PraiseCharts

I love dreaming up something totally out of the box on Sunday, and seeing it already in action by Wednesday. On Sunday morning, I had a lightbulb moment as I was browsing the search results for #worshipset and #sundaysetlist on Twitter. Hundreds of worship pastors post their Sunday Worship Set Lists to twitter every week using those hashtags. Hopefully, we can turn those hundreds into thousands. The lightbulb for me came when I realized that with a little programming, we could compile all those setlists and create a little widget that would tell me the following:

1. How many people around the world are tweeting their worship set lists using #worshipset or #sundaysetlist?
2. What songs are people singing THIS WEEK in church, all around the world?  Sort that list from top to bottom.
3. If I select any one song in particular, what other songs are people using in that same setlist?  Again, sort that list from top to bottom.
4. What are the trends?  What songs are rising, what songs are falling, what songs just won’t go away?

Well, it’s Wednesday.  Here’s the deal with my Sonreign Media posts.  I’m not going to just wait for the finished product to show you progress.  I love backstage passes, and Sonreign Media is your backstage pass to the world behind PraiseCharts (and other related sites).  I just got my first demo of this system from my programmer, and I am impressed (to say the least).  Naturally, I already have half a dozen tweeking requests. The biggest thing will be to create a few behind the scenes rules to clean up the data. None of that should be a problem.  Here are a few screen shots reflecting the data from last week.

First, here is a list of the first 20 participants, with all of their raw tweets:

Next, here is a tweet of the most mentioned songs in all those setlists (keep in mind, we still need to clean up the data, but the concept is there):

Finally, here is a list of the songs used when the song Forever was included in a setlist (I still need to convert this into a list sorted by popularity, top to bottom).

Why am I so interested in this?  Well, obviously, we want to know what songs churches are singing every week, so that we can provide resources at PraiseCharts.  The reality is, we have plenty of resources for 90% of songs that are showing up.  But, I am interested in that 10% that we don’t have.  We want to track with the collective voice of the church world-wide.

Imagine what it is like for God to listen to all these songs on a Sunday morning.  I wonder if he ever thinks, “not that song again.”  Probably not.  He probably doesn’t even listen to songs.  He just listens to hearts.

Still, we listen to songs!  And I am certainly interested in what you are singing.  So, if you want to be part of this collective voice, then tweet your list next Sunday.  Just attach one of the hashtags #worshipset or #sundaysetlist to your tweet.  If you want to help me keep the data clean and consolidated, just list each song seperated by a comma.  If you don’t, we can work around it.

Stay tuned, and I’ll keep you posted as this develops.

This might get a little techy, but it gives you an idea of one of the many different levels of planning that is going into the future of PraiseCharts and it’s related sites.  One of the things we recognize is that it can take a lot of clicks for a customer to purchase and download product from us.  We have a goal to get that down to two clicks.  If you are a repeat customer with a verified payment method on file, the process can be as simple as 1) click to buy, and then 2) click to download.  Everything else happens behind the scenes.

One of the realities of web design is that it can be very complex to design something simple.  Apple is a genius at simplicity. The iPhone has one button on the face.  We are also endeavoring to press through complexity (in the backend) in order to achieve simplicity on the front end.  Here is a little window into what that looks like.  This is the latest schematic for a purchase-to-download flow currently in development:

The potential is there for two clicks if a customer meets all the requirements.  Most repeat customers who are willing to leave a credit card on file (which will be very secure) should be able to qualify for this.

Leaving a credit card on file may make you concerned.  We are taking measures to ensure that security is at a maximum.  Once your credit card is on file, you will have to confirm your login during every user-session, even if you have “remember me” selected.  In other words, if you login, make some purchases, go home, and then come back the next day, the system may recognize who you are, but you will have to re-verify your login details before making another express purchase.

Perhaps all of this is Greek to you.  At very least, you can get a sense that we are always looking to improve our system on many different levels.  Those improvements need to strike a balance between security and simplicity.  Wherever we land on this, it will be with that in mind.  Stay tuned for more developments.

Just wrapped up discussions with one of several major Christian publishers who is giving a green light to our share, sync and embed plans for ChordShark. 15 years ago, you were happy to find a songbook in your local Christian book store. 10 years ago, you were thrilled to have a digital file delivered so you could print out your own copy of the song. Today, digital apps abound that bypass paper entirely. PraiseCharts will continue to deliver files to your computer, destined for the printer. But, the fast approaching future means that we need to deliver right to your app.

