In addition, Casting Crowns is the only artist in the Billboard 200’s Top 5 to demonstrate an upward sales trend from its last release, The Altar and The Door which scanned 130,000. This week the band sold 234,000 units cumulatively across its catalog, including another strong sales week of its recent RIAA certified Gold Christmas album Peace On Earth (10/7/2008) scanning 56,099 this week alone.

“I can’t express how thrilled and humbled I am by what Casting Crowns has achieved this week,” shares Provident Music Group President and CEO Terry Hemmings. “Seeing this band develop and grow over the last six years has been an amazing experience for all of us. Knowing that this is simply an extension of their church ministry makes these numbers mean something significant in so many ways. There is much to learn from the consumers’ response to the music and message this band is delivering.”

Until The Whole World Hears follows the platinum-selling band’s historical debut of The Altar and The Door, in 2007, which debuted at No. 2 on The Billboard Top 200 chart. To date, all of the Atlanta-based band’s projects are RIAA certified, with a monster tally of two RIAA Platinum Albums, two RIAA Platinum DVDs, two RIAA Gold Albums and a Gold DVD, further establishing its unprecedented six-year career.

Over the last week, the band performed its ninth No.1 song “Until The Whole World Hears” live on-air for radio stations around the country, including the national KLove network, plus the Houston, Nashville, Atlanta and New York markets. Hall also interviewed on street week with Associated Press radio, Gospel Music Channel, and live with Moody’s talk programs “Midday Connection,” and “Chris Fabry Live.” As promotion continues for Until The Whole World Hears, partners including Yahoo! Music, Verizon and AT&T have featured new music streams, and exclusive new ring tones from the album.

The album’s title track spends a third week at No. 1 on Billboard’s AC-Indicator radio chart, marking a ninth career chart-topping song for Casting Crowns. The hit song also moves up to No. 2 on Billboard’s National Christian Audience chart and gained 20 million weekly impressions, according to Christian Radio Weekly.

Remarkably, with millions of fans, record-setting sales, tour and radio success, and national media attention, Casting Crowns is a part-time band. As highlighted in a 2008 Billboard magazine article, the seven band members work in student ministry in the Atlanta area, with lead vocalist Mark Hall serving as a full-time youth pastor at Eagles Landing church. Casting Crowns tours and records around its weekly commitment to mentoring teenagers.

With lead singer and award-winning songwriter, Mark Hall’s 18 years in youth ministry, the band’s lyrics are born out of real life situations, inspired by the 400 students and families he has led on a weekly basis since 2001, at Eagles Landing Baptist church. Casting Crowns focuses on discipleship through music in its new chart-topping, 11-song album, giving national audiences a fresh, relevant perspective on loving God and loving people

Millions of fans can now stream the band’s entire catalog of music and video from the band’s newly created fan-centric web site, www.crownsfans.com. Casting Crowns is also on the road headlining the 41-city “Until The Whole World Hears Tour” with special guest Matt Redman. For tour dates or more information, visit www.providentpress.com, or www.castingcrowns.com.

*Follow the band on Mark Hall’s Twitter at: http://twitter.com/markhallCC

About Casting Crowns:
Christian music’s GRAMMY, AMA and five-time Dove Award-winning Group of the Year, Casting Crowns is headed by frontman/principal songwriter Mark Hall. The Atlanta-based band served as the featured guest artist at the 2009 National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., performing for President Obama, Tony Blair and 3,000 dignitaries. Casting Crowns’ third studio recording, The Altar and The Door, achieved an historical debut at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 chart with 130,000 first week copies sold, making it the highest debut in the country that week and the second highest CD seller of any kind in America. The album wrapped 2008 as Billboard’s No. 1 “Top Christian Album” of the year, and Casting Crowns was ranked the No.1 “Top Christian Album Artist.” In April, Casting Crowns performed for a second time in North Korea, in partnership with Global Resource Services, as the band continues to forge invaluable relationships with the people in the D.P.R.K. The same month, Casting Crowns picked up a monumental fifth consecutive win for the prestigious Group of the Year award at the 40th Annual GMA Dove Awards, at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

For more info on Casting Crowns, visit the JFH Artists Database.