Many of the groups in Southern Gospel Music are coming off of the road, and a good many of them are not traveling with a live band. It is not hard for a person to see the reason when he or she looks at the industry’s financial situation. Christian music, unlike any other genre, does not have the budget the other secular music possesses. When looking at the financial issues of this industry, a person can find that artist’s are barely scraping by, their music is being stolen, and they are being faced with secular music competition. The Christian Music Industry of today is in a recession. The reason is mainly because of the economy that causes the Southern Gospel Music industry to decline in many areas; therefore, the economic troubles are the main problem …show more content…
within the industry today. One of the main issues within the economy of the Christian Music Industry is music piracy and ticket sales. An artist’s success is based on how much product (CDs and DVDs) that is sold. For example, if a person went to a concert and bought a CD, the artist has sold one CD. If that same person went home and burned many copies of that CD and gave them away to their friends, the artist has still sold only one CD. This is why many artists loses a large amount of money on this deal. Another problem with this is that record labels like to keep artists who have an increase in the sell of their CDs, so when the artist does not have a high number of sales, this makes the artist less than likely to get a recording company to back them up on their label. This is a major issue even in the Christian Music Industry. Frank Breeden said, “Money plays a part in deciding which artists are signed, how much capital is invested in a particular act and how albums are marketed.” Money affects every decision in this industry- whether it be ticket sales or record sales. Looking at the ticket sales, Gospel music does not have the same budget as a more mainstream music. The gospel music tickets will cost about $15-$65; however, the people of this day and age want to go see a more mainstream secular artist, so they will pay the 100 dollars or more to go see them. They will not spare the $20 to see a Christian artist because it is not the “hottest” music of today. (Rebecca Sodergren. Is profit a problem in Christian music?. www.post-gazette.com.) “In the business sense, Christian music is economically disadvantaged even in the best of times,” says John Styll the president of the Gospel Music Association. “Since most Christian radio airplay is on noncommercial stations, which pay a fraction of what commercial stations pay in royalties, our songwriters receive far less income than those in other genres.” (John Styll. 3 things you need to know about Christian music and the economy. www.beliefnet.com.) A noncommercial radio station is a radio station that runs strictly off donations; however, commercial ? have a set payment coming from advertisements and more. Another major issue with the economically disadvantaged Christian music is the secular music competition. Every time a song is played on the radio, the artist gets a royalty; therefore, Christian music artists gets a lower royalty because of the non-commercial radio stations. The non commercial radio stations do not make a profit and have to pay a royalty to the artist, so it is a lot less than a commercial radio station which makes the artist have a very little profit. This also leads to a lower income for the artist. Secular music holds a higher growth trend than Christian music as well. For example, Country music holds a higher market share, selling around seventy million units (albums or singles) over the past three years. This goes back to the record labels wanting to keep artist who sell a good number of records. If the Christian music artists does not sale many records, record labels will sooner or later want to change to something that makes them money. Many of the artists of today are coming off of the road from travelling. They are gone 300 or more days out of the year and are bringing in very little pay to supply for their families. If they are not coming off of the road completely, they are at least trying to cut the number of concerts they do down anywhere from 80-200 dates a year. It really varies on the group. As a person can also tell, many groups are not travelling with a live band anymore. They simply just can not afford to pay a live band, so many of the Christian musicians out there are without jobs or have a very low income. Economic struggles have affected every aspect of the industry’s income, including the artist’s product sales. Back in 2010, the Dove Brothers Quartet was taking a pretty big hit by the economy. McCray Dove, lead singer and owner of the Dove Brothers, wrote a letter that was published in the Singing News Magazine stating that for the time being, they will be cutting their CD and DVD prices to ten dollars. McCray Dove said in his letter, “We pray that this will help keep Southern gospel music and the Dove Brothers in your home, car, and on your computer, during these tough economic times.” (McCray Dove. open letter posted in the Singing News Magazine.) On top of this, many of the artists today are having to get another job just to pay the bills. The Christian Music genre today is really in a recession. In the words of John Styll, “The money is just drying up and it’s not being replaced.” Some of the artists are cutting down a lot of their time on the road because they have to get another job just to pay for their bills. Stephanie Smith, a Christian artist, says she is working an extra job because “it pays the bills. Music doesn’t. I have a college degree and a record deal, and I work at Starbucks.” This really is a struggle for many of the artists. They do not know what they are going to make and when they are going to make it; therefore, the artists in this industry are the ones who are living paycheck to paycheck. John J. Thompson states, “In the last four years, the sky has fallen. The industry is not what is was, and will never be what it was.” During an interview with Mr. Bennie Green, lead singer for Crimson City Quartet, he was asked, “In what way is Southern Gospel Music in a recession? What issues do we face in this industry?” He answered by saying: “Trenton, the main issue in our industry is the economy.
