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Dave's Top Eight
1. Jerry Reed...Revisited by Darrell Toney (reviewed 6/07) (5 Stars) Click title to purchase at CBD.com...click artist name to read Dave's Review. A CD will automatically fall out of the Top Eight after twelve months if no CD surpasses it before then.
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-----------Wednesday, January 31, 2007Mixing DefinitionsOver on the Yahoo Gospel Music group, there's a discussion about changing musical styles. Scotty asked the following question: But one question that I don't think has not been answered. Why do we have to change, why can't they come to us? Why are we the ones to be tolerant, when they won't tolerate us? Here's my reply: Let's take it from there. There's a huge difference between fulfilling the Great Commission and being tolerant. We have to change our methods, because the Great Commission says GO into the world. That's why they can't "come to us." We're commanded to go to them by relating the Gospel to them in terms they can understand. This has absolutely nothing to do with being tolerant. Tolerance would be telling them it's OK to live in sin, that nothing has to change in order to become a Christian. The message of the GOSPEL cannot be compromised. This is why you will see me pulling for gospel music to be widely heard, regardless of the style, but at the same time, you'll see me react with disgust to popular movements that compromise the gospel message in an effort to get more people into the church. Doing music in a style that the world can understand is not tolerance in the least. To suggest that Bill and Gloria are tolerant of sin because they do music in a style that sells is not accurate at all. Because when you look at it from the other angle, there's nothing about the musical style of Southern Gospel that makes it holy either. It's the lyrics that make SG special, just as the lyrics of Praise & Worship, Black Gospel, Bluegrass Gospel, Christian Pop, etc. all have a common ground. This is not tolerance. This is a diversification of assets. Labels: Observations Tuesday, January 30, 2007AUDIO/PODCAST INTERVIEW>> Kevin WilliamsHere's the interview I recorded with Kevin Williams in September, 2006. Kevin has since returned to the Gaither Homecoming tour (so any mention of his concert absence needs to be taken in the context of when the interview took place). Kevin has stories to tell, like working with Wendy Bagwell and the Sunliters, Bill Gaither, and Anthony Burger. If you've ever had an opportunity to talk to Kevin before or after a Homecoming concert, you know how approachable he is -- and funny, too! Enjoy. -Daniel Britt Labels: audio, Interviews, podcast Friday, January 26, 2007Audiobooks Anyone?I've posted enough Southern Gospel related articles lately, so I'm due for an off-topic post. Do any of you listen to audiobooks regularly? Do you buy the retail version at a store, buy online, rent online, or download online? I prefer to download. I've been shopping around. I tried Audible.com for a couple of months, but their download files aren't compatible with my iRiver. I had to burn CDs, which took longer than normal due to Audible's silly proprietary format. Then I had to rip each CD to MP3 files, which also took longer than normal for no reason I can decipher. Only then could I get Audible books on my iRiver...pretty ridiculous, when my iRiver plays WMA files just fine. I was paying them $14.95 per month, which included 2 downloads the first month and 1 download each month thereafter, including unabridged titles. I got John Grisham's The Innocent Man and Fannie Flagg's Can't Wait To Get To Heaven in December initially. A few days ago, I got Michael Crichton's Next. It took me something like four hours after doing the initial download to get just one book moved to my iRiver. I decided that was ridiculous, and canceled my service. Just now, I was checking out iTunes, but their prices are insanely high. You can buy the regular retail CDs from Amazon.com for the unabridged version of Crichton's Next for $32.95. iTunes wants $31.95 for the download. You save a lousy buck, and then you have to burn the CDs yourself. Also as with Audible, I'd still probably have to burn and rip CDs before I could ever move the book to my iRiver, since iTunes won't directly move files to an iRiver. Now I've done some Googling and run across www.simplyaudiobooks.com. Are there any readers out there using this company? It looks great on the surface, but at first glance, the selection doesn't look so hot. The price is much cheaper than Audible. It's $11.95 per month for one download per month. They only offer the abridged version of Next as a download. The files are in WMA format, which means I should be able to move them to my iRiver immediately after downloading them (in theory). They also sell physical copies. It's higher than Amazon.com for the regular CDs of Crichton's unabridged Next at $44.96, but they also offer it in glorious, compact MP3 format burned to CDs for just $26.96. You can also sign up to rent books, including the unabridged Next, for $14.95 per month. Rentals appear to operate like NetFlix. They send you an item with no shipping charge...you keep it as long as you need to keep it...you send it back in a postage paid envelope...then they send you the next item on your rental list. My first preference is to download and listen one time. A subscription service is great as long as the credits roll over for two or three months when I don't use them. I need WMA or MP3 format. This service appears to offer all that, BUT it looks like I'd be stuck with abridged books rather than unabridged. Any recommendations? Labels: Audiobooks, Shopping Tales Freemans Headed Back To Number One?I was just glancing over the February Singing News Top 80 chart and noticed the Freemans have a song titled "He Chose Me" sitting at number four this month. More significantly, the song debuted at number eight on the January chart, surpassing debut singles on the same chart by Ernie Haase & Signature Sound, the Gaither Vocal Band, Gold City, Legacy Five, Three Bridges and the Booth Brothers. If