'March Music Madness' allows fans of Catholic music to pick favorites

Published: 2005-03-24

PORTLAND, Ore. (CNS) -- While devotees of college basketball follow the brackets, fans of contemporary Catholic music have been bouncing through their own March madness. The youth-oriented Web site spiritandsong.com has placed the genre's latest hits in an online interactive tournament. Fans who visit the site can click on titles placed in the brackets, listen to the music and then vote for their favorites. Songs with the most votes advance week by week. "It raises traffic and increases listenership to the songs," said Tom Tomaszek, manager of youth services at Portland-based Oregon Catholic Press, which founded the Web site. "We're looking for ways to help more people listen to the various styles and get to like them," Tomaszek said.

Copyright (c) 2005 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .