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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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Most Recent Articles
Why blog? (Three years and counting)
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-----------August 7, 2007How Many Ways Can You Avoid Saying "Gold City?"How many ways can you avoid using the words "Gold City" while simultaneously milking the reputation of the organization for every ounce of publicity it's worth? I just got this press release from Daywind Records. AN EVENING OF GOLDEN MOMENTS Artists Gather to Remember A Golden Era Birmingham, AL (August 7, 2007) – Buno Productions presents An Evening Of Golden Moments with three of Gospel music’s leading artists. On August 27, 2007, Daywind Records’ artists, Brian Free and Garry Jones and Horizon Records’ artist, Ivan Parker will take center stage, together, at the Bessemer Civic Center in Bessemer, AL, for an evening of music and memories. “It’s been a long time since Brian, Ivan and I were together on the same stage,” stated Jones. “We’ve shared many wonderful moments and memories together through the years. It was a very special time and I am excited about performing with my friends again.” These three friends toured extensively together throughout the 80’s and early 90’s before venturing into their individual musical careers. Garry Jones currently performs and records with Mercy’s Mark; Brian Free is scheduled to release his latest record with Brian Free and Assurance this fall, while Ivan Parker tours extensively promoting his solo recording. The profound and historical impact their music made on Southern Gospel is still talked about today. Along with a live band, this concert will feature many popular songs from that golden era including “I Think I’ll Read It Again,” “John Saw,” “When I Get Carried Away,” and “Midnight Cry.” With special guest performances by Brian Free and Assurance and Mercy’s Mark, this will be a night of celebration you won’t want to miss. I fully understand why a press release such as this would avoid refering to the event as a "Gold City Reunion." It isn't an official Gold City reunion, obviously...just an event where three former members of the group will be appearing. What I don't get is the tiptoeing around any direct use of the name. "These three friends toured extensively together throughout the 80’s (sic) and early 90’s (sic)" Now, what would be wrong with adding "as members of the award winning group, Gold City" to that sentence? Nothing at all. It's a simple statement of fact. Maybe they're trying to avoid upsetting the current owners of Gold City, but there's little argument to be made with merely stating what we all know to be true. Labels: Observations August 6, 2007Tim Surrett and Balsam Range This past weekend when the Carolina Quartet was in Burnsville, NC performing and providing sound for all the other performers at the Mount Mitchell Crafts Fair, someone mentioned that Tim Surrett is playing bluegrass again. I did a little digging just now and found out the group Tim has joined is called Balsam Range. They have a website. They've already shared the stage with the likes of Rhonda Vincent and Tony Rice. Not shabby! There's some audio clips of the band to be heard. (Click here, here, here, here, and then here.) This stuff was recorded in Rutherford County (where I live) at the studios of radio station, WNCW. The website also has some NTG video. (NTG=not too good=shaky, hard to see, shot from a balcony) The full list of band members includes: Marc Pruett (Banjo), Caleb Smith (Guitar), Darren Nicholson (Mandolin), Tim Surrett (Bass), and Buddy Melton (Fiddle). Some time ago, I caught some flack from Kingsmen fans for saying Surrett's best music was made during his stint with the Isaacs. Sure, he loves Southern Gospel, and Southern Gospel loves him for all the work he did with the Kingsmen. Vocally, however, Southern Gospel, and the Kingsmen's style in particular was killing him. In a bluegrass setting, he excels. I guess I got my wish when I said I hoped he'd find his way back to bluegrass. Labels: audio, Observations Imperials "All That Matters To The Lord"I just read that the Imperials have released "All That Matters To The Lord" as a single for Southern Gospel radio. This is a fun, lighthearted song with a retro, 1960s feel. If you're a DJ reading this, I'd encourage you to give this song some spins. I don't think it's a potential number one or anything like that, but it sounds different enough from most of the current material that it should stand out on your play list. Labels: Observations July 28, 2007Word Reps' Canaan Comments Shot DownThere's a news story on Reuters that more or less shoots down the info Daniel Mount was given at a trade convention a few weeks ago regarding the immediate future of Canaan Records. On the question of whether or not Canaan's music will be available in digital formats, there's a quote by Dean Hopper: Dean Hopper said he's particularly excited about the label's digital initiatives. "The digital age is here. How are we going to compete? How are we going to move our music into the future? I think Word has got the best handle on that." Granted, there are no details and Daniel's question was regarding back catalog, not the Hoppers. At the very least, though, it appears Canaan will make sure the music of the Hoppers is available via digital distribution channels. Let's hope they consider their old material worthy of digital distribution as well. Another sentence that caught my attention addressed Daniel's question of whether or not Canaan plans to sign artists other than the Hoppers. Rod Riley used to be my telephone rep at Provident back when I worked in Christian retail. Rod followed his father-in-law from Provident to Word, and he's now Word's Senior Vice President of marketing. In this Reuters article, the final sentence quotes Rod: Riley said the label is negotiating with other artists and will announce additional signings soon. This is good news. What artists would you go after if you were making signing decisions for Canaan Records? Leave a comment with your "advice" to the label. Labels: In The News, Observations July 26, 2007Are All Hearts And Minds In Agreement?I just discovered a blog that interests me. The author doesn't give his name, but his byline is "TheGodFearingFiddler." He used to play fiddle in a Southern Gospel group. His favorite musical genres are "sacred/traditional chant (especially Eastern/Byzantine) and southern gospel/bluegrass." It gets more interesting... His uncle is a professional in "one of the most well known Southern Gospel groups." Which one? He's a recent convert to Catholicism. He "can quote the entire gospel of Mark in the NIV from start to finish (takes about 2 hours)." He's translating a Jarai/English dictionary for a people group indigenous to Vietnam. This is not your stereotypical Southern Gospel fan...or is it? I just learned enough about him to realize he's not at all like me, but I'd sure like to know what group he played for and his uncle's name. When you attend a Southern Gospel concert, do you assume the rest of the audience is a lot like you? I do to a certain degree. Sure, I realize there's variations in denominations and probably some "minor issues," but we're all obviously Christians who enjoy the same type of music. At least, those are the first thoughts that pop into my mind. I'm a Southern Baptist, for example. I know various other denominations are represented at any concert I attend, but I naturally assume most of them are Southern Baptists like me...or if the crowd gets lively and someone takes a running fit, I assume most of them are some pentecostal variant. The truth is, they may be 90% Southern Baptist or 10% Southern Baptist regardless of the situation. I really have no way of knowing for sure, short of a poll being taken. I think I'd enjoy finding out how everyone around me compares and contrasts on various issues, but it just isn't possible given the number of people who are randomly in a room on any given night and the limited time I have to speak with each of them. At least, I can never know what they think in the same sense that God does. Come to think of it, maybe it's better if I don't know too many details. Many lengthy and tiresome discussions are probably avoided when we don't realize a disagreement exists. This reminds me of a joke: Two guys meet on a bridge and start comparing their similarities. They discover, to their pleasant surprise, that they are the same faith, the same denomination, the same creed, and the same constitution. However, when one man learns the other subscribes to conclusions of a church council that met in 1879 rather than the council that met in 1856, he exclaims, "Heretic!" and pushes him into the raging river far below. Isn't that the way it is most of the time? People who align themselves with various groups usually don't even agree with everything the group as a whole claims to represent. When we all meet "in one accord," whether it's at a public concert or at a worship service in our own church, I