this song reaches number one, it will be the third time for the Freemans. They last took the top spot in January 1997 with "Hello In Heaven." Actually, if I'm reading their website correctly, they already know "He Chose Me" is going to be a number one song. That's how the text reads, but then the photo link refers to it debuting at number eight for January, and has quotes from individual DJs who say it's their number one for the month. The new CD hasn't been released yet, by the way, but they already have the performance soundtrack available for purchase. It's a smart way to work the system...get a single out there first, then release the recording. With a big hit already, and it being an independent release, I hope they have decent distribution set up for this new recording. Labels: Observations, Singing News My First Singing News Article The February Singing News is out now. On page 76, you can read a review of Allison Durham Speer's This Old House, my first CD review for the magazine. Hopefully, it's the first of many to come. I'm always a bit worried when I submit an article to a publication that I haven't dealt with previously. You never know what might be changed. Some reviews I wrote for Christian Book Distributors several years ago are considerably different from what I originally submitted, for example. I had an editor there who took the "edit" part of her title seriously, but hey, I didn't complain because she paid great! Other articles I've written for publication in the past have been printed with no editing at all...and some needed editing to correct a word spelled wrong here or there or to fix some minor sentence structure problem that I didn't notice. Well, I'm VERY happy to report that Singing News only made two very minor alterations to the review I submitted. These more or less canceled out, as one was of no particular consequence and one only made it slightly worse. The word "though" was removed from the end of one sentence...no big deal, because the sentence didn't really need the word and reads just fine without it. They also changed my correct spelling of "Sandi Patty" to "Sandi Patti." Of course, Patty's own record company spelled her name wrong on her recordings for years until she finally put her foot down, so I suppose that's an understandable mistake. Labels: Observations, Singing News Concert Report: Triumphant QuartetI enjoyed a concert by Triumphant Quartet earlier this evening in Rutherfordton, NC. With several standards in their repertoire ("Don't Let The Sandals Fool Ya," "Terrible Time Down There," "Walk With Me," etc.), a flair for showmanship, solid vocals at every position, and an award winning piano player, this group is at the top of their game right now. I've noticed they also go out of their way to be friendly, not just to their fans, but also to groups who share the stage with them. Triumphant does a variety show. Few groups can pull this off successfully, but Triumphant shifts easily from re-making a contemporary hit like Aaron♦Jeoffrey's "He Is," to Josh Turner's "Long Black Train," to a modern SG quartet style with songs like "Hey Jonah" and "One Holy Morning" (a song that COULD have been a Top Five easily had Triumphant's version been released as a radio single). Then there's the musicianship of Jeff Stice, who isn't merely featured quickly on the program. Stice played no less that three piano solos (including "Last Date" and "Georgia On My Mind") on the first set and at least one more ("Hallelujah Chorus") on the second. After the show, Scott Inman allowed me to preview a couple of cuts from their upcoming Daywind release. One song I heard ought to turn a few heads. I won't spoil the surprise other than to say the song blends male quartets vocals with another popular genre. The other song I heard was a very good ballad with a memorable hook titled "The Great I Am Still Is." The long instrumental intro will probably have to be trimmed if they single this cut to radio, but in a concert setting, it should be a show stopper. Labels: Concert Review Potty Mouthed Florida Boys? This thread at Sogospelnews.com pointed out a Florida Boys CD that is being sold with a "Parental Advisory" warning at an online music store. The original poster added a screen grab image to the thread after several people noted a password was required. I did a bit of digging and came up with a direct link. Obviously, it's a mistake. (I only put that for the benefit of the occasional reader for whom the obvious isn't...) With the direct link, you can feel free to keep checking to see if it's ever corrected. Labels: Observations Thursday, January 25, 2007SG Could Be A Leader, Pt. 2Reader "Tom" offered a response to my SG Could Be A Leader post from a few days ago that's well worth highlighting. A few secular bands I enjoy do a "Instant Live" cd at their shows. I don't advocate that, but it would be cool for a buck or so, download a live song from a show you couldn't make it to, or just a live version of a song you enjoy. The group could record a show or shows, and offer songs at a buck...I would love to pay a buck for "Jerusalem" from a show I missed because of work or whatever, or from a venue that was historic. To augment what Tom has said, I couldn't help but think of my favorite secular piano player, singer, and songwriter: Bruce Hornsby. Unlike most artists who fear unauthorized copying will run them right out of business, Hornsby has encouraged audience members to tape his concerts for years. For a period of time, he even allowed fans to get a mix from the house sound board! Rather than shooting himself in the foot with his generosity, this had the opposite effect...his fans have shelves full of his live performances, and they always buy his studio releases. Of course, Hornsby's shows are totally live and he never plays a song the same way twice. In comparison, audiences recordings of Southern Gospel would get pretty boring. The music tracks are always the same (as are the jokes). Even if artists and their labels opened this door, I don't think it would go far in SG However, I still think Tom is onto something. One of Hornsby's fans has a website with a "Daily