 | Hillsong
WHO IS HILLSONG MUSIC AUSTRALIA?
For 15 years, Hillsong Music Australia (HMA) has been producing and distributing this music and resources that today reach people in some 90 countries.
From Hillsong Church's Live, United and Kids praise and worship albums, to leadership teaching and training designed to equip church leaders and individual Christians, HMA is all about resourcing the Church world-wide.
OUR PURPOSE
Hillsong Music is a vital part of what God has entrusted to Hillsong Church to do both in Australia and internationally with its primary function being resourcing and equipping the Church around the world. Senior Pastor Brian Houston says of the success of the music "All we've ever done is just have church. This is what God has anointed us to do. It's about reaching and influencing people. The worship is what it is because of the spirit of the church. The songs reflect the heart of the church."
The worship team at Hillsong Church is led by Pastor Darlene Zschech, writer of Shout To The Lord which is said to be sung in more than 30 million churches worldwide every weekend. Darlene works with a dedicated team of singers and musicians, as well as a highly trained production team who, week in and week out, give of their time and energy to lead their church into an atmosphere of worship. It is this dedication that is reflected on the albums. God is continually raising up new songwriters within the team with the result that new songs are being taught to the church almost every weekend.
Through our music and resource, our goal is to:
* Enable people to enter into new dimension and atmosphere of praise and worship to the Lord
* To empower people, ministries and churches through relevant, bible-based teaching, leadership and praise and worship.
* To share some of what God is doing here at Hillsong with other Christians around the world, as well as people outside of the Church.
OUR HISTORY
Hillsong Music Australia is the resource arm of Hillsong Church, a rapidly growing Church in Sydney, Australia pastored by Brian and Bobbie Houston. Hillsong Church (formerly the Hills Christian Life Centre) had its first service on 14 August 1983 with a congregation of 45 people meeting in a high school hall.
From its humble beginnings as a single desk operation, HMA has grown to the dynamic music label it is today.
"Hillsongs" as it was originally called recorded its first album in 1988. 'Spirit And Truth' was a studio recording featuring eleven songs. The sphere of influence of this album was the church and a few friends of the church. From there, came 'Show Your Glory' in 1990. Also a studio recording, this was the first album to be marketed and distributed outside Australia, edging its way into the European market.
'Hillsongs' operated from a one room office based from the church for some years but as it began to grow, the marketing and distribution of the resources was taken on by Christian Marketing Australasia.
In time, the music began to become more established and the annual Hillsong Conference rapidly grew. As the popularity of the music spread throughout Australia and beyond, various distribution companies around the world began to seek after the distribution rights to the music in their territories. Today, Hillsong Music is distributed in close to 90 countries and territories worldwide. The music has also been translated into a number of languages the world over.
In July 1997, Hillsong Music Australia took over the Australian marketing and distribution responsibilities. HMA now distributes directly to all Christian retail stores nationally.
In January 1999, Hillsong resources were released into the mainstream Australian market by Warner Music Australia. Then in July 2003, an agreement was entered into with Sony Music Australia to distribute the Hillsong Live albums into this growing market sector.
Every week letters and emails are received telling of the impact Hillsong Music resource is having in people's lives. From every corner of the earth the music coming out of this 'local church from Down Under' is impacting people in ways that only God can be glorified for. What a privilege to work in partnership with Him. |