believe most of us tend to project our own religion, values, morality, ethics, and doctrines on to those around us. That is, unless you're rubbed the wrong way, in which case you leap to the opposite conclusion, that everyone there disagrees with you on everything...which is equally wrong. The truth must lie somewhere in between. Labels: Observations, Other Blogs July 25, 2007On The Crabb FamilyThe end of an era is coming in a few days. The Crabb Family took the Southern Gospel industry by storm in 1996. By 1998, they had their first number one song on the Singing News chart, "Please Forgive Me." I first saw them in 1998 at NQC, where they captivated the crowd with this song. The song held the top position for four months (Jul-Oct), an accomplish they would never repeat...the four month stay at the top, that is...they would have 13 more number one songs over the next seven and a half years, though. Their record of 14 numbers ones was set in October 2005. They held this record alone until it was matched in August 2006 by the McKameys. (The McKameys' chart toppers are spread over 22 years.) July 31, 2007 will mark the official "end" of the Crabb Family as a touring group. The siblings will be starting various ministries...not before they leave us with a final recording, however, titled Letting Go. A song "Child Of The King" will be the first release from the new recording that attempts to add to the already impressive string of number one songs for the group. I believe it's safe to say no other Southern Gospel group has provided us with such a wide diversity of musical styles in such a short time. From the National Quartet Convention to Brooklyn Tabernacle, the Crabb Family crossed stylistic barriers to take their music to the masses. They also brought us a degree of drama when traditional fans felt they had gone "too contemporary" with their music and/or appearance or when the outward appearance of marital bliss came crashing down. I have a feeling some fans will miss them for one reason and some will miss them for the other. I'll miss the Crabb Family, because when opening a new CD, I never quite knew what to expect. Driven remains my favorite Crabb Family CD. I'm looking forward to hearing the music they will create post-split. Labels: In The News, Observations July 20, 2007Undercut Artists Or Bold Marketing Approach?SGBlognew sez: Looks like Crossroads Music has a new website where they are featuring their newest recordings for only $9.99. Also for a limited time with every purchase, you will receive Crossroads Chartbusters Vol.1 at no charge. Looks like a great deal, but it sure undercuts their own artists (clients). No, not really. Customers who only buy music direct from their favorite artists aren't very likely to change those buying habits as a result of this. Besides, fans who are in the habit of shopping online and actively seeking out the best price are ALREADY getting their music from companies like CBD, Amazon, Springside, and others. It won't matter to the artist if they go to Crossroads Direct rather than one of those outlets. In fact, it may actually help if the lower price point causes an increase in the overall volume of sales. Let's do a simple comparison to illustrate this point. Before Crossroads Direct launched, the Inspirations latest CD, Things Are Different Now, could be bought online directly from the Inspirations site for $17, from Springside.com for $15.95, from Amazon.com for $18.98, and from CBD.com for 11.99. (The Amazon price is out of character for Amazon, which is usually more competitive. They also list it as a "pre-order," for some reason.) By selling directly to individual customers, Crossroads is simply passing part of the discount they give to those companies along. It's called "cutting out the middle man," and it's been tried by manufacturers with varying degrees of success for many years. Whether or not it's successful in this case will depend on how many additional customer service issues arise from dealing with individual buyers vs. those who buy in bulk. All they're selling is pieces of plastic and some paper with color printing on it, so the main issue will be breakage as long as they're capable of putting the right CD in each package. The artist isn't hurt, and in fact, could be affected positively. There's a theoretical point in almost every recording contract where labels recoup their investment and the artist starts getting a cut of all future sales. Due to low volume of sales, many Southern Gospel products never reach that point, so the artist sees nothing in the way of profit other than from the units they sell directly to customers themselves. If Crossroads increases volume while taking no hit on profit per unit (they're avoiding giving discounts to third-party distributors), they will reach the "break even" recoup point more frequently. Crossroads is taking a bold approach by underpricing their nearest competitor (CBD.com) by $2 per unit. Only time will tell if it was bold enough to pay off. The actual downside is they're risking their business relationships with companies like CBD, Amazon, Springside and others. It's their job to sell as many pieces of product as possible, because doing so makes the artist more popular. Selling direct rather than allowing companies like CBD, Amazon, and Springside to get a cut could cause those companies to say, "Fine. Sell all your music direct if you don't need us anymore and see how well you do without any access to our established customer base." I haven't mentioned digital downloads, but these are increasingly playing a factor. Few artists currently offer this as an option for customers who shop their websites. Some are finally beginning to explore this area. To me, it makes perfect sense for the label website to be the point where digital downloads of individual songs are sold directly to customers. In fact, it really makes NO sense why they aren't already doing this. Hopefully, that will be on the agenda for this new venture by Crossroads. If you could buy an entire CD as a download for $9.99 or the physical CD for $9.99 plus shipping costs, that would go a long way towards convincing customers to buy more product and it should attract new customers who currently feel that $15 is much more than any CD is worth. Labels: Observations, Other Blogs July 19, 2007BSafe's Apology AcceptedI am pleased to report that BSafe has apologized for categorizing this blog as being one that promotes cults. One of their reps explained via email that the error occurred when they combined databases with another filtering company last weekend. She said they would be reclassifying this blog under the "Reference" category where it would not be blocked. Whether they do or don't, I've done all the complaining I intend to do. In the words of President George H. W. Bush at the end of Desert Storm, "This war is over." Unfortunately, the "Reference" category isn't defined in BSafe's FAQ, so I can't confirm whether or not it's a category BSafe blocks by default. The BSafe rep also explained that ALL blogs are typically blocked by default under a category called "Web Logs," but that the end user sees "Free Hosts" as the category instead. She admitted this is misleading. Unfornately, BSafe appears to take a witch hunt approach to blogs in general, "because users of WEB LOGS can put whatever content they wish on their site. One day it may be completely innocent, the next it can be inappropriate" (the BSafe rep's words). As kindly as I knew how, I pointed out that the same holds true for ANY website. A perfectly decent website today may contain something you'd rather not see the next. Check out CNN.com, for a good example. :o) Seriously, though, the language patterns, content scope, etc. are clearly set down in most blogs, because the standard practice of most blogs is to archive past articles. In the case of this blog, it's been archived since day one. Labels: Observations BSafe (and Fabricate Fiction If You Gotta) Online The BSafe saga continues. It seems someone contacted the company today to let them know that my site and Daniel Mount's site aren't promoting cults. Now, the screen shot above reveals this blog is no longer classified as "news" or "cults." This is good, right? Wrong. They merely changed the classification of Musicscribe to "Free Hosts," another category that is blocked by default from all users. The BSafe FAQ describes their "Free Hosts" category as: Free Hosts (blocked by default) Sites that are hosted by consumer-oriented free hosts or ISPs, including such sites as myspace.com, facebook.com, Geocities.com, and xanga.com. Musicscribe doesn't belong in that category either. I'm not acting as a free host for anyone. I don't provide a place for freeloaders to upload content. When I create and/or host a website, the customer pays for it. Oh, and my client list is something like five...hardly in the same league as MySpace. You really have to wonder how I managed to catch the attention of BSafe in the first place. Meanwhile, another friend who used to visit my site daily just wrote to tell me his employer has set up a firewall that is blocking