#CCMTournament2025 Kicks Off: The Ultimate Fan-Powered Showdown Logan Sekulow March 4, 2025 If you’ve spent any time on X (formerly Twitter) in the past few days, you may have seen Christian music fans in an all-out frenzy. No, it’s not a new album drop or a surprise tour announcement—it’s #CCMTournament2025, the fan-run, bracket-style battle to crown the ultimate Christian artist, hosted by Christian music superfan Eric McClanahan (@Ineverglow). Inspired by the madness of March, this grassroots tournament pits some of the biggest names in CCM against each other in head-to-head matchups, with you, the fans, deciding who advances. CCM Magazine has no direct connection to this tournament, but we certainly love following along the drama, the battles, and the crowning of a new champion. The seeding? It’s all based on cold, hard data—Spotify’s Monthly Listeners stats. “The first year we just used the knowledge we had of CCM to seed the artists and pick the matchups,” McClanahan explained. “But it left me having to explain myself constantly, so I have taken to using Spotify Monthly Listeners as my main method of seeding.” While a few tweaks were made this year to avoid rematches and reward past winners, the core rankings come straight from streaming numbers. Round 1, Part 1 – The Madness Begins The first wave of matchups is live, and the polls will be open for three days. Voting is simple: head to X, find the poll, and click the name of the artist you like best. No algorithms, no industry politics—just a pure fan-driven battle royale. Winners will advance to Round 2, inching closer to the title of #CCMTournament2025 Champion. With matchups already underway, fans are debating, rallying support, and—of course—good-naturedly roasting each other’s choices. (Because, let’s be real, if your favorite band gets knocked out early, you will have feelings about it.) But that’s the beauty of the tournament—it’s a celebration of all Christian music, from the chart-toppers to the cult favorites. How Did This All Start? “The tournament started because one of my followers by the name of Dave Berggren was really enjoying my posts about CCM artists,” McClanahan shared. “So with March Madness approaching, he suggested I do a tournament! I enlisted the help of CCM guru, Josh Balogh, and we put together what we thought was a good selection of artists and seeded them as best we could, and that’s how CCM Tournament was born!” What began as a simple idea quickly turned into a major event. “The first year I did it (2023) REALLY took me by surprise. I had no clue it would be as huge as it was. But after seeing everyone rally around their favorites that year, and how much passion people have for their favorite artists, it hasn’t been all that surprising to find people continuing to root for their favorites year after year.” Artists Join the Fun The excitement isn’t just limited to fans—many artists have joined in on the fun, too. “Steven Curtis Chapman always tries to rally votes,” McClanahan said. “Amy Grant (or whoever runs her social media) has also joined in before. Over the years, lots of artists have reposted their polls and asked for people to vote: PFR, Five Iron Frenzy, Kutless, Demon Hunter, Disciple, Sanctus Real, Derek Webb (Caedmon’s Call), Jars of Clay, DC Talk. Last night Miguel from Smalltown Poets commented asking if I matched them up against Sixpence None The Richer on purpose!” Who’s the Favorite? While the unpredictability of the tournament is part of its appeal, McClanahan has his own thoughts on a potential winner. “I think this is Switchfoot’s year,” he speculated. “They finished 3rd last year, and 2nd the year before. It seems like they’re due. But you just never know which artists or influential people will try to rally votes, and the unpredictability of that is a big part of the fun.” Who’s Your Pick? With thousands of votes pouring in, #CCMTournament2025 is proving once again that Christian music fans are passionate. Whether your favorite artist is cruising to an easy win or locked in a nail-biting battle, every vote counts. Discman Region Five Iron Frenzy vs. 16. All Star United DC Talk vs. 9. Rebecca St. James Steven Curtis Chapman vs. 12. Caedmon’s Call Newsboys vs. 13. The O.C. Supertones Delirious? vs. 11. Audio Adrenaline Kirk Franklin vs. 14. Out of Eden MxPx vs. 10. Jars of Clay Sixpence None The Richer vs. 15. Smalltown Poets Smart Phone Region David Kushner vs. 16. House of Heroes Forrest Frank vs. 9. Chris Tomlin Maverick City Music vs. 12. Lecrae Lauren Daigle vs. 13. For King & Country Bethel Music vs. 11. Cory Asbury Hillsong Worship vs. 14. Needtobreathe Brandon Lake vs. 10. Tommee Profitt Elevation Worship vs. 15. Crowder Turntable/Walkman Region Michael W. Smith vs. 16. Steve Taylor Petra vs. 9. Carman Andrae Crouch vs. 12. Larry Norman Stryper vs. 13. Bryan Duncan Rich Mullins vs. 11. Wayne Watson BeBe & CeCe Winans vs. 14. 2nd Chapter of Acts Keith Green vs. 10. Russ Taff Amy Grant vs. 15. DeGarmo & Key iPod Region Skillet vs. 16. Haste The Day Underoath vs. 9. Jeremy Camp MercyMe vs. 12. Third Day Casting Crowns vs. 13. Plumb TobyMac vs. 11. Relient K P.O.D. vs. 14. Demon Hunter Switchfoot vs. 10. August Burns Red Thousand Foot Krutch vs. 15. mewithoutYou Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYou must be logged in to post a comment.