Dose" download (which changes daily, natch). These come from Hornsby's live shows. In a similar vein, what is stopping SG groups from offering concert versions of their songs for download on their websites? This would be a VERY low cost investment. Each time a new studio CD comes out, record all the new songs at a concert, then charge fans a nominal fee to download them. Don't hold your breath, though. SG artists and/or labels still haven't grasped the value of iTunes. Labels: Observations Southern Gospel look-alikesThis link is a hoot. It's on Steve Weatherford's website (Steve is the son of Earl & Lily Fern Weatherford). Be prepared to laugh a lot as you note the resemblance and see the side by side pictures of secular celebs next to our beloved Gospel singers. ...And I KNEW Danny Jones looked a lot like George Costanza! (in case you wonder, Peter Furler of the Newsboys is NOT a SG artist, but he is the grandson-in-law of Eva Mae LeFevre) -Daniel Britt Labels: members, Observations, Odds and Ends Wednesday, January 24, 2007College Student Admits He Likes Southern GospelAdam Winters is 23 and he likes Southern Gospel. Read his article HERE. Labels: Other Blogs AUDIO/PODCAST INTERVIEW>> Booth BrothersHere's my audio interview with the Booth Brothers (Michael & Ronnie Booth and Jim Brady). Recorded at the National Quartet Convention in 2006, the guys talk about their relationship to Mosie Lister, their individual musical influences, and their unique style of music today. -Daniel Britt Labels: audio, Interviews, podcast Monday, January 22, 2007Concert Report: Kingsmen, Gold City, Kingdom HeirsAlan Kendall has a report on the Kingsmen/Gold City/Kingdom Heirs concert that took place in Gainsville, GA this past Saturday. He included a setlist, too. Check it out HERE. Labels: Concert Review Saturday, January 20, 2007SG Could Be A LeaderSituation: People with portable listening devices want to put music on their devices as simply as possible.
The recording industry can help make this happen in the following ways: Solution 1: Offer standard CDs. The consumer can then rip files to a hard drive, convert them to MP3 or another format, and transfer them to a portable listening device. This requires no effort on the part of the music industry other than continuing to release CDs as they have been doing for years, but it's a time consuming process for the consumer. Also, this method requires the purchase of a full length recording in order for a consumer to get the songs they want. Rarely does a consumer want every song on a CD. Solution 2: Offer songs for download online a la carte. This has been completely embraced by the music world at large, but Southern Gospel is lagging behind the trend, as is typical for a smaller, traditional genre. At this stage of the game, EVERY SG record label and/or artist should be offering their songs for sale individually via their website, iTunes, Wal-mart's music download service, and others. This is a no-brainer. Solution 3: Offer audio/data CDs containing MP3, WMA and/or iPod audio files in addition to standard CD audio. These CDs will play on a standard CD player, but the data files can also be quickly transfered to a portable listening device. Very few artists in the music industry are doing this...none in SG, as far as I know. Solution 4: Offer data CDs containing MP3, WMA and/or iPod files from several albums or so of previous releases. For example, a group could easily put 100 songs in MP3 format on a single data CD and sell it for $25 or so. No one is doing this. Solution 5: As Daniel Mount has suggested, offer data DVDs containing the entire catalogs of artists from the past. I'm not completely sure what Daniel had in mind, but I'm thinking high resolution, remastered audio complete with data to display original artwork and liner notes, PLUS smaller resolution files designed for portable devices in MP3, WMA, and/or iPod format. No one is doing this. Solution 6: Offer a subscription service...for a few dollars per month, an artist or a label could offer their fans a certain number of downloads. This would require a steady output of fresh music or a large back catalog of titles to work...which many SG artists have when you consider all their custom recordings and label projects. I'm aware of some artists in the general music industry who have tried this with mixed results, but none in Southern Gospel. Of course, Napster, Rhapsody, and others have offered subscription based services for the music world at large with good success, but again, SG titles are difficult to find on their services. I'm looking for individual artists and record labels to truly begin exploiting the popularity of portable listening devices any day now. Southern Gospel, as a small genre, would be the perfect world in which to experiment with these new potential revenue streams that no one else is attempting. Large genres are hesitant (somewhat understandably) to make any sort of moves that would set a precedent, but Southern Gospel really has nothing to lose...a minimal investment with a single artist to test the waters, then an expansion of the ideas that prove to generate revenue. Friday, January 19, 20071976 Kingsmen Schedule SnapshotIn response to my "Schedule Snapshot" post from a few days ago, Dean Adkins was kind enough to dig into his collection of Singing News magazines and tally some figures from 1976 for the Kingsmen Quartet. The chart at the bottom of this post shows how the numbers compare. (I modified the "big date" percentage for the current group from the previous chart. Their 2/10/2007 date is at the Manatee Civic Center, which seats 4000.) Bottom line...when Southern Gospel was supposedly riding high, before "CCM" had ever taken hold, the Kingsmen Quartet were already working themselves ragged. I can't speculate with regard to the relative income of the 1970s group, but even if you were filthy rich, when would you have time to enjoy your wealth? The current Kingsmen aren't working nearly as many dates. In fairness, I should point out that the 4 month schedule of the current group is misleading. They only had two April dates listed at the time I compiled the data and