him from viewing my blog. Their excuse is my "message board." Do you think they might be nice enough to point it out to me? I don't have a message board! What a bunch of losers. Labels: Observations July 16, 2007BSafe (and Stupid) OnlineDaniel Mount has been telling me for some time that he couldn't leave comments on my blog due to his American Family Association approved internet filter, BSafeOnline. This internet filter has also been endorsed by such well known heavyweights as Dave Ramsey, Chuck Swindoll, and Michael Medved. Daniel got a little more concerned when the filter blocked him from viewing his OWN blog. Now it won't let him look at Sogospelnews.com either. I took a look at BSafe's website. It appears Daniel must have paid $49.95 for the privilege of being blocked from such potentially harmful content as "news." In BSafe's FAQ, one question reads: Under what criteria does your filter block sites? A number of categories are listed, including: News Sites that are dedicated to the distribution of news, current events and headlines. This would also include news commentaries, and news blogs. Daniel says Musicscribe and his own blog were both blocked under the category of "news cult." The FAQ at BSafe's website doesn't list the two words as a combined category, but the "cult" category is listed separately: Cults (blocked by default) Sites that encourage cult lifestyles, such as female enslavement, body mutilation, etc. Musicscribe has NEVER been used to encourage anything remotely related to a cult. I'm a SOUTHERN BAPTIST, for crying out loud (and a conservative one at that). This site is mainly an outlet for CD reviews and personal observations about the Southern Gospel music industry. The only thing that ever stands a risk of being hurt around here is a recording artist's ego, and hey, they willingly volunteer for my critiques. Could it be that BSafe mistakes Southern Gospel music fans for a "cult?" I have no idea. Hmm...I wonder if BSafe is familiar with the legal term "defamation of character." Any pro-bono lawyers out there want to take a crack at this? I could sure use the cash from a nice hefty settlement. At the very least, Daniel should get a refund for whatever he paid them. He clearly didn't expect to be blocked from his own site when he paid for this so-called "service." I will be writing separate letters to all the major companies, talk show hosts, and radio broadcasters who endorse this ridiculous, overreaching product. If your goal is to be blissfully ignorant of such potentially damaging sites as those who publish news...the nerve..., then go ahead and send BSafe $49.95. If not, I join Daniel in encouraging you to save your cash. Seriously, if you have children who access the internet, the best policy I can suggest is giving them personal supervision rather than relying on any sort of software "net nanny" to do the job of parenting on your behalf. If you're afraid there's something out there that YOU might run across by accident, you're probably correct. Rather than shelling out cash, though, I would submit that clicking the little X in the upper right corner of your browser is a lot cheaper and less of a hassle. Labels: Observations, Other Blogs July 12, 2007Canaan Records - A Lot Of Hot Air?Daniel Mount spoke with a Word music rep today regarding the immediate future of Canaan Records. The responses he received weren't very encouraging. Let's take it thought by thought... Daniel says, I talked with a representative of Word Entertainment about the future of their Canaan Records label. He said that other than the Hoppers’ The Ride project, Southern Gospel fans can be looking for compilations of songs from popular groups in Canaan’s old days. So far, so good. What other artists will Canaan be signing? Will we be able to buy these great old performances on iTunes? Read on... Daniel sez: I decided to go out on a limb and ask whether they were in talks with any other artist. They said that they were not–that they would just focus on promoting The Ride and their old compilations. I guess I'm just missing the whole point of why Canaan Records was revived. Word brought back this old revered label in order to just release compilations and, oh yeah, one current CD which will be over a year old by the time they finally get it into stores. And this requires a label head of Dave Clark's stature to pull off? I really don't get it. Daniel follows up with another pertinent question: I also asked whether there was any chance they could release some of their back catalog as digital downloads. The Word/Canaan representative said that it was quite unlikely, though not necessarily impossible–but definitely not a priority for them. "Quite unlikely." I'm telling you, Canaan is really missing the boat. Pumping out compilations with low profit margins, carrying a few established names and failing to devote any sort of energy to developing decent new talent was the business model that drove Benson Records into bankruptcy a decade ago. It's not encouraging at all to learn that Canaan is starting out this way, as opposed to being driven to it. A la carte digital delivery of music is no longer the wave of the future. It's the way more and more people every day are buying music right NOW. I'm totally baffled that a company such as Word would go to all this effort, yet completely ignore current buying trends. I'm hoping and praying that the Word rep Daniel spoke with simply didn't know what he was talking about. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your perspective), it wouldn't be the first time. (I speak from personal experience.) Labels: Observations, Other Blogs June 26, 2007RIAA Gets Sued...Shoe's On The Other FootLink to story Beaverton (OR) – Former RIAA defendant Tanya Andersen is now suing the major record labels and the RIAA for negligent and illegal investigation and prosecution. In a thirteen count civil suit filed in Oregon District Court, she alleges that record labels didn’t use properly licensed investigators and violated her privacy. You may remember Andersen as the single mother who was accused of illegally downloaded music through peer to peer networks. After a two-year legal battle, she forced the RIAA to dismiss the case with prejudice. You can read all the legal torment that Tanya Andersen was forced to endure by clicking HERE. Read the summary of her counter suit HERE. It contains such gems as "Settlement Support Center also falsely claimed that Ms. Andersen had 'been viewed' by MediaSentry downloading 'gangster rap' music at 4:24 a.m. Settlement Support Center also falsely claimed that Ms. Andersen had used the login name 'gotenkito@kazaa.com.' Ms. Andersen does not like 'gangster rap,' does not recognize the name 'gotenkito,' is not awake at 4:24 a.m. and has never downloaded music." To sum it up, the RIAA sued a disabled 42-year old single mother in Oregon two years ago, accusing her of illegally downloading music from the internet. Her daughter was 7 when the alleged copyright infringement occurred. Among other things, the RIAA demanded to interview her daughter face-to-face, three years after the alleged violations were said to have occurred. Ultimately, the case was dismissed "with prejudice" (meaning Andersen was free to seek to recover her expenses incurred for the lawsuit). Andersen has now filed her own lawsuit against the music industry. This could be a landmark case. The tide of RIAA abuse could be turning, pending the result. I'm all for using music legally. I don't advocate downloading copies of songs you don't own in some legal form. However, the RIAA has been emboldened by some bad law in recent years and as a result, they're finally getting some much deserved egg on their faces. If you're an artist or songwriter who thinks whatever the RIAA does on your behalf is well and good, consider the following... The RIAA attempts to collect $750 PER SONG for every illegal file discovered in a violator's possession. These are songs that can be been purchased legally for less than $1.00 each. How could this possibly be considered a reasonable penalty? The RIAA makes the Internal Revenue Service appear almost as forgiving as God Himself. For contrast, if you break federal law by failing to file a tax return, the IRS levies a 25% penalty plus interest (6% annually). For each month you fail to pay the penalty, you're charged an additional .5%. If the RIAA were the IRS, you'd pay less than $2 per song if you got caught stealing. $750 per song is only the beginning, though. That's just for civil cases. It gets much worse if the RIAA wins in criminal court. For a first time offense, a violator could theoretically be fined $250,000 and spend FIVE YEARS in prison. For comparison, I once sat on the jury for a criminal court case where we agreed to convict a man for voluntary manslaughter. The judge only sentenced him to FOUR years. Something is seriously out of whack in our society when stealing a song carries a more serious conviction that killing a man. But that would be only for a truly serious violation, right? Maybe not...the RIAA's website asks, "Don’t you have a better way