Huge, huge day for Amy Grant today. Lots of exciting news items and releases on the market! First off...
New CDs
14 of Amy's albums have been reissued on CD today in brand-new, digitally remastered editions. From what I've heard so far, the difference is astounding. Most retailers that I checked today were carrying them for between $10 and $15 each and some are running a 2-for-$20 special this week. All 14 are also available at Amazon.com (search for "amy grant remastered").
Today's re-released albums are:
- Amy Grant (1977)
My Father's Eyes (1979)
Never Alone (1980)
In Concert (1981)
In Concert Volume II (1981)
Age to Age (1982)
Straight Ahead (1984)
Unguarded (1985)
The Collection (1986)
Lead Me On (1988)
Heart in Motion (1991)
House of Love (1994)
Behind the Eyes (1997)*
Simple Things (2003)*
*Not available in Christian bookstores; remastered editions sold in mainstream retailers only
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iTunes
When you log onto the iTunes Store, the home page features an Amy Grant banner on the top. Click on that and you'll be taken to the Christian & Gospel page, which has been entirely decorated with an Amy Grant theme for this week. There, you will find a number of things:
Amy Grant - The Storyteller Collection - This is essentially a "box set" of 10 of Amy's albums (112 songs), available exclusively on iTunes. Each track has been digitally remastered and can be purchased individually or as part of the box set. The entire collection is discounted at $79.92 and also includes an exclusive digital booklet.
14 Remastered Albums - The same 14 albums that have been reissued to CD today are also available in digital form on iTunes. The albums are $9.99 each, regardless of the number of tracks. (The individual tracks can be bought for $0.99 each or in a DMR-free version for $1.29 each). Most of the albums also come with digital booklets. Amy's albums that were not reissued are also still available there, bringing the total to 29.
Amy Grant Podcast - There is also a completely FREE podcast hosted by Amy Grant, which you can "subscribe" to on iTunes. This is brand-new, just released today. The first episode is thirty minutes long. (No word on how many more episodes are to come).
Celebrity Playlist: Amy Grant - iTunes has a regular feature in which celebrities create an annotated playlist of their favorite songs, allowing others to sample or buy them. Amy Grant is the newest addition to the line-up! (Interestingly, she follows the cast of <i>High School Musical</i>).
"On Amy's iPod" - The Christian & Gospel page features a section of music that is currently on Amy's iPod, with links to preview and buy the music. I love that Maroon 5's new album is on there.
"Amy's Influences" - Similarly (just below it), there is also a section featuring 16 albums that Amy lists as some of her biggest musical influences.
New Artist Home Page - Amy's iTunes Artist Home Page has been updated and redesigned!
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Ringtones
In my last post, I listed Amy's new cell phone ringtones that were released early. They are officially available today! In addition to visiting ringtonejukebox.com, if you use AT&T/Cingular, T-Mobile, Sprint, or Verizon, you can send a text message to 66555 and automatically receive the following ringtones ($2.99 charge/each).
- Lead Me On - AMYG1
Stay For Awhile - AMYG2
Baby Baby (Original Chorus) - AMYG3
Baby Baby (Original Intro) - AMYG4
Every Heartbeat - AMYG5
Takes a Little Time - AMYG6
Simple Things - AMYG7
You can preview these and many more ringtones by clicking on the link in my last post.
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AmyGrant.com
AmyGrant.com was recently redesigned and re-launched in support of Amy's new CDs and book this fall. Today, a video featuring Amy discussing her remastered CDs was posted on the website. You can find this on the homepage.
There is also a webpage there that gives more details on the remastered CDs and the new iTunes releases:
http://www.amygrant.com/remasters.htm
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Billboard
Amy's most recent album, <i>Time Again... Amy Grant Live</i> re-entered the Billboard Top Christian & Gospel Albums chart today. It was released last fall and spent eight months on the chart. It re-entered the chart at #56 this week! This may be due, in part, to Amy and her husband Vince Gill performing several songs on "The Today Show" last week.
As you can see, this is a very exciting day! Many of these items were not previously announced, so it's a great surprise for fans. I'm very pleased that EMI is giving Amy's tenure with them such a great start.

:party
-Aaron