agreement, David C Cook has acquired only those assets specific to Integrity Music. Integrity Media, based in Mobile, AL will still exist consisting of Integrity Direct, Integrity Worship Institute, and the international companies in the UK, South Africa and Singapore. Industry veteran C. Ryan Dunham, formerly David C Cook’s senior vice president of sales and marketing, will serve as president of Integrity Music, effective immediately.
“At David C Cook we are committed to the Great Commission. Our mission is to ‘Equip the Church with Christ-centered resources for making and teaching disciples who obediently transform today’s generations.’ We are delighted to have Integrity Music join the David C Cook family in serving the body of Christ,” states Cris Doornbos, CEO of David C Cook.
“The acquisition of Integrity Music makes sense from both a ministry as well as a business standpoint. Both organizations are widely respected for their international reach and their worship music catalogs,” states Ryan Dunham, Integrity Music president. “David C Cook is no newcomer to the worship music ministry. In 1993 Cook acquired Kingsway, a worship music company in Eastbourne, England, and partnered with EMI Christian Music Group to produce the Thank You Music song catalog. Kingsway artists include Matt Redman, Tim Hughes, Brenton Brown, The City Harmonic, and many others whose original songs are shaping the way a world-wide generation of Christians experiences worship,” continues Dunham.
Integrity Music has profoundly influenced the worship music culture over the past 24 years. “Cris Doornbos and I share a deep passion for serving the global church and for the role worship music plays in making disciples around the world,” says Integrity co-founder and CEO Michael Coleman. “As Integrity prepares to celebrate 25 years in ministry, I look forward to seeing the expanding impact of Integrity songs and products around the world.”
The acquisition benefits David C Cook by adding an even greater variety of worship titles to the organization’s current offering. It will also benefit Integrity worship artists and writers by providing a fresh perspective and an ownership structure as part of a nonprofit with an expanding realm of influence. Most importantly, it will provide the global church more options than ever for meaningful worship.
“I am honored that Michael Coleman, a man whom I highly respect and who has meant so much to the worship music movement, has chosen to entrust us with Integrity Music’s worship catalog,” Doornbos says. “Our vision for Integrity Music songs and recordings is to see them sung by people in their native languages in churches all over the world.”
Integrity Music will operate independently within David C Cook as a Strategic Ministry Unit and be relocated to the company headquarters in Colorado Springs after a transition period of 3 months. Distribution of Integrity Music products in the U.S. will continue through Provident-Integrity Distribution and Columbia and Sony Music Distribution.
Since 1875, David C Cook continues to be a leading nonprofit global resource provider serving the Church with life transforming materials. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Co, with offices in Elgin, Illinois, Paris, Ontario, Canada, and Eastbourne, UK, David C Cook resources are published in over 150 languages, distributed in more than 80 countries, and sold worldwide. The Kingsway music division produces over 30% of the top 500 praise and worship songs sung around the world. For more information, visit www.davidccook.com.
(Source: Christian Newswire)