to spend five years and $250,000?" Directly below this question is a list of examples of what could cause you to suffer such a fate. The first example reads, "Somebody you don’t even know e-mails you a copy of a copyrighted song and then you turn around and e-mail copies to all of your friends." The implied threat is that even if you obtain one file, not of your own free will, and share it with people you do know, you could go to jail and owe more money than the total income of the average person multiplied by several years. If that's not proof enough that the RIAA might sue you in criminal court for a minor violation, consider the case of Tanya Andersen...a woman who was sued without a shred of merit. According to reports, she had never even heard of file sharing at the time she was sued. Let's hope her countersuit takes some of the wind out of the RIAA's over-inflated sails. Labels: Copyright Law, In The News, Observations June 19, 2007Weird Press Release RequirementI was looking over Palmetto State Quartet's website and noticed this weird requirement they have posted above their press releases: Written permission is not required to publicize this information in any form of media (print, internet, radio, etc.) so long as it is reproduced or disseminated in its entirety. Whoever wrote that little gem is evidently unfamiliar with the section of federal law that goes: the fair use of a copyrighted work...for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. (The emphasis on "news reporting" is mine.) I can see why a group might like to invent a law or policy out of thin air to suit their personal preferences, but fortunately for all of us, that isn't the way it works. The fact of the matter is that there's a bit of a debate on whether a piece of written text specifically labeled as a "press release" is protected by any sort of copyright in the first place. Saying "you can run this with no fear of us pressing charges, but only if you run it all" is rather self-defeating, especially when you consider traditional print media outlets where space for reporting news items is always limited. Labels: Copyright Law, Observations Peace Back On The Road.. We're not sure whySGReporter Update 06/19/07 JEREMY PEACE BACK ON THE ROAD.. WE'RE NOT SURE WHY Peace says: "Southern Gospel is not exploding, but simply imploding on itself." read the story here: Labels: In The News, Observations June 12, 2007In The Studio With The Talley TrioMickey Gamble suggested that I devote this entire blog post to Debra Talley's chocolate cobbler. I don't want to steal from the well that inspires Jerry Kirksey's writing, though. Besides, no matter how well I describe it, you can't really appreciate it unless you taste it. I'll just say that if you ever do get the chance to try out a Debra Talley dessert, you'll definitely want to take advantage of the opportunity. I drove up to Asheville this morning to hear David Johnson, Jeremy Medkiff, Jason Webb, and Tony Creasman lay down a track for the upcoming Talley Trio CD. Roger, Debra and Lauren were also on hand and Jack Mascari was handling engineering duties. Jason Webb is one of the most talented and versatile keyboard players in the business, and I've been a David Johnson fan for some time now. Johnson is responsible for 90% or so of the tracks you'll hear on the upcoming Carolina Quartet CD. Of course, the other studio players that were on hand today are top quality as well. I suppose the most enjoyable aspect for me with regard to the players was listening to them loosen up before the actual tracking began. Webb can play anything from difficult classical pieces to Bruce Hornsby inspired licks to mocking a nervous church pianist's runs.  The lovely Lauren Talley took time to explain the concept of the new CD to me. They'll be including a few guest vocalists including some members of a group Debra sang with years ago, a popular alto from another group, and one posthumous collaboration with a legend. That aspect of the recording should be interesting. Lauren was quick to stress that this isn't intended to be a "back to roots" sort of recording, though. New songs will be plentiful and the production touch appears to be modern. (I only heard one song, though, so the overall character of the recording might be different.)This morning, the first song on the agenda was "Preach" a new song from Paula Stefanovich. If you don't immediately recognize the name, it may help if I mention her song "Jerusalem." The Hoppers popularized it a few years ago. As I was leaving around lunch time, I met Jerry Salley coming in. They were prepping to lay down tracks for a song he had written next. The plan is to include a DVD with the final product so fans can get a glimpse of what went into making the CD. They were shooting some "B roll" video today. Perhaps you'll get a glimpse of that chocolate cobbler on the DVD...and if you happen to see a fellow with glasses in the background wearing a burnt orange polo shirt, that would be me. Labels: In The Studio, Observations Despite Reports, All EMI-CMG Titles Aren't Available DRM-Free At iTunes At the following link, we read: http://www.cmspin.com/newsmanager/anmviewer.asp?a=4331&z=26 "This week, Apple launched its iTunes Plus option, featuring music from EMI artists -- including EMI CMG's ENTIRE digital catalogue -- in a higher quality DRM-free format." Later in the article, the writer adds: "From award winners Chris Tomlin, tobyMac, Nichole Nordeman and Steven Curtis Chapman to newcomers Mandisa and Britt Nicole, EVERY EMI CMG favorite is now accessible in DRM-free format via iTunes Plus..." (The emphases on the words "entire" and "every" are mine.) The truth isn't quite that rosy. If you've upgraded to iTunes 7.2 by now, type in "Steven Curtis Chapman" and see how many of his releases are available in the new iTunes Plus format. Chapman has recorded for EMI's Sparrow label his entire career, but The Great Adventure is only available in the old DRM-crippled format that has been around since iTunes began. The same goes for More To This Life, For The Sake Of The Call, Signs Of Life, Heaven In The Real World, and others. Only a minority of titles from Chapman's vast repertoire are in the DRM-free format as of this moment. I was wanting to buy the alternate versions of "The Great Adventure" off of The Live Adventure, but that recording is still crippled by DRM as well. You'd think if EMI wasn't going to be totally honest in their press release, they'd make sure they were telling the truth about the six artists whose names they listed as examples at the very least. DUH! Admittedly, the ratio is much better for Nordeman, Tomlin, and tobyMac who have smaller "catalogues" than Chapman, but even those artists have at least one CD that isn't DRM free yet. They could just as easily have said "some" or "most" rather than "entire." They must think we're all too dumb to notice they fibbed to us. Well, one of us isn't. Release the music already...or stop saying you've released it all until you really have. Labels: In The News, Observations June 9, 2007Spring Hill-Oak Ridge BoysDoug Harrison just mentioned an implosion at Spring Hill Records. Presumably, the label leadership has fired most or all of their staff. Doug was unable to find the details on the Oak Ridge Boys site where this story originally broke. I did a little digging and came up with this post from Duane Allen, dated yesterday at 10:24 AM. (Sorry about the all caps, but that's the way Duane types.) LAST NIGHT AS I WAS GETTING READY TO GO SEE CHRIS GOLDEN AND ALL OF THE FRIENDS THAT WERE ATTENDING HIS SHOW, I STARTED GETTING E-MAILS AND PHONE CALLS THAT I DID NOT EXPECT......LONG STORY SHORT.......ALL OF THE STAFF AT SPRING HILL HAS BEEN FIRED.......NEEDLESS TO SAY, MY PHONE STARTED RINGING AND DID NOT STOP UNTIL AFTER 10PM.......I DID NOT GET TO GO SEE CHRIS, OR DO MUCH MORE THAN TALK ON THE PHONE.......SO, I'M SORRY TO MISS SEEING SO MANY OF YOU, AND TO SHOW MY SUPPORT FOR CHRIS......I THINK CHRIS' NEW PROJECT IS HIS VERY BEST TO DATE...... NOW, TO SPRING HILL......I DO NOT KNOW WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN THERE......I HAVE ALREADY BEEN TALKING TO THEM AND LOTS OF OTHER PEOPLE WHO ARE VERY INTERESTED IN THE OAK RIDGE BOYS....... ONCE AGAIN, WE ARE FACED WITH SOME CHANGES......MY HEART IS HEAVY FOR ALL OF OUR GOOD FRIENDS AT SPRING HILL WHO LOST THEIR JOBS YESTERDAY, HOWEVER, THEY ARE QUALITY PEOPLE, AND, I'M QUITE SURE THAT THEY WILL ALL BE OK....... THERE IS NO CLEAR PICTURE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS TO OUR NEW SINGLE, "CLOSER TO HOME", OR, FOR THAT MATTER, ALL OF OUR SEVEN ALBUM CATALOG.......AS THE DAY PROGRESSES, I WILL KNOW MORE, BUT, AS FOR RIGHT NOW, I WILL JUST SAY, HANG ON, EVERYONE, WE ARE IN FOR ANOTHER INTERESTING RIDE.......DUANE Later in the thread, Joe Bonsall added an upbeat to the news: I will ad that ALL of the BOYS as well as Michael are very upbeat and optimistic. Lots of DOORS out there right now gang. It will all work out just fine!!! Blessings, Ban-Joey A couple of hours after his initial post, Duane added: YES, GANG, THIS ALL STARTED COMING DOWN