the January data prior to the 11th had already been taken down. If you only look at February and March 2007, their dates per month figure would be 12.5. That's still far less than the 16 plus dates per month sustained over an extended period by the group in 1976. So what's the point in comparing all these figures? I think it's good for fans to have an idea of just how hard the most popular groups in the industry work in order to sustain their existing popularity and make ends meet. There are some exceptions, fortunately. A group like the Kingdom Heirs "has it made" compared to many groups since they're able to do the vast majority of their dates in the same location. On the other hand, a group like the Gaither Vocal Band is clearly getting paid an income that's well above average with substantially less effort than most groups in terms of travel. They're so successful, they're able to share the exposure (and wealth?) with the Homecoming entourage, not to mention the regular musicians, stage hands, transportation people, food people, etc. (I'm sure they get paid.) The business practices and marketing techniques that propel a group to mass fame are of great interest to me, both as a fan and an industry observer. So much of the infrastructure enjoyed by many other genres of music is missing in Southern Gospel, quality radio and concert promotion being first and second respectively. While part of this may be due to the general reluctance of Christians to pay for gospel entertainment, one need only look at Praise & Worship/Christian Pop to see artists who play fewer dates per year and for much larger audiences, plus there's a significant demand for their products. So that isn't the issue. It also can't be blamed on the reluctance of fans to experience "old fashioned" Southern Gospel, because there are exceptions in the Gaither Vocal Band, Ernie Haase & Signature Sound and groups that have their fans trained to come to them rather than going to their fans (Kingdom Heirs/Triumphant Quartet). The schedule data is just one symptom of an industry that isn't healthy, and evidently hasn't really ever BEEN healthy (if the 1976 data is any indication). I'm hoping there are some astute readers out there who can examine these symptoms of the SG industry, diagnose the "illness" or "illnesses," and come up with some plausible treatments to improve the industry's health. (Can you tell I've been watching ER reruns? Season 6 is out on DVD now!) Anyway...here's the 1976 Kingsmen Quartet data with the current group's data listed for comparison:
Labels: Observations Thursday, January 18, 2007TightwadsIn the latest Singing News online poll, 57% of those responding say their indoor venue of choice for a Southern Gospel concert is a church. The only other double digit responses are 27% who say a "Civic Auditorium" is their preference, while 14% went with "Other." 2% chose "Theater (movie style)," and 1% said "High School Gymnasium." Bless their hearts. I didn't even know any SG concerts were being promoted in "theaters (movie style)." Also, I have to pity the musical taste of ANYONE who actually prefers the uncontrollable reverberations of a high school gym. Regardless of that, though, the people have spoken, and clearly so. The vast majority of fans responding to this poll are tightwads who like the "cost optional" atmosphere of a church setting for their Christian entertainment. Labels: Observations Wednesday, January 17, 2007How much can radio "risk?"In the radio world, there's a never-ending debate on how stations should choose new music and new artists. I think it comes down to how much your station can afford to risk adding "unknown" artists to your airwaves. I thought about this some more yesterday and here's the debate I keep having with myself: If your station is in a ratings game, about making money and being successful -- then the station cannot afford a lot of opportunities to "break in" new artists. That's why I believe in playing only known, recognizable groups or artists. Granted, there are no guarantees anywhere, but I'd wager a whole lot more on a Gaither Vocal Band song, Gold City song, Greater Vision, or Hoppers song. These groups have hard numbers that tell me they have done extremely well in the past, so I have more evidential reasons to trust these winners. After all, if you're into ratings, success and playing the songs that people are buying, how can you lose? Sure, if you have a really strong gut feeling on an unknown, then roll with it -- but again, it goes back to how much your station can afford. I think that it is a risk to start airing a group/artist that has no proven track record of sales, following, hit songs, etc. Now, the other side of the debate is if your station has a lot of room for error...if you're a non-profit and don't care about ratings, and can afford to play possible "duds" and have a patient audience who will sit through lesser known stuff, even if they don't like it -- then, you have far more freedom to fill your playlists with good quality new music by people we've never heard of. This thought would also apply to stations that are totally ministry oriented and only want to focus on the messages of songs, not the messenger. If a station is that extreme (like some stations that won't even announce the singer's name), then what does it matter, so long the message and quality is good? By no means do I know it all or have it all figured out, but I would love to hear your thoughts on this. As someone already said, we'll probably continue to debate it 'til the cows come home and still not have one definitive answer, but discussion is good for creativity and growth. Send me an email or leave a blog comment. I'm willing to stand corrected! UPDATE: I know my thoughts may sound extreme, but I really do agree: there should be a balance. I just think the scales should lean heavily to the side of "known" artists and only a few of the exceptional unknowns that blow your socks off should be aired (again, this philosophy is for stations that desire the broadest audience). One issue that keeps coming up is the attitude that "if radio doesn't break an artist, how will that artist