INTEGRITY MUSIC LATIN AND CANZION GROUP ANNOUNCE STRATEGIC ALLIANCE

MOBILE, Alabama (May 19, 2009) Integrity Music Latin and CanZion Group announced today that they have entered into an agreement to jointly serve the Christian retail market through the newly named CanZion-Integrity Distribution (CID). 

The new CID entity will begin distributing Spanish and Portuguese language products to Christian retailers in the U.S. and Puerto Rico beginning July 1 while maintaining separate operations for all other markets. 

This ground-breaking alliance between two of the worlds leading producers of Latin worship music will combine sales, marketing, manufacturing, distribution and publishing efforts for all current and future CDs, DVDs and digital products. 

Together, the new CID artist roster includes: Latin Grammy winner Marcos Witt; Latin Billboard winner Danilo Montero; Latin Grammy nominated and Premios Arpa winner Alex Campos; Latin Grammy and Dove Award winner Aline Barros; Latin Grammy and Latin Billboard winner Juan Luis Guerra; Dove and Arpa winner Funky; Premios Arpa winner Julissa Rivera and Dove Nominee and Latin Grammy nominee Daniel Calveti among others. 

"We are delighted to partner with CanZion Music which has such a significant ministry impact throughout the Latin world, said Michael Coleman, CEO and co-founder of Integrity Media, parent company of the Integrity Music Latin label. This new partnership will strengthen the outreach of both of our companies in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, and it is an important step for Integrity as we seek to further our mission of helping people worldwide experience the manifest presence of God." 

Marcos Witt, Founder and CEO of CanZion adds: We at CanZion Group are extremely excited at joining efforts with the great family at Integrity Media to impact the kingdom for God's glory. At CanZion we share many of the same values that Integrity embraces, especially when it has to do with people experiencing the manifest presence of God through music. We believe that by working together we'll be able to do an even better job of spreading the glorious news of the Gospel to the Spanish language world. We also have the conviction that our union will be a model of unity that will glorify God. 

CanZion-Integrity Distribution will be headquartered in Mobile, Alabama with Canzion operating their label group from Houston, Texas under the direction of Arturo Allen. All sales, distribution and accounting of CID will be handled from Integrity Medias offices in Mobile, Alabama. Elias Yepez, formerly of Zondervan, Vida, and currently the Director of Sales and Marketing for Integrity Music Latin, will be the new Director of CanZion-Integrity Distribution. 

Dutch BCB plans Festival and Bookstore Day

Dutch association BCB plans Book & Music Festival, Christian Bookstore Day. BCB—the primary association of Dutch Christian retailers and suppliers, which represents the Netherlands in ChristianTrade Association International—is planning a new consumer Christian Book & Music Festival and a Christian Bookstore Day. BCB is changing the focus of its annual fall consumers’ fair to be more experiential. Current plans are for several large, themed areas, each running continuous programming. Depending on logistics, the revamped event will be held later this year or in 2010. For Christian Bookstore Day, BCB plans to coordinate and generate nationwide publicity and develop in-store materials. Each local store would organize its own activities and local publicity, highlighting its own identity. Publishers can participate with discounts, giveaways, and other promotions to attract buyers. The first Christian Bookstore Day is planned for early 2010.

CTA Intl Annual Report

ChristianTrade Association International 

Annual Report to Members 

13 July, 2008 

Orlando, Florida USA 

(From a presentation by Sylvester Ejeh, Chairman, ChristianTrade Association International during the 

International Vision Celebration held during CBA America’s International Christian Retail Show) 

 

 

 

2007-2008 has been another miracle year for 

ChristianTrade Association International! We 

reached most of our important goals, expanded 

our programs, and ended the year with cash in the 

bank. Praise God! 

 

Two highlights deserve special mention: 

Marketsquare International and Marketsquare 

Asia. In 2007, CBA America announced it was discontinuing the January 

Advance convention. Immediately, international buyers—you!—began telling 

ChristianTrade you needed a January convention. So, we launched the first 

Marketsquare International convention in Toronto, Canada, and more than 300 

attendees participated. The convention was a resounding success. 

 

Marketsquare International 2009 will be 15-17 January at the Sheraton Gateway 

hotel in Atlanta, Georgia. It launches with a two-day Professional Bookseller 

Institute on 14 & 15 January. Please plan to join us! 

 

A second item of particular praise was the revitalized Marketsquare Asia 

convention. Thirty-five mainland China Christian booksellers received 

scholarships to this convention last fall. This September, more mainland Chinese 

Christian booksellers will attend—plus 30-35 publishers from that vast country. 

Marketsquare Asia has become a key convention for Asian buyers and product 

producers as well as for American and other international suppliers. 

 

Some changes for the coming year: 

 • The strongest support for Marketsquare Europe has been from Central 

and Eastern Europe—areas underserved by Europe’s major secular book fairs. 

So, in 2009, Marketsquare Europe will move 

east—possibly to Budapest, Hungary—timed 

just prior to the October Frankfurt International 

Book Fair. 

 • A series of three connected 

Marketsquare Africa conventions will be held in 

fall 2009: in Accra, Ghana; Lagos, Nigeria; and 

Nairobi, Kenya. The last will be in cooperation 

with Media Associates International’s LITT- 

WORLD convention. 

 • Marketsquare Caribbean will not be held in 2009. Attendance and 

supplier participation has not been adequate to continue this event. 

Membership grew this past year. A significant new member recently joined: the 

Spanish Evangelical Products Association. SEPA represents Spanish-language 

suppliers, distributors, and retailers worldwide, and we’re so pleased they have 

chosen to identify with the ChristianTrade world. 

 

We published the third International Market Directory in June. A record number of 

countries—64—are represented this year. We thank God this powerful tool can 

connect so many member nations and suppliers to suppliers in other countries. 

 

One reason more countries are represented in the International 

Market Directory is because we have more member companies. 

The number of “direct” members—who pay dues directly to 

ChristianTrade—has grown. The number of nation members has 

decreased because several ChristianTrade nations now have 

fewer retail and supplier members. 

Finally, we praise Jesus for our solid financial basis. Though the association is 

just three years old, each year has ended with more reserves for future needs. 

Our ending numbers for fiscal 2008, which ended 31 May: 

 

ChristianTrade is governed by a board of directors elected by our member 

nations at the Annual General Meeting held at ICRS. Our mission is to support 

the growth of the Christian trade worldwide. We crave your prayers as we look to 

the Lord for His leadership in our association. If you have any suggestions or 

recommendations, please contact Jim Powell, our president, or any board 

member. 

Marketsquare Asia - Early Bird Registration Ends June 15

Early Bird Registration ends on June 15 for the Christian Trade Association International's Marketsquare Asia 2008 Event - September 7-9 in Hong Kong.  For more information, visit this website.

ICRS - July 13 - 17

Are you coming to the International Christian Retail Show in Orlando this year?  If you are, make sure you contact me.  Go Global Entertainment will be at the International Marketplace area all week (Monday - Thursday).