ABOUT 6PM, AND I DID NOT GET OFF THE PHONE UNTIL AFTER 10PM.......I WAS TALKING WITH MICHAEL, JOE, AND I FOUND RICHARD, AS WELL AS CALLING ALL OF THE SPRING HILL STAFF PERSONALLY TO THANK EACH ONE OF THEM.......BEFORE MY CONVERSATIONS ENDED WITH JIM HALSEY, WE COUNTED FIVE COMPANIES WHO WOULD LIKE TO SIGN THE OAK RIDGE BOYS.......SO, WE ARE GONNA BE JUST FINE, GANG.......IT MAY WIND UP BEING A HUGE BLESSING, AND THAT IS EXACTLY THE WAY I LOOK AT IT.......SPRING HILL AND ALL OF THEIR WONDERFUL EMPLOYEES HAVE GIVEN US 110% OF THEIR BEST EFFORTS FOR OVER SIX YEARS, AND SEVEN ALBUMS.......THEY HAVE HELPED US TAKE OUR RECORDING CAREER TO ANOTHER LEVEL OF SUCCESS, AND I AM VERY GRATEFUL FOR THEIR DEVOTION TO THE MUSIC OF THE OAKS....... TODAY IS A DAY OF LETTING THE DUST SETTLE......MEETINGS ARE GOING ON AS I TYPE, AND I'M SURE I WILL KNOW MORE ANY TIME......I'M GETTING READY TO GO ROCK RIVERSTAGES.......DUANE And then a few hours later, it may not be so serious as it first seemed to be...at least as far as the Oaks are concerned: THINGS ARE CHANGING VERY QUICKLY TODAY......LOTS OF CALLS, E-MAILS, AND PERSONAL VISITS.......SO, THE BEST I CAN SAY IS THIS......LOOKS LIKE SPRING HILL WILL BE UP AND RUNNING MONDAY MORNING, AND THE OAK RIDGE BOYS ARE THEIR MAIN CONCERN......SO, ALL OF THIS IS GOOD.......WHEN THE ACTUAL FACTS ARE KNOWN TO ME, THEN I WILL SHARE AS I KNOW THEM......THE CHANGES MAY BE VERY GOOD FOR US.....DUANE Analysis: The main issue for the Oaks is whether or not they'll be able to continue working with Michael Sykes as their producer. The Oaks obviously sell enough product to demand what they want. If they're as smart as I think they are, they'll demand Michael Sykes, since they owe much of their success in the past several years to his touch in the studio. It's the rest of the Spring Hill roster that's going to suffer from an upheaval like this. I feel sorry for guys like Carl Cartee and others on the worship label. Any transition like this is going to be tough, even if it's better for the company and their artists in the long run. UPDATE: On June 11, Duane put a comma in the Spring Hill sentence. Regardless of whether the Oaks stay with Spring Hill or move to another label, he's giving this situation a positive spin. It seems it came at a time when the Oaks had no further obligations to Spring Hill, so the ball is in Spring Hill's court right now. In the coming months, they can either prove to the Oaks that they want to keep them by pushing their material, or the Oaks can go to one of the five labels currently vying for them. Posted June 11, 2007 09:11 PM Hide Post THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR CONCERN......BUT, MOST OF ALL, I THANK YOU FOR YOUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS FOR THOSE WHO LOST THEIR JOBS......THEY WERE ALL GOOD FRIENDS OF THE OAKS...... NOW, THE COMPANY IS ALREADY ON TRACK AGAIN, AND, WE SHOULD ONLY SEE A LITTLE GLITCH IN THE ROAD.......THE BOYS WILL BE FINE, EITHER WAY.......OUR DATES ARE WHERE WE MAKE A LIVING.......OUR RECORDS, OR CD'S, ARE JUST A WAY TO GROW WITH OUR MUSIC, AND CREATE NEW SONGS FOR OUR SHOWS AND TELEVISION SHOWS......OUR PRODUCTS HAVE ALL SOLD REALLY WELL ON SPRING HILL.......I LOOK FOR POSITIVE THINGS TO HAPPEN.......AND, IF PLANS SHOULD GO IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION, WE HAVE ALREADY FULFILLED OUR CONTRACT OBLIGATIONS......SO, IN REALITY, WE ARE OUT OF CONTRACT.......JUST THINK FOR ONE MOMENT.......WE ARE IN A GREAT POSITION!!!!!! IF THE RECORD LABEL WANTS TO KEEP US, THEN, THEY WILL MAKE A STRONG EFFORT TO PROMOTE OUR RECORDS, ESPECIALLY "FRONT ROW SEATS"........THAT IS WHAT WE REALLY WANT FROM A RECORD LABEL.......IF THE NEW ADMINISTRATION THAT COMES INTO SPRING HILL REALLY "KICKS IT INTO GEAR" THEN, WE ARE ALREADY WITH THEM......IF THEY DON'T, WE HAVE FIVE RECORD LABELS THAT ARE INTERESTED IN SIGNING US RIGHT NOW.......WE ARE GONNA BE JUST FINE, GANG.......SO, THIS WEEK, I AM JUST PRACTICING AS MUCH PATIENCE AS I HAVE, WAITING FOR THE NEW THINGS TO TAKE SHAPE.......I AM SMILING AS I TYPE......DUANE Labels: Observations, Other Blogs Buying DRM-Free Music From iTunes A few weeks ago, I wondered and inquired if EMI's new commitment to offer DRM-free music via iTunes would extended to EMI distributed labels, specifically Gaither titles. At the time, I got a "we don't know, but we'll let you know when we do" sort of response from Gaither's end. They never followed up with anything more than that. After reading an announcement today that all EMI/CMG music was now being offered DRM-free, I downloaded and installed the latest version of iTunes (7.2) and checked for myself. (7.2 is required to access DRM free music from iTunes. Earlier versions of iTunes software didn't believe in DRM-free music). Next, I went in search of Gaither label songs. I quickly found Big Sky by the Isaacs, Give It Away by the Gaither Vocal Band, and a few other titles. I didn't see any Homecoming titles, though, other than the original Homecoming CD.  Since my only copy of Homecoming is on cassette, I decided to test it out by downloading the DRM-free version and see how easy or difficult it would be to move the music to my iRiver (a portable listening device that isn't compatible with Apple's proprietary AAC file format).I was hoping it would be as simple as buying the album for $9.99, converting all the files to MP3 format inside of iTunes, and then simply dragging them to my iRiver using Windows Explorer. I'm pleased to report that it was precisely that simple. In a few minutes, "The Old Landmark" was streaming from my iRiver to a pair of connected Bose speakers on my desk and I was reliving the first time I ever heard that trend-setting recording more than fifteen years ago. Homecoming has held up well. I think it would be a huge hit again if it was just being released now. (Possibly more so, since many of the guest artists on this CD are no longer with us.) One minor complaint is that iTunes doesn't transfer the album art when converting to MP3, even though it's included in the original file. A greater complaint is that the bit rate was downgraded from 256 to 160 during the conversion process. (I found a place in iTunes to adjust the bit rate for imported CDs, but it didn't affect the conversion of downloaded files to MP3.) Obsessive folks will find it particularly annoying that iTunes lists Homecoming as a 2006 release. (Of course, if you're hyper organized, you're probably used to it by now!) I'm the type who wants my group and genre names to be consistent, and I like my MP3 files to be named the same order (Artist - Title.mp3). I'm don't care so much about other details like dates, who sang a guest vocal, etc. I suppose I fall in between the obsessive and "whatever" attitudes. Bottom line, though, is that iTunes really is offering DRM-free music now and it's not very complicated to get it to play on whatever device you prefer to use for listening. The same technique I used should work for every non-iPod device, and of course, if you use an iPod, you can skip the conversion step. Of course, burning to a standard CD continues to be an option as well. Labels: Advice, Observations June 8, 200745 Seconds Of Denny As Kenny At this moment, ABC.com has the episode of The Next Best Thing with Dennis Murphy's audition available online. You can load ABC's video player at this LINK. The pace of the show is rapid...only 45 seconds or so of Murphy's audition is shown in this episode, plus a few seconds of an interview just before he goes in front of the judges. To skip directly to Murphy, go to the 20:45 minute mark. He's right after the horrible Bette Midler impersonator. Labels: Observations, TV Shows May 28, 2007More On Cut And Paste NewsAnonymous sez: A copy and pasted press release is no different than a newspaper using an AP (associated pres) release. The purpose of a press release is to release as much info as needed that relates to the subject of the release. This may in turn influence news media to further pursue the subject or ellicit interviews on the subject. A correctly written press release is written so that it can be used as is if desired by the agency receiving it. That being said, a press release should at least be read before using. That, in and of itself, won't guarantee a simple mistake in wording from occuring. As Jeff Foxworthy might say on Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?, "You just flunked out of school and you're going home with nothing." Well...perhaps we might go with some partial credit. It is true that a properly written press release provides facts (and usually some additional "background information" which I like to call "hype"). There's nothing wrong with that. Where I really differ with the statement above is the first sentence: A copy and pasted press release is no different than a newspaper using an AP (associated pres) release. In reality, the Associated Press is a non-profit entity owned by more than 1500 newspapers. I don't know if they're one of the part-owners or not, but I do know that my local newspaper can hardly afford to send their own correspondent to