It is hard for us. Unfortunately people don’t support Southern gospel financially like they used to. They will go pay big bucks to hear some country or pop singer, but they will not put five or ten bucks in the plate or buy a $10-$15 ticket to go to a Gospel Concert. This is why many groups today do not travel as much or with a live band. They would love to, but they just cannot afford to pay them; it’s sad. I remember years ago a group could go to a church and be assured their needs would be met. I understand that most of us do it for the Lord, but there’s no way to get around the fact that traveling and singing takes money.” (Bennie Green. Interview.)
Needless to say the Christian music industry is really in a recession. This industry has many issues throughout the economy. The money controls the majority of things in this business between the artist that are able to record to the venue where the concert is held. This industry is definitely lacking the money to keep it going, but the people who are in this line of work ‘keep on keepin on.’ These people surely do not keep going in this industry just because of the money. This is something everyone can
infer. In closing, it is no secret that the Christian music industry has made a steep decline with their money throughout the years. Christian music artist today are facing little to no income, music piracy, and even competition in secular music. Through all of the hardships, Christian music artist’s keep doing what they are doing no matter how bad the economic situation gets. They say this because they do not do it for the money. Most of the people in this industry do it because it is a ministry to them. They do this because it is a calling on their lives. Mrs. Stephanie Smith wrote: "There are times when I'm discouraged," she says. "But as much as I'd like to make a living off of this, it's a ministry to me. That's why I continue to work at Starbucks, so I can go do a conference for teenage girls, or be part of a tour. When doubts creep in, I refocus on God: You are God over the economy, and bigger than my dwindling bank account. Do I believe that or not?" (Stephanie Smith. Music in Recession. www.crosswalk.com.) The Christian music artist go through many struggles, but they always keep looking toward the bigger picture in this life. In the words of Mr. Danny Slayton, bass singer for Crimson City Quartet, “the pay is small, but the retirement is out of this world. We give and try to do a little for Him because He gave everything for us.”
Combined Choirs. 1964. A History of First Baptist Church Lindale, Georgia. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 1-68. Print.
For almost 90 years, The Grand Ole Opry has withstood the test of time to become one of the tried and true traditions in country music. From the show's humble beginnings as an obscure radio program, to it's renowned place today as one of the premiere stages for music, The Grand Ole Opry has had an extremely colorful and interesting existence. Over the 88 years that have passed since the show's inception, The Grand Ole Opry has featured many talented performers. Those performers, along with social changes and economics, have all contributed to the growth and success of The Grand Ole Opry.
The book, The Spirituals and the Blues, by James H. Cone, illustrates how the slave spirituals and the blues reflected the struggle for black survival under the harsh reality of slavery and segregation. The spirituals are historical songs which speak out about the rupture of black lives in a religious sense, telling us about people in a land of bondage, and what they did to stay united and somehow fight back. The blues are somewhat different from in the spirituals in that they depict the secular aspect of black life during times of oppression and the capacity to survive. James H. Cone’s portrayal of how the spirituals and the blues aided blacks through times of hardship and adversity has very few flaws and informs the reader greatly about the importance of music in the lives of African-Americans. The author aims to both examine the spirituals and blues as cultural expressions of black people and to reflect on both the theological and sociological implications of these songs.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis1:1.) God’s perfect wisdom created everything. In Genesis 1 and 2 we can see that God has loving and gentile nature when He created the earth and heavens. God created man in his image and we are the only creation that God breathed in the breath of life for human beings (Genesis 2:7). God did not do this for any of other creations but only for humans. The Bible has many scriptures that tell us how creative God is. Genesis 1;26 states “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created all of this for us to have fellowship with him.
gospel Appalachian song writers find the words to there songs in the day to day
Music is a form of art which blends melodies with words to produce a piece that communicates with people’s thoughts and emotions, by stimulating their senses and thus extracting responses. Gospel, a distinctive genre of music, makes use of sounds and words to praise and worship God. It is also used to teach the teachings of God in an entertaining and captivating manner. Gospel music not only fills people’s hearts with hope and joy, but also relieves their stress and comforts them. One of the most influential figures who has played a major role in the flourishing of gospel music is James Edward Cleveland. Cleveland was an accomplished vocalist, performer, composer, producer, philanthropist, preacher, choral director and pianist; hence earning titles such as: “Crown Prince of Gospel” and “King of Gospel Music.”
