As the Christian music industry is poised to celebrate its’ high water mark next week with the 39th annual GMA Music Week, Premier Productions, has turned in a stellar performance in the first quarter Pollstar reports, propelling the success of live Christian music events to new heights - in part by a record breaking run of Winter Jam ‘08.

In its’ just released Top 50 Polls, Pollstar, long recognized as the concert industry’s leading voice in live touring statistics across all musical genres, shows Premier Productions ranked 4th overall among concert promoters worldwide in the first quarter of ’08.

Led by mainstream concert industry giants, including Live Nation at the pinnacle, the first three months of this year found Premier setting a new benchmark for Christian concert promotion with its’ overall ranking, based on concert attendance for events staged between 1/1/08 and 3/31/08

Heavily fueling Premier’s phenomenal first quarter was the annual Winter JamTour Spectacular which ranked #4 among the Top 100 Tours logged by Pollstar over the first 90 days of this year.

Billed as Christian music’s largest annual concert tour, theWinter Jamrun this year covered ten weeks and 34 cities, racking concert attendance of 311,836 (up from a turnout of 275,000 in ’07) for an overallattendance ranking exceeded only by Spice Girls, Bon Jovi, and theIron Maiden tour on the Pollstar listing. Most importantly, Winter Jam ’08 saw 53,256 decisions and re-dedications made for Christ during the tour. Sponsorships of children through the Holt Child partnership numbered 4,331 commitments.
Key to the Jam’s most recent success was its’most diverseheadlining ever, lead by multi-platinum selling band, MercyMe, rock sisterhood, BarlowGirl, crossover sensation, Skillet, and American Idol’s popular alumni, Mandisa.

Notes Mike Snider, owner/president of the Third Coast Artists Agency, who handle booking MercyMe: "Winter Jam just keeps getting better every year. The bands love being a part of a tour where the fan gets so much for so little and I can't help but wonder where all these people come from-it’s crazy!"


Perhaps paramount to the Premier Group’s success in the ever challenging market climate of live concert promotion is their unquestionable dedication to both excellence and to diversity. New to their ’08 agenda is the launch of “Camp Electric,”an already sold-out event staging in Nashville June 29th-July 3rd, and being billed as a “Worship " Rock ‘n Roll Music Camp.” Premier’s development of the ‘all access’ event that will feature top name bands and musicians in Christian music offering tips and techniques to young camp-goers aged 13-18 holds certainty of becoming an annual sell-out.

With the addition of a new Festival Division and the ongoing growth of Premier’s
Extraordinary Women's Conferences, the specialty staging of Christian events that are “family friendly” in reach has never been broader.

Success on the high seas is also part of the Premier story. Through Premier Christian Cruises, major annual sell-out cruise events such as The KLOVE Friends " Family Cruise, The Music Boat, and The Girls’ Get-A-Way Cruise—all of which feature a strong emphasis on music—are key elements to Premier’sfurthercommitment to the Christian market.

Notes Shane Quick, Vice President of Premier’s Concert Division: "It's truly amazing to be a part of what God is doing here at Premier Productions. We couldn't do any of this without our great staff, partners, and, of course, God. We believe 2008 is going to be our best year ever!"

Resource Premier Productions online: www.premierproductions.com