Hillsong’s Swansong? On the Decline of Hillsong Within the Contemporary Congregational Song Genre

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The paper presents a relevant and current theme. Hillsong has an international impact and the change in the international music scene will certainly impact the way CCS is produced in the multiple local musical practices. Thus, the work also encourages the production of updated literature on musical expressions in the Protestant environment.

Author Response

Thank you for your comments.  While there were no specific recommendations, I have updated the manuscript with some minor clarifications and grammatical improvements.

Comment: "encourages the production of updated literature on musical expressions in the Protestant environment"

Response: I have now specifically mentioned the possibility of further research in the closing paragraph

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The article deals with an interesting, rarely tackled topic related to the phenomenon of the Christian music genre or, more specifically, to one of the entities that contributed to the popularity of this type of music. If I may take the liberty of making a personal remark, this topic is also extremely interesting to me, because in Poland the popularity of Hillsong has also been very high, also in Catholic communities and in various kinds of concerts and meetings, especially aimed at young people.

The article is written in a scholarly mature language, it is coherent and clear, the conclusions are in line with the content, and the references are appropriate and abundant for the subject matter taken up. 

From a Polish perspective, I expected at least a mention of the collaboration of Hillsong musicians with Michael W. Smith, one of the leaders of worship music, perhaps because in Poland the fruits of their joint activities are mostly known. It is possible that on a global scale this is not so relevant.

The article meets the requirements of a scholarly text and I recommend it for publication without correction.

 

Author Response

Thank you for your comments.  While there were no specific recommendations, I have updated the manuscript with some minor clarifications and grammatical improvements.

Comment 1: I expected at least a mention of the collaboration of Hillsong musicians with Michael W. Smith, one of the leaders of worship music, perhaps because in Poland the fruits of their joint activities are mostly known. It is possible that on a global scale this is not so relevant.

Response 1: The reviewer is correct that despite Hillsong's collaboration with a number of key worship music artists/producers, the "global scale" of their joint activities has not significantly impacted Hillsong's prominence on the USA CCL charts.  However, it's interesting to know that other parts of the world have experienced such collaborations differently.