Despite being originally rejected for it, a large portion of Cash’s career and fame are attributed to his work with gospel music. The influence of Christianity upon Cash’s life is clearly evident through his music. By 1970, Cash had recorded three gospel albums: Hymns by Johnny Cash, Hymns from the Heart, and The Holy Land. During this era, it was not abnormal for country musicians to also venture into religious productions. Often, however, these religious-type albums were merely quaint recollections of simpler times and family tradition. In this way, Johnny Cash set himself apart from the average country musician. Rather than utilizing gospel music to evoke a sense of nostalgia, Cash desired to use his music to truly exemplify his faith. Cash became a key figure in Neo-Evangelism, often appearing at rallies and
CHAPTER 1 ERHARD BODENSCHATZ AND THE FLORILEGIUM POTENSE Lutheran church music in its first two and a half centuries can be characterized by the incorporation of a staggering variety of styles and musical genres. Plainchant, imitative polyphony, and chorale hymnody existed alongside one another, and composers such as Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672) and Johann Hermann Schein (1586-1630) were among the first to synthesize elements of Monteverdi’s second apratica with a fully German practice. Fruits of this multi-style crosspollination, whether a continuo based melodic-harmonic framework, polychoral textures, use of the solo voice or obligato instruments, all paved the way for the apex of this tradition, the concerted vocal works of J.S. Bach. I am a sailor.
The teaching of Jesus Christ is hard for some cultures to grasp. Humanity is prone to question everything. How people use their worldview plays a key role. Most Christian accept the Gospel message at it full value and yet with teaching from a church they only accept part of the message. Now it seems like progressively that people are turning away from God. Since people cannot see Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and God they just suppress prier teaching from the Bible. In some cultures the Bible is looked at as a taboo.
...erself expanded gospel’s exposure when she appeared twice on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” Meanwhile, television producer Bobby Jones reaches four and a half million viewers each week with his BET program, “Gospel Explosion.” However, the test for Gospel music reflects one that all Christian musicians must wrestle with: Can Gospel continue to increase its fortune in the mainstream marketplace while still maintaining its spiritual base? Despite what you believe the answer to be, African American Religious music will continually evolve. Since Thomas Dorsey first stretched the boundaries to create gospel music, choirs, quartets, and power vocalists have been singing the same song, albeit in different styles and places. As African American religious music continues to grow beyond even Dorsey’s expectations, one can only hope that it will be embraced regardless of how it is labeled by everyone who needs to be reminded of the good news it represents.
this time, gospel music was a sacred folk music with origins in field hollers, work songs,
Contemporary, as well as older, Gospel music originated from the “Spirituals.” The spirituals, also known as the “Negro Spirituals or African-American folk songs,” were religious songs sung by the African Americans slaves in Southern America. The spirituals spawned from teachings of Christianity from slave owners, the church and even hymns. The songs were usually about love, hope, peace, oppression, freedom and even used as a secret code. The African American slaves would sing while working so much so that slave o...
Gospel music is considered to have begun in the United States, sometime in the nineteenth century. The first time that appeared in print was in 1874. The English term “gospel” translates to the meaning of good news, or a joyous message. This is a form of American religious music. A lot of its origin is from the Christian conversions of West Africans who were enslaved in the American south. Gospel music gradually developed partly from the songs that slaves sang while they were working on the plantations down in the south. These songs were sung as work songs. As the slaves worked on the plantations they sung these song to make their time working more enjoyable. Gospel songs were also part of Protestant hymns that were sung in churches. A form of music that is so very close to gospels is spirituals.
The music career I choose is music producer because I like producing music and producing music is fun when you get used to it. A music producer writes, arranges, and records songs. When they are shaping the music of another person’s album or created beat. Some music producer find themselves doing double or triple work as a studio owner and a sound engineer. Music producers work with recording artist, recording engineer’s session singers, and musicians among others. They have a lot of ear and mental breaks because the work 10-12 hours a day music producers are for ever on their phones or laptops because some want a producer some want the producer to make a beat. They are always busy
Music Business Music Business Exam Number One Question 1 - What is The music publishing industry at a glance would seem to be those who print sheet music, method books, lead sheets, and all of the texts or notated music that musicians (and those aspiring to be musicians) use. Years ago, this was what most music publishers did, but as the industry has evolved, the process has become much more complex. Music is not just ink and paper, intellectual material and property to the individual who writes it. Therefore, the song does not become "a song" when it is written down. This is not an easy concept to grasp because the song itself has no physical makeup.