GOSPEL INDIES GROW.

Though mainstream corporations have become a major presence in Christian music as EMI, Warner Bros. and Sony BMG have all staked claims on the Christian/gospel landscape during the last decade, independents manage to still enjoy a share of the pie. And even though the climate is difficult, new companies keep springing up.

The Crabb Family recently launched a new imprint, Clear Cool Music, which will issue the group's March 28 release, "Blur the Lines." Another new venture recently bowed in Franklin, Tenn., Union Street Records, which is launching an impressive new rock band, Roads to Rome.

On the gospel side, industry veteran Shawn Tate has launched Univocal Records. Distributed by Central South, the label's first release is Malcolm Williams and Great Faith's live set "Walking in My Destiny."

An indie already enjoying success on the gospel side is Icee Records, a Chicago-based company that is home to Dr. Charles G. Hayes & the Warriors. The group took home choir of the year honors at this year's Stellar Awards. Icee Records' Dianne Williams netted the female vocalist of the year award and Icee also won in the music video category for Hayes' "The Remix."

"We were excited that we were able to accomplish those three wins because we worked very, very hard to accomplish our goals," says Dr. Charles T. White, who heads up Icee Records.

The choir has been around for more than 40 years but enlisted producers Percy Bady, DeAndre Patterson, Darius Brooks and Adrienne B. King to work on its Icee debut. The result was one of gospel's most-talked-about releases in 2005.

Hayes & the Warriors' current single, "Love You So," written and produced by Grammy Award winner Brooks, is being worked to gospel and adult R&B stations.

Prior to starting the label, White found success in real estate and he notes the vast differences between the two fields. "I love the record label," he says. "Unfortunately, it doesn't make the money that real estate makes. One can hope that it will grow so big that it will take care of itself."

White is negotiating with distributors and admits that lack of strong distribution has hurt the label, but he is optimistic about Icee's future. They are working on a new project by Williams and looking to sign additional artists.

"We are hard-working individuals with a common goal," White says of his team, which includes executive VP Damon "D" Stewart. "All of our players on this team have the artist's best interest in mind."

SESAC HONORS: Pete Kipley was named SESAC's songwriter of the year during a Feb. 21 awards dinner in Nashville recognizing the organization's top writers and publishers in the Christian field. Wordspring Music, a division of Word Music Publishing, and Kipley's company Songs From the Indigo Room, were named SESAC's Christian publishers of the year. In addition to his work with MercyMe, Kipley also received performance awards for songs with Mark Harris and ZoeGirl.

Steve Taylor, Andy Chrisman, Krystal Meyers, Stellar Kart, Project 86 and Tiffany Arbuckle Lee (the latter is better-known as Curb artist Plumb) were also honored during the event.

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By Deborah Evans Price, dprice@billboard.com