Iraq. They use stories written by AP reporters instead. My local paper DOESN'T print stories written by the US generals in Iraq. They don't use stories written by the remnants of Saddam Hussein's regime either. And they don't use stories written by someone being paid by US generals or remnants of Hussein's regime to say nice things. Fact: The AP has bureaus in nearly 100 countries. Fact: They send stories over the wire where news agencies can benefit from the legwork done by the AP reporters. Fact: AP actively campaigns for open government so they can pass correct information along to their readers. What the AP does is miles away from...TANGENT AHEAD...pardon the interruption...What the AP does is miles away from manufactured "news"...for example, so-and-so met with a popular songwriter at Starbucks in Nashville today to sip a quality, bean-based beverage and look over some lyrics they MIGHT possibly record in the future for a "record label"...this label is one of many that asks the artist to pay for all expenses up front, hence the quote marks around "record label"...we now return you to the sentence that began this paragraph, which is still in progress...may as well being a new paragraph... What the AP does is miles away from writing news about YOURSELF, and then seeing your own words reprinted in numerous media outlets. A true parallel for newspapers using AP feeds in the SG online world would be one website owner linking to an original story reported on another website (for example). This is fundamentally different from cut/pasted self-congratulatory prose posing under the guise of "news." LINK to original blog entry. Labels: Observations May 25, 2007Cut And Paste NewsI've run across the press release on the passing of Sharon Smith several times in the past 12 hours or so. It was in my email Inbox late last night and I've seen it on a few websites this morning. Several entities who passed the info along to the public neglected to correct the error in the press release about her being a "husband." Others caught it after the fact, and corrected it. I don't blame the person who wrote the press release. I know all too well how difficult it can be to see your own errors...grammatical or otherwise. It's a common mistake to modify a line written previously written and introduce a fresh incorrect statement the process. (I was changing that last sentence just now and nearly left it with the redundant wording, "previously already written," for example. UPDATE: And I still messed it up...did you see? Joke's on me!) My question is really for all those who passed the press release along. Did you even bother to read it? More fundamentally, will you cut and paste anything that is sent to you? Labels: Observations May 17, 2007Hoppers' Ride On Canaan Earlier this evening at a Hoppers concert in Rutherfordton, NC (which I attended), Dean Hopper announced from the stage that The Ride will be one of the first projects distributed by the new version of Canaan Records. This was during Dean's product pitch. He was encouraging people to buy the table version (which includes an bonus DVD), "because we aren't going to make any more like this." Then he broke the news about Canaan picking up The Ride. The Canaan version will only include the CD. He stopped short of saying the Hoppers had "signed" with Canaan. (Let's not get that cart in front of the horse.) This is great news for the Hoppers. The Ride is far too good not to be sold in stores. This is also a very smart move on the part of Dave Clark and Canaan. Even though they didn't really have anything to do with producing The Ride, putting their name and reputation on a high quality recording from the very beginning will demonstrate to the music world at large that they mean business. Hmm...I wonder if Canaan will distribute that western CD the Booth Brothers recorded. I won't be holding my breath! By the way, I don't know if Canaan plans to change the artwork on The Ride, but just for kicks, I went ahead and doctored up the photo displayed with this post. Labels: Announcements, Observations May 16, 2007The Return Of CanaanReading Doug Harrison's musings about the return of Canaan Records sparked some random thoughts in my brain as well. The potential that a new Canaan offers is picking up where Spring Hill left off and possibly going further than Spring Hill ever did. If Canaan signs some ex-Spring Hill groups who haven't found label homes yet (like the Booth Brothers and the Hoppers), that's well and good. Maybe they'll pick up the Florida Boys, who haven't had a decent recording in a while now. These groups need a good label home just to maintain the level they've already reached. The Hoppers proved they could put out a good CD on their own, but where's the distribution? If The Ride isn't available at www.cbd.com, it's not very likely to be in many Mom and Pop retail outlets. The Booths have been biding their time and putting out decent custom level recordings, but where's the radio airplay? Granted, they're still working singles off of their 2005 release, He Saw It All, but I'm not sure how much that's translating into album sales at this point. Adding the Florida Boys would be a nice gesture, given the historical significance of the group. I don't know if any of these are potential Canaan signees. I'm just saying there are existing artists that could lend validity to the Canaan roster and benefit from such a relationship themselves. However, it isn't the obvious that makes me hopeful about a Dave Clark led Canaan Records. I'm more interested in learning what sort of fresh talent he'll be signing? Will there be any crossover work or specialty projects? (A Southern Gospel female trio recording consisting of Amy Grant, Judy Martin, and Sonya Isaacs with Vince Gill producing is one possibility that springs to mind.) More than anything else that may come out of a revived Canaan, you have to think the songwriting standard is going to be set high with a guy like Clark at the helm. That's worth allowing your mouth to water a bit. Word Distribution's channels are as large as they get in Christian music, which is another plus. As for airplay, hopefully an added influx of quality will force Southern Gospel radio to step it up. That hope is weak, unfortunately, given SG radio's track record. At least there's XM's enLighten channel, which should give the Canaan label artists national exposure. The good (or bad) news is that down the road, Canaan can simply apply a pop touch to the artists they invest in, focus on Christian contemporary airplay instead, and not be too deep in the hole when all is said and done. (I thought Spring Hill was going to do this with the Booth Brothers, in fact, when they put a BB cut on one of their worship CDs.) It looks like Canaan is poised to give SG a fair shot. This in and of itself is welcome news. Spring Hill finally gave up. Gaither Music Group, Daywind and even the more conservative Crossroads labels are diversifying stylistically to cover their bases for the future. Will the output of Canaan be richly blessed and perhaps even "save Southern Gospel from itself" as Bill Gaither did in the 1990s? It's a lofty goal for sure, and my expectation is that perhaps they'll have a good influence. Specifically, I'm expecting Canaan to deliver production/vocal/arranging quality that will rival the latest CDs by the Isaacs and the Gaither Vocal Band within their first two years, and I'm hoping the songwriting will be even better. (That's not to say the Isaacs or GVB songwriting quality isn't up to snuff, just that I'm expecting a consistent quality in the songwriting department from Canaan.) Labels: Observations May 14, 2007Church Music As A CareerI was reading a blog yesterday that dealt with the inadequacies of a seminary education with a major in church music. I've lost the blog link, unfortunately, but essentially this person was saying the music program at Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY has become isolated and out of touch with what is going on in the real world of church music. I can’t speak to the seminary situation, but I can relate from the perspective of an individual who earned a Sacred Music degree from Gardner-Webb College (now “University”) in 1988. I expected to be equipped to at least lead a moderate sized church music program after four years. In my senior year, rather than giving me tips on churches that were looking for music leadership, my professors began pushing me to go on to seminary. Instead, I took a year off and then went to a secular graduate school for a Master’s degree in Music Theory where a more practical approach to prepping for the real world was included (even though there was no major focus on church music). In the 1980s, Gardner-Webb advised students planning to be church music leaders to take their Sacred Music program. Here’s the benefit of my hindsight talking: 1. In four years, I never once heard the names of the choral music companies I now use on a weekly basis…Lillenas, Word Music, and Brentwood-Benson. We did have one music reading session with music from Shawnee Press, as I recall. The focus was on classical repertoire exclusively...perhaps one in several thousand churches use this sort of music on a regular basis. 