Seriously, I’d have a hard time giving specific criteria. I’d say that it’s kind of like “you know it when you see it.” The things mentioned in #6 are pretty good.

GospelMusicFan, that’s a funny and great viewpoint!

The rotary around Nashvile is I-440 is the intersection for I-40, I-65 & I-24.

You have been lost many times in your travels on the highway of interstate.

You know that it is more important to worry about your tracks ion the bus than the railroad trracks.

If you know all of the above without checking this guide:
http://www.interstate-guide.com/interstate.html
You are national group in my book.

That said, I don’t think it’s any one criteria. I think it’s a combination of things. I’d say a group could be considered nationally known if they are consistently releasing songs to radio that get played and charted, they frequently perform for the top promoters and at major concert events, travel consistently outside their 2-3 state area on a regular basis, spend what is considered the normal amount of time for the average full time-artist on the road (at least 3-4 days per week consistently), market themselves in national media (Singing News, Solid Gospel Radio, etc.), and are at least recognized by a large portion of gospel music fans in general. I think a nationally known group will be found doing at least 2-3 of these things, if not all. I think if you go down the check-list of what I’ve mentioned and look at the groups out there consistently doing these (or most of these) things, you’ll be able to identify most, if not all, of what most knowledgeable fans, artists, and industry personnel would call nationally known groups.

In other words, does doing occasional concerts outside of a home base area make you a national group?

The biggest thing is this – if you feel it needs to be reviewed, then review it!! I have heard music that some people have not, and I take the time to let them know about it. That’s kind of the point of a review. It’s not just to offer your own opinion on a product, but to give the reader advice as to whether or not the product is even worth purchasing. If it weren’t for some reviews, I would’ve bypassed certain products because I was unfamiliar with them (a perfect example would be Shane Dunlap’s solo CD, which I had heard quite a bit of positive buzz about before I bought it).

Sometimes it’s awfully hard to quantify by that standard, though. Has pretty much everyone who pays attention to the genre heard of the Collingsworth Family? the Dixie Melody Boys? Greater Vision?

If you view the national Southern Gospel market as inclusive of those fans who occasionally buy Gaither DVDs (quite a few in my acquaintance) and have only a passing familiarity with even those artists, only Homecoming Tour artists and past artists could even approach national status.