get played?" Is it really radio's job to be a talent scout? Radio doesn't HAVE to allow that music a chance. What rule is there that says we're obligated? Our job is not to find new talent and give a break to up-and-comings, unless that's what your station's success model is based on. Maybe I'm not cynical enough yet, but I still believe that if you're doing good music and have some savvy business skills, you should be on your way to success (including radio airplay). It may not be overnight (probably won't be), but a grassroots movement starts to take hold and soon you become one of the successful, proven track record artists that is profitable for radio to play. (Lest you think I'm catering to big labels, I'm not. That is only one of many measuring rods. I don't play a song/artist just because it's on a major label, but it does make a good impression). Some have even said that by only playing the top sellers, you're playing a game of follow-the-leader. With all due respect, I'd rather follow a leader than follow a one-hit wonder. But, having said all of what I've said, I think it boils down to this: If you're talking about creating a "revolution" within the Southern Gospel music industry (in other words, SG stations competing against other SG stations to attract listeners), then take a radical approach of putting EVERY ARTIST on an even playing field, irregardless of popularity or past commercial success and consider every single song that crosses your desk. You air the songs that are of high quality and have good messages, period. Then, you'll have a library of new artists and legendary artists and you honestly are not discriminating based on name recognition at all. I really do think you would have a fresh, new sound -- one that is so different I'm sure it would be successful in that environment. Yes, there is more risk, but if it works - it's incredible! But, if you're trying to pit your SG station up against secular counterparts (which I believe is the case with most SG stations -- there aren't many who are competing with another cross-town SG station), then I believe you've got to attract them with the commercial success stories like Crabb, Gaither, Cathedrals, Booth Bros, Martins, Easters, etc... I imagine it's a lot like promoting a concert in your area. Which concert is more likely to sell-out: no-name indie group or a big-name million seller? That really is the only point I'm making here. -Daniel Britt Labels: Observations Tuesday, January 16, 2007Ministry Or Entertainment?It's that time of year again...time for the "is it ministry or entertainment" debate. Danny Jones started it this time. Readers of his blog have now weighed in, as well as fellow blogger Doug Harrison. I've seen this discussion come and go for many years. In that time, I've tried to condense my thoughts on the topic to just a few sentences. 1. Ministry and entertainment are not exclusive, but rather walk hand in hand. 2. Artists who hone their entertainment skills will see more potential for ministry over the long-term than artists who spend their time decrying entertainment. 3. Any artist who performs on a ticketed event has a contractual duty to entertain fans. 4. True ministry happens off the stage much more often than on the stage. 5. True ministry is MORE about using profits to do tangible good in the world and LESS about performing a weepy rehearsed testimony during every concert to stir up an emotional audience. Labels: Observations China is paying attention to Southern GospelHere's an article about the recent Harmony Honors that appeared in "The Global Herald" online news service for Chinese Christians. Just another way "Southern" Gospel is reaching out. -Daniel Britt Labels: In The News Monday, January 15, 2007Independent Creativity, Mass Distribution
Doug Harrison writes:
-----------In the more perfect world I’m imagining, a group like the Hoppers, who have the know-how and experience to produce their own music in the studio, would record an album and administer rights and royalties themselves, buy duplication services from the most competitive bidder, provision digital downloads themselves (or use a contractor), and contract with a label (or again some other contractor who might spring up to take advantage of the opportunity) for access to distrubtion networks. This would be the perfect solution for every artist at the top of their game. Still hire the best musicians and producers, but make the music you want to make without a label looking over your shoulder through the whole process. Then assuming it turns out great, negotiate a deal with a label for distribution. I agree with Doug that depending on your fans to come to your concert or seek you out on the web when you have a new release may not be the best move for the long-term, even if it's more profitable in the short term. The industry needs to grow, and having products in stores is part of that equation. (Of course, radio and concert promotion are the big question marks, but I'll stay off that horse for this blog entry and focus instead on marketing.) Some independent artists have tried dealing directly with distribution companies, but that doesn't generally work. Take a look at a distribution company's list of projects. 99.9% of them are on a label. When distribution companies deal with a label, they're getting a number of releases per year with a guarantee of a certain level of quality across the board. In contrast, independent artists left to their own whims in the recording studio might turn in a terrific project one time, and one with little commercial value the next. The major distribution companies in Christian music...Word/Warner, EMI/CMG, and Brentwood-Benson...aren't going to get caught up in the minutiae of negotiating individual agreements with independent artists. They need the quality control a label can provide in place before they'll agree to expend money promoting a product for sale. There are smaller distribution companies, though, like New Day. When I worked in Christian retail, New Day distributed all sorts of Christian music in addition to Daywind titles. I'm assuming they still do. New Day struck a good balance