2. The extent of my “real world” training consisted of one semester of church music field work. I had several assignments over the course of one semester to discuss issues with an off campus minister of music, lead one of his adult choir's rehearsals, lead a youth choir rehearsal, lead a children’s choir rehearsal, and attend a handbell rehearsal. 3. In four years, at least a dozen classes were required for my "Sacred Music" major that had absolutely nothing to do with music or religion…French, Geology, etc. 4. I was required to attend a number of concerts on campus every semester. The Music Department brought in a pianist to play Beethoven, opera singers, people playing period instruments from the Baroque era, etc., which was well and good. However, when the student body entertainment committee brought in popular Christian artists of the day like David Meece, Truth, Randy Stonehill, and the Imperials to campus, THOSE particular "real world" concerts didn’t count towards the minimum number of concerts we were required to attend each year. I could continue, but I’ll try to summarize instead. The “liberal arts” approach to education, in my estimation, bloats the education process and adds to the already tremendously high expense of getting the information you need to know. It carries so much extra baggage that the very job I signed up and paid to learn about was neglected. I was never taught how to conduct an adult choir that sings with pre-recorded CD tracks, for example, something I now do on a weekly basis. The presumption was that I would use live musicians at all times. One student at Gardner-Webb presented an opera that incorporated a synthesizer. The school didn't even own a synthesizer in 1988, although electronic keyboards were already an obvious coming trend. To Gardner-Webb’s credit, they did teach me to play piano fairly well...using music and by memory. They didn’t teach me anything about improvising, though. I learned that mostly on my own while majoring in Music Theory during my graduate studies. They did teach me to sing better, how to direct a choir, and how to give piano lessons and voice lessons. They also familiarized me with a variety of instruments in the orchestra and taught me the basics of how to create sound on each one. I did learn a lot, but there was so much more that a “Sacred Music” degree should have included. Before you think I'm suggesting college is a waste of time, let me be clear. I HIGHLY recommend a college education to those considering a career in church music. Specifically, what I recommend is this: Get a Music Education degree at the undergraduate level rather than a degree in Sacred Music, even if you're 100% convinced going in that you plan to spend your life working in church music. I'll attempt to briefly explain why in the remainder of this post. The vast majority of churches are small. It's very likely you will be bi-vocational or if employed full-time, you'll probably be multi-tasked (like Music/Youth). With a Music Education degree, you can be immediately employed full-time teaching in the school system (with great benefits as a general rule and two months off every summer!). The little secret none of your Sacred Music college advisers are likely to mention is that the VAST MAJORITY of churches will hire you just as quickly with that Mus Ed. degree. Should you choose to go on to pursue a graduate degree at a seminary, they'll be just as happy to admit you to their program as well. A concentration in Sacred Music at the undergraduate level doesn't make any practical sense. Your employment options are too limited once you have the degree in hand. Labels: Advice, Observations May 5, 2007Top SG Albums Of The DecadeToday, Daniel Mount lists his top choices from Southern Gospel CDs released during the current aughts decade. ("Aughts" sounds so 20th century. Does "Os" sound better?) Anywho, Daniel has challenged others to come up with their own lists. Sounds like fun. Here's my thought process in putting a list like this together: I give serious consideration to the unique "standout" qualities of each CD first. Next, I try to give equal, objective weight to vocals (including performance, arrangements, and complexity), songwriting, and production quality. Of course, there's some personal preference involved in the final decision as well. To match Daniel's format as closely as possible, I'll list my Top 10 and then make a few honorable mentions. I'm sure I'll refer to my Vault page of past reviews more than a few times before completing this list. 1. Everything Good - Gaither Vocal Band (2002) 2. Walk The Talk - Gold City (2003) 3. It's So God - Brian Free & Assurance (2006) 4. From The Heart - Oak Ridge Boys (2001) 5. Quartets - Greater Vision (2003) 6. Rock Of Ages...Hymns & Faith - Amy Grant (2005) 7. The Blind Man Saw It All - Booth Brothers (2005) 8. Home Free - Integrity Quartet (now Triumphant Quartet) (2004) 9. Anything But Ordinary, Everything But Typical - Dove Brothers Quartet (2005) 10. Ordinary Day - Jeff & Sheri Easter (2000) Also worthy of consideration: Sweet Forever - The Ruppes (2005) Power - The Hoppers (2000) Sounds Like Sunday - Janet Paschal (2007) Great Day - Signature Sound Quartet (now Ernie Haase & Signature Sound) (2004) What It Took - Valor (2006) Hymns - Mercy's Well (2006) Everyday - Mark Bishop (2006) Perfect Candidate - Greater Vision (2000) Labels: Observations, Other Blogs More Gaither Brothers Click HERE to read a 2001 newspaper article that mentions the "Gaither brothers," "Lynda Randell," and "Anthony Berger." (I've linked to Google's cache of the article, because The Daily Toreador requires registration for you to view their articles directly.) One direct quote from the article states: Gaither began his career with his three brothers as a part of Bill Gaither and the Gaither Vocal Band. In a post from last week, I mentioned a poorly written report in passing that could have very well come from a grade schooler. In contrast, the example today comes from a NEWSPAPER (a college publication at Texas Tech, from the look of it), supposedly operated by intelligent, scholarly minded grown-ups, complete with an editorial staff and everything. Labels: In The News, Observations April 28, 2007Copyright Duration: Details and Oddities Below, I'm essentially reprinting an entry that I wrote on the Singing News message boards just now. I spent so much time on it, I thought I may as well post it here where other readers could see it. The question was asked initially about the legality of modifying lyrics. This morphed into a discussion about the duration of copyright. I had responded at one point, but later found out I had at least one mis-conception of my own. I knew the current term for copyrights was the life of the author plus 70 years, and that on songs published prior to 1978 (when the law changed completely), the period was 95 years. My mistake was in assuming that 95 years applied to all songs dating back 95 years...it doesn't...not yet. By the way, the message board thread title for this is "Question for Smart People," so I just naturally assume they're seeking MY help. :o) They may not have wanted quite this much in the way of worrisome detail, though. Unfortunately, complication is part of the game when it comes to law. Let's jump into the conversation where Daniel Mount asks: "So are you saying everything released over 75 years ago--i.e., 1931 and older--is PD?" No, I was saying that all songs over 95 (1911) years old are in the public domain. The Sonny Bono act added a 20 year extension to pre-1978 songs in 1998. As it turns out, though, that isn't exactly correct. The magic date is 1922, and it will be the magic date for a number of years. Right now, we're in a freeze period of 20 years while the 1998 extension runs its course. I'll work through the example you mentioned first. Assuming 1928 is the first year "Give The World A Smile" was PUBLISHED or REGISTERED (which may not necessarily be the year it was written), it would have held a 28 year copyright initially, taking it to 1956. At that point, it could have been renewed for another 28 years, which means it would have expired in 1984. I should interject here that beginning in 1962, the renewal term began to grow a bit each year, leading up to the 1976 copyright act. This did not have an effect on "Give The World A Smile," since it was renewed in 1956. In 1976, an entirely new way of dealing with copyright was approved. The 1976 copyright act did not go into effect until 1978. It preempted existing law. One thing it did was fix the renewal term for all works prior to 1978 at 47 years, so for our example, you must go back to 1956 and add 47 rather than 28. At this point in history, "Give The World A Smile" would have expired in 2003. Then along comes the 20-year extension of 1998, and as it sits right now, "Give The World A Smile" is good through 2023...95 years. Now, here's why the magic year is 1922 rather than 1911. I did some research and you are correct that any