We can do that with approved resources through a carefully programmed backend interface (called an API). Imagine that you open your favorite chord chart mobile application, open the sync settings and find a dialogue box that allows you to enter your PraiseCharts username and password. Once the sync is confirmed, all your purchased PraiseCharts content starts to automatically syncronize into your app. Even better, you can purchase songs from PraiseCharts through your syncronized mobile app.

So far, we have not focussed on developing mobile apps. It may come in the future, but we are more motivated to hook up with other geniuses who already have apps, and already have customers using those apps. Why force them to use our program? What they really want is our charts in their program. That is the business we are in.

It is very possible that ChordShark could become a world-wide, definitive source for high quality, legitimate chord charts. ChordShark will sit behind PraiseCharts, but it may also sit behind other great resource sites. Sites that have great applications, but that don’t want to be in the business of publishing and distribution.

Survival in the business of publishing and distribution requires a lot of trust with a lot of major labels. We have labored to build that foundation for 12 years — through much trial and error. Needless to say, somehow we have prevailed. We survived the dot-com-bomb. More than surviving, we are thriving, and it is all to the benefit of hungry worship leaders and musicians all around the world.

So, here’s to another drop down menu in our upcoming chord chart module inside PraiseCharts.  A digital world without a “share” button seems so one-dimensional.  Sharing is essential to the new digital age, but it must be done responsibly.  We are setting out to build an environment that respects copyright and still serves musicians.

The future looks bright!

Did you know that PraiseCharts shares the stage with five other related sites? The two sites currently active are WorshipTraining and WorshipVue. Three more sites are in development, including PraiseBooks, Liturgies and ChordShark. All of the sites together form an integrated family of online resources under Sonreign Media, Inc.

Ryan Dahl, the founder of PraiseCharts, has spent the last month establishing an online presence for Sonreign Media at www.sonreign.com. Visiting Sonreign is like having a backstage pass to the world of development and innovation behind PraiseCharts, WorshipTraining, WorshipVue, PraiseBooks, Liturgies, ChordShark … and more to come in the future.

We have decided to not remain secretive about what is in our development tank. Sonreign is like an open book, filled with ideas, concepts, discussions and announcements.

For more than 12 years, PraiseCharts has been changing the landscape of digital music and media publishing. The PraiseCharts platform, along their worldwide development team, as evolved into a well oiled innovation machine. We don’t focus on how things have been done before. We don’t even do a lot of customer surveys (other than for song requests). We are trying to focus on things you haven’t seen before. Things we imagine — that is innovation!

So, don’t just be a consumer. Here is an invitation to come back stage. Enter the dialogue. Watch things unfold. See the half-baked wireframes and concepts that will enevitably become the future.

A world of opportunity lies in front of us. Not just to become bigger — to become better. And really — not just better, but different.

We really have no competition, because we aren’t following anyone. We want to see other publishers, artists, distributors and resource companies around us succeed. Their gain is our gain when it builds the Kingdom of God.

Want to see all this development unfold? Visit www.sonreign.com, get on the email update list and then follow us at www.twitter.com/sonreignmedia and www.facebook.com/sonreignmedia.

PraiseCharts is a fan of Kim Gentes, and Kim Gentes is a fan of PraiseCharts.  Our relationship spans more than 10 years, when Kim had his focus on developing WorshipMusic.com (now part of ChristianBook.com).  Kim has always been both a student and teacher of worship music, media and ministry.  His blog carries a regular testimony to his ongoing fascination with worship ministry.

This month, Kim released his first book entitled, 2011 Ultimate Worship Resource Guide: Songs & Media Edition.  We were honored to have both PraiseCharts and WorshipVue featured in the book.  Out of the entire book, only 10 resources received the coveted 5-star rating. (WorshipVue trailed at a 4-star rating – better luck next year).  To find out what other sites got the 5-star rating along with PraiseCharts, you’ll have to buy the book!  The book will be well worth your investment.  The last 15 years has brought an onslaught of websites, books, blogs and resources.  Most have come and gone.  Many that have stayed are either stagnant, or wavering in their quality.  Kim’s editorial eye will help you navigate through all that.

Worship leaders hate to waste time.  This book may be an interesting read, but ultimately it is about saving you time.  Time that you can spend with your team, your wife, your kids, or with God himself!  Here are some of the sections covered by the book:

• Where to find new songs: search and discover
• Where to acquire songs: online access and purchase
• Music instructional resources for song learning
• Video and image media sources
• And lots more …

Kim has already set up a website to go along with the book at http://www.ultimateworshipresourceguide.com/buy/.  As a bonus, there is a special password protected section of the site exclusive to owners of the book.  Here’s a little tip (don’t tell Kim I told you this).  If you want to know how to access the exclusive section of the site — after you buy the book — turn to page 153.  That’s where you’ll find the secret code.