for product that was typically hard to find, because they weren't in the business of marketing products like the big distributors. They were just a go-to place to find lesser known titles. They did make an effort to let me know what was new, though. A phone rep called me on a weekly basis with a list of titles for my consideration. They had an incentive program for customers, and they allowed product returns. They just didn't send representatives to the store or mail me glossy catalogs and demo recordings every couple of months like the big distributors. Since that time, Daywind has also created a distribution partnership with Word for their more popular releases. It think they'd be smart to take that partnership a step further. Daywind has access to hundreds of independent releases via New Day, and they have the know-how when it comes to judging quality. A number of popular independent artists have CDs that rival the stuff Daywind produces on their own. If Daywind wanted an extra cash flow with very little investment, they could negotiate deals with these independent artists, contingent on Word picking them up for national distribution. Obviously, Daywind's cut would have to be significantly less than what they'd get for a normal Daywind label release, with most of the profits from Word distribution going to the artist. However, it should still be a worthwhile revenue stream, since the burden of producing the recording in would rest on the artist. Either Daywind or Word could assume manufacturing rights on the copies they distributed in order to have hands on quality control over how the product looks on the shelf, but artists could retain manufacturing rights for the CDs they sold directly to consumers as well. Also negotiable would be the size of the advertising budget, which would need to be recouped by whoever spent it before profits could be realized. All that could be hammered out, but it could be a win-win situation for everyone involved, including the artist. I'm just using Daywind as an example, because of their connections with New Day and Word. The same idea might work with Crossroads, which has a connection for distribution via Wal-mart, I believe, or New Haven, which has a connection to Provident Distribution. When the Hoppers turn out a classy project like The Ride, you would think some label would jump at the opportunity to put their stamp of approval on it and help get it into as many hands as possible. Update: It appears Crossroads already does this. Click HERE for one example Labels: Observations Saturday, January 13, 2007Schedule SnapshotAs a follow-up to my Thursday post, I decided to run a few numbers for the sake of comparison. I chose to compare the schedules currently posted on the official websites of Ernie Haase & Signature Sound, the Kingsmen, the Perrys, Young Harmony, McKameys, Inspirations, Kingdom Heirs, Gaither Vocal Band, Crabb Family, and Greater Vision. Every experiment needs a control for comparison, so I threw in a couple of Country artists who sing gospel music as well: the Oak Ridge Boys and Randy Travis. Multiple appearances on the same day weren't considered to be separate dates unless the locations were different. I listed the number of months in addition to the number of dates...realizing that some artists only list dates that are in the near future (or recent past). Not knowing how often an artist might perform on a multi-day cruise, I decided it would be simpler to leave cruises out of the data entirely. Almost every group on the list had at least one cruise scheduled. Greater Vision has two. I listed the percentage of "big dates" based on appearances that were part of a multi-group tour and/or in large venues with seating in the multi-thousands. This is the most subjective column on the chart, because I had to guess at some. I also listed the percentage of dates where the artist made more than one appearance at the same location over consecutive days. (I didn't count multiple appearances at the same location on the same date, however.) I did all of this just to see which groups are working the hardest and for what level of potential return. Here's what I learned:
Some results don't tell the whole story. Several websites had a number of months listed, and then just one or two dates for a later month. Others had been updated since the first of the year, so their January schedule was partial. In these cases, the average dates per month would have been even higher. Of course, there were some who had all of 2007 up, and these groups may add more dates as the year progresses. Also, I wasn't able to find the 20007 Dollywood schedule for the Kingdom Heirs, so their numbers don't really give a true reflection of how much they travel. Their multi-day percentage is probably in the 75% range. The fact that people regularly go to them rather than them going to the people as a general rule speaks to their popularity. While the chart isn't perfect, some conclusions can still be drawn. The only true "world class" Southern Gospel group examined in this survey is the Gaither Vocal Band. They never perform to a small crowd and they work fewer dates per month than any other group including the Oak Ridge Boys. (Though the chart indicates otherwise, Randy Travis probably works less than the GVB. The dates listed here were for March and April only with nothing listed for January or February, so it appears his tours are sporadic.) Groups like Young Harmony, who may not be considered by some to be "top tier," actually appear to be working more big dates than some of the others. Their percentage was boosted by their participation in a 20-city tour with other artists. I don't know how popular the tour actually is, unfortunately. The Inspirations are like a machine. They work every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, averaging 12 dates per month, and they do it without working on Sundays. When you consider that most other groups in this survey are doing a number of dates at churches on Sundays when the crowd is "built-in," you have to conclude that the Inspirations are one of the most popular groups in the business...despite their lower percentage of really big dates. Labels: Observations Thursday, January 11, 2007Outcome Still PendingA blog comment posted HERE yesterday asked if the March 2006 lawsuit filed by Milwaukee, WI lawyer, Kevin Demet, alleging fraud against gospel singing star and Homecoming cast member, Jessy Dixon, had been resolved. According to the reporter, Gina Barton, who wrote the original article (and who I mistakenly listed as "Gail" in my original article linked above), it has not. Labels: In The News Music, Books, and Why SG Is Still FlounderingThere's a great discussion going on right now in the SGN forum. Click HERE. The thread began with the question "Where do you buy your SG quartet CDs?" After three pages, the discussion has turned to the music industry. Some questions have been raised about whether or not artists make any significant income from label projects in SG and other genres. Comparisons have also been made to the book publishing industry. From all I've read and absorbed on these respective industries, I believe there are some key contrasts that should be examined. First of all, in book publishing, proven writers usually get an "advance" against royalties. The amount of an advance is determined by projected sales based on the writer's previous works. In most cases, the writer gets half when the contract is signed and the other half when the manuscript is delivered. This assures an author they'll at least get paid something for the time and effort it takes to write the book. Sales of the book must recoup all expenses (including the advance) before the author gets any residual income out of it. While there's probably some exceptions, music artists don't typically get this sort of deal. There's a very good reason, especially in Southern Gospel. Most successful recordings are a team effort. In contrast, with a book, one person typically does 90% of the creative work. With Southern Gospel, the people paid by the record label (producers, musicians, mixers, mastering pros, etc.) are often providing more creative input than the artists who appear on the cover. If a recording is popular enough, everyone gets paid, but the artist on the cover is usually the last one who gets paid directly. Why? Well, the people who are paid up front for their work on a recording usually remain behind the scenes. The success of a label financed CD should be measured by how much it elevates a group's popularity (which is translated into concert revenue), not by how much direct income it creates for a group from CD sales. In contrast, authors don't perform books...or if they do, public readings certainly aren't their primary source of income. The book itself IS the product. In the music industry, the CD really isn't the final product. CD's are merely another piece of marketing to get people to come to a concert. Sure, you can sell CDs AT a concert as an artist and do very well in terms of net profit vs. the cost of CD manufacturing which you pay the label...but you have to get people TO the concert first. The Southern Gospel music industry really isn't a well oiled machine at this stage of the game...which can be viewed as good on one hand, but it also has a costly downside. It's good, because we don't have so much meaningless fluff being propelled to the top by sheer marketing, sex appeal, payola, record promotion techniques, etc. This heavy handed promotion has stifled creativity in the pop industry and to a large part, mainstream country music. The downside is that the very best artists in SG must work themselves to death in order to make ends meet. Groups that should be singing to crowds averaging 5,000 per night, 50 nights per year, with a $30 ticket price are instead singing to crowds of 1000 or less per night, 200 nights or more per year, with a $12 ticket in a concert hall or for a small flat plus a love offering at a church. By the way, this is NOT the fault of tight fisted existing fans who often get the blame. The blame can be squarely placed at the feet of Southern Gospel radio (which is generally a joke) as well as concert promoters who pair quality groups with inferior quality talent and then treat them as equals. But I think it goes even deeper than that. We don't have enough marketing people in the industry who are capable of convincing FRESH FACES to buy our music. Of the two or three artists that do meet the "mega" criteria in SG, what do they have that equally talented groups don't? They have excellent marketing. It's that simple. Labels: Observations Wannabe Bass Singer AlertSulfur Hexaflouride is five times as heavy as air. Inhaling this gas causes your voice to drop, the opposite effect of helium. The gas is non-toxic, so I guess it's safer than smoking cigarettes to lower your voice! I don't know how often you'd have to snort it to maintain a lowered voice...probably no more than some singers hit their water bottle. :o) Heavier than air gases provide some interesting experiments. Click HERE to read more about it. View the video above to see a tin foil boat floating in mid-air with no evident support. Labels: Odds and Ends Wednesday, January 10, 2007AUDIO/PODCAST INTERVIEW>> Joel & LaBreeska HemphillHere's an in-depth interview with Joel & LaBreeska Hemphill about their music, songwriting, family, struggles, and faith. Enjoy! -Daniel Britt Labels: audio, Interviews, podcast Monday, January 08, 2007Is It A Duet Or A Trio? The Mike Bowling Group is no more, but never fear...the group is now known as Mike and Kelly Bowling.
The format of the group is not shifting to a duet as you might assume from the name change, though. Joining the popular couple will be tenor, Jeff Snyder, putting Mike and Kelly Bowling in the trio category. Why not? It works for Jeff and Sheri Easter. Snyder is an Owensboro, KY native. He has been singing with Mike and Kelly since November, according to their press release. Snyder is a graduate of Kentucky Mountain Bible College where he earned a degree in Theology. Also joining the group is pianist, Roy Collett. No credentials for Collett were provided in the press release. "Free Trials" To AvoidEveryone who uses the internet (that would include you, obviously) should read THIS.
Saturday, January 06, 2007CD Review: Hope's Call (Live To Love) RATING: 4 Stars
Label: Daywind Records Website: www.hopescall.com Producers: Kevin Ward & Hope's Call Song Titles: (click links for song clips) "He Lives To Love," "So Glad It Rained," "Love's Call," "He Still Does," "In Jesus' Name," "We're Home," "Never Been Broken," "I Still Am Your Child," "How Lovely Is The One," "Too Far Away," "Good News Bad," "We Shall Behold Him," and "You Are Loved" Live To Love by Hope's Call is outstanding in almost every area that counts. Vocals, production, and packaging quality in particular are top notch. Most groups feel lucky if they have one or two vocal stars, but Hope's Call has been blessed with three. Each syllable is pronounced with a pre-conceived precision that is appropriate for the lyric, and conveys the message of each song with maximum effect. Hope's Call members Donna Beauvais, Jessica Harrison and Eddie Harrison have a sound that could be described as Phillips, Craig, and Dean meets Lordsong with a dash of Sandi Patty on the side. If you're looking specifically for traditional Southern Gospel tracks in the vein of "Singing Heaven's Song," you won't find any on Live To Love, but if you've been attracted to the impressive vocal talents of Hope's Call in the past regardless of what style they were singing at the time, you should be delighted. Unfortunately, several selections on Live To Love tend to be overly wordy and not so memorable, particularly the songs positioned at the beginning and middle of the CD. "Love's Call," which tells the story of Hosea buying his wife off the auction block, is one exception. Don't misunderstand...there's plenty to enjoy. The music is anything but boring and the vocal arrangements would be worth hearing even if Hope's Call was singing their A-B-Cs. It's not until we get to "Too Far Away," positioned at track 10, that we get a really well-written song with a lyrical hook that has the potential to stick in a listener's mind, though. The chorus of "Too Far Away" begins "You're never too far away" and ends "You can never get too far away from God, for God will never get too far away from you." Fortunately, this track is the first radio single from Live To Love. Now, it's not like the preceding songs are entirely hookless. "He Still Does" uses the song title as a hook, but it's a bit blah to begin with and then it's vamped to death. To give you an indication of just how wordy most of the new songs are on Live To Love, the classic "We Shall Behold Him" is just shy of six minutes in length, and it's the longest song on the CD by far. But the actual lyric for 'We Shall Behold Him" is the shortest. Dottie Rambo knows how to make an impact without rambling when she writes a song. Of course, it's possible to be effective and still use a ton of words. "Good News Bad" is a good example of a rapid fire delivery grabbing and holding your attention. "Love's Call," which I mentioned above, is also fairly lengthy. Generally speaking, though, it's difficult to create a memorable experience for a listener when too much information is crammed into four minutes. By the way, I should mention that the first eleven tracks on Live To Love are brand new for 2007. The project closes with 1980's "We Shall Behold Him" and 2003's "You Are Loved" (performed with only a piano for accompaniment). "Good News Bad" provides a few minutes of sonic variety and fun prior to "We Shall Behold Him" with a Delta Blues bass line overlaid with brass, an energetic bridge in the style of a gospel choir, and a non-proper English line that serves as the song's hook: "We need some good news...bad!" Preach it... I expect Hope's Call will get good mileage from Live To Love. They're just shy of having the total package with this recording, but it should still attract new fans. The great moments are mostly saved for the end, but there's a total of 53 minutes in all. If slick production quality, impressive vocals, and a progressive musical vibe are what you desire, you will get your money's worth with Live To Love. Friday, January 05, 2007AUDIO/PODCAST INTERVIEW>> Crist FamilyThis is one great family group. I "stumbled" across them, actually, by listening to XM 34, believe it or not. Their story is cool, too and I think you'll enjoy getting to know better: The Crist Family. -Daniel Britt Labels: audio, Interviews, podcast Thursday, January 04, 2007Tourists Love To Look At Stuff I know my last few posts have been all over the topical map, but please indulge me one more time. I was just reading about Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his privately funded spacecraft. Take a look at this image. This is the craft that you'll be riding in when Bezos and company (Blue Origin) begin taking tourists to the "edge of space," hopefully by 2010. Click HERE to check out the coverage. Here's a bit of the article: Bezos founded Blue Origin in 2000, with the aim of developing a new type of vertical-takeoff, vertical-landing rocket ship capable of taking passengers to the edge of space. At altitudes in excess of 62 miles (100 kilometers), customers should be able to scan Earth's curving expanse beneath a black sky, experience a few minutes of weightlessness and justifiably brag afterward that they've been to outer space. Sounds great, but I've seen the photo and I have a question. How are we supposed to "scan Earth's curving expanse" when the darn thing doesn't have a single window? You can read more about it HERE. Hey, I'm pulling for him anyway. Bezos has done a great job with Amazon.com so far. When a guy is as focused as Bezos is on delivering great products at an affordable price, the idea of adding windows is bound to occur to him before he starts selling tickets. Labels: In The News, Observations Wednesday, January 03, 2007Gloria Gaither admitted to the Emergency Room last nightI talked to Bill Gaither just now and he mentioned that Gloria had to be taken to the Emergency Room last night. He didn't specify why but he said something about the fact that she can't talk right now... Details aren't necessary to pray, so pray away! UPDATE>> From Emily Southerland at the Gaither headquarters: Gloria has been struggling with bronchitis, so she wanted to make sure it didn't go into pneumonia. The chest x-ray was clear and she is just fine. Thanks for the prayers. -Daniel Britt Labels: In The News Tuesday, January 02, 2007Do I Feel Stoopid...Around 1986, I bought a Ray Stevens cassette titled Surely You Joust. The next to last song is told from a father's perspective as he sends his son off to summer camp. I have heard this song from time to time for 20 years, now, and only just a few minutes ago did I realize I never really understood the title.
The song is called "Camp Werthahekahwee." The chorus goes something like: Camp Werthahekahwee, Just an old Indian name. It was started by Chief Doggone If I Know Way back in the Indian days, It seemed he never found his way out of Camp Werthahekahwee I always thought the title was just a nonsense word. When I had my miraculous revelation a few minutes ago, I wasn't even listening to the song at the time. It suddenly popped in my head for no good reason, and it was just now, after 20 years, that I realized the name of the camp is a QUESTION that's answered by the name of the CHIEF! 20 years....boy, do I feel stoopid. Fortunately, this is the only Ray Stevens lyric that has been too deep for me on a comical level. At least, I hope so. You don't think "dooright" is a pun for anything, do you? 
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