song that had already expired before 1998 did NOT get a 20 year extension. Here what the law states: "304. Duration of copyright: Subsisting copyrights (a) Copyrights in Their First Term on January 1, 1978. — (1)(A) Any copyright, in the first term of which is subsisting on January 1, 1978, shall endure for 28 years from the date it was originally secured." "(2)(A) At the expiration of the original term of copyright in a work specified in paragraph (1)(B) of this subsection, the copyright shall endure for a renewed and extended further term of 67 years, which —" "(b) Copyrights in Their Renewal Term at the Time of the Effective Date of the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act.7 — Any copyright still in its renewal term at the time that the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act becomes effective shall have a copyright term of 95 years from the date copyright was originally secured." (I've cut and pasted the pertinent parts only. All this comes from the federal government's own website.) It's simply a long way of saying any song published before 1978 that hasn't entered public domain will have a 95 year term. This means that any song published in 1922 or earlier would have to be in public domain now. A song published in 1922 would have expired in 1997 under what was the existing 75 year maximum of the law in 1997. ---------------------------------- Now for another wrinkle...PUBLISH date is more important than WRITTEN or CREATION date of a work. The 1998 act stipulated that a song written but not published or registered before 1978 gets the current copyright protection of the life of the author plus 70 years. This means you could find some song your great-granny had written in 1930, register it, and claim royalties off of it for another 70 years after the date of her death. To wrinkle the wrinkle a bit further, if she died in 1931, you would think the copyright's maximum life for a work that hadn't been registered until, say, 2002, would already be over...since the 70 years were up. Nope...you could have registered the song in 2002 and still got protection on it through 2047! For that matter, it didn't have to be written in 1930. It could have been written and lain undiscovered for centuries. If you registered it by 2002, you got protection until 2047. Why this odd language was added to the law is a great mystery that I will never understand. It's so specific, it had to have been written so that some particular entity could benefit from it. What other rational explanation can there be? Someone must have had a stash of unpublished songs they figured would have potential market value, and they somehow convinced Congress to add this peculiar 4-year window during which they could register those works and take advantage of 45-49 years of copyright protection on songs they themselves didn't even write and that the songwriters didn't bother to publish. Weird stuff. ---------------------------------- By the way, if you're curious about anonymous, pseudonymous, and "work for hire" terms, those get 95 years from the first year of publication OR 120 years from the year of creation, whichever expires first. This doesn't give anyone who steals a song protection, though it may seem that way when you first read the law. If the anonymous or pseudonymous writer lays claim to their song once it's published, then the current copyright law of the author's life plus 70 years goes into effect. A work for hire songwriter could obviously dispute the claim that they wrote the song on a "for hire" basis, if in fact, they didn't. ---------------------------------- One final note. I'm obviously NOT a lawyer, so don't take any of this as legal advice...it's just what I understand the law to say. Labels: Copyright Law, Observations, Other Forums, Singing News April 27, 2007Website StatsDoug Harrison has just reported his most recent stats from Averyfineline.com, so I may as well do the same. That way, those readers who are curious about whether anyone actually visits our respective blogs can give that itch a good scratch and be done with it for a while. The Musicscribe.com domain has had 229677 page views and 145017 unique visitors in 2007. To compare apples to apples with AVFL, the month of March here at Musicscribe.com saw around 1800 page views per day, or a little more than half as many as AVFL reported for the same time period. Also, I'm happy to add that the traffic at the SGHistory.com domain has surged considerably in April. We've had 59272 page views in 2007, with nearly half of those coming in April alone. With a few days still remaining in the month, we already have 27175 page views in April. A big word of thanks goes out to all the editors who have so generously worked to preserve the history of SG music, particularly in recent weeks. A bit of further explanation is probably in order. SGHistory.com launched in March of 2005. Our monthly page views have never surpassed 12,000 before. Of course, the added flurry of editing activity has surely counted for much of the increase in page view stats in recent weeks, given that we have multiple editors posting from different computers, but that's really the whole idea that inspired the site. I believe we're well on our way to establishing a definitive site on the web for the preservation of Southern Gospel history. Labels: Announcements, Observations April 26, 2007The Christian/SG/BG Genre MythDaniel Mount blogs on John Styll's comments regarding Southern Gospel, Black Gospel, and the "umbrella" of all other forms of Christian music. Mount found Styll's original comments at Nashville's Channel 2 television station's website. (You can also view a video of the news story at that link.) "John Styll, president of the Gospel Music Association, defines gospel music, not as genre, but as a huge umbrella that today covers every conceivable musical style. He said, “Christian refers to a message to the lyrical content not so much the musical form.” According to Styll, there are only two genres of gospel music; the black gospel of Mahalia Jackson and the southern gospel of the Blackwood Brothers." Styll is halfway correct. Gospel/Christian music in general is not a genre. "Christian Rap" is mostly just bad attempts at rap with Christian lyrics, for example. Come to think of it, I could shorten that label to something more accurately descriptive, but I won't, since this is a family oriented website. I kid!...I actually own some Christian rap. (I don't own any modern rock, beside which rap looks tamer and tamer as the days go by, though. Watch that video and you'll hopefully see why.) Back to the point... I agree with Styll that Gospel/Christian music in general is not a genre. But by the same arguments he poses for the "umbrella" of Gospel music not being a genre, neither is Black Gospel or Southern Gospel. The musical style of the Blackwood Brothers wasn't unique to Gospel music. It was much like the pop music of the same era. In fact, the Blackwood Brothers got their big break by winning American Idol. (OK, so it wasn't called American Idol, back then...it was Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts.) More than just a few groups had regular radio broadcasts where they sang both pop music and Gospel during those days. This has generally endured within Bluegrass and to a degree in Country where artists like Randy Travis, the Oak Ridge Boys and others have incorporated a healthy dose of Gospel music in their performances. You see very little of this in mainstream pop or other more recently popularized styles, though. When a Christian star like Amy Grant or Sonya Isaacs attempts to cross over with a song that appeals to mainstream audiences, their existing Gospel fans protest loudly. Grant is an example of one artist who overcame this obstacle. Isaacs, so far, is not. Granted, Styll attempts to label Black Gospel and Southern Gospel as genres due to what he believes to be common lyrical characteristics, but if that's the case, why is every other musical genre on earth primarily defined by the musical style? You don't define rap by lyrics primarily...you define it by the style in which those lyrics are delivered. Ditto for Country, disco, etc. There has never been a popular musical style that was reserved only for Gospel music and there never will be. At some point, sooner or later, a popular style that was considered to be exclusive for Gospel or secular WILL be repackaged. The original American music form known as the Negro Spiritual ultimately influenced styles that became the Blues and Jazz. Going back even further, J S Bach wrote music for the church as well as instrumental music with no innate spiritual connotations whatsoever. What's sacred about Bach's two part invention in A-minor? Nothing. By the way, it's also a bit funny when you look at the entry for "music genre" on Wikipedia after reading or hearing Styll's comments. Contemporary Christian Music IS listed as a genre, but the only two Gospel genres (according to Styll) aren't. Hey, they got it wrong, too. :o) That being said, I guess I expected more in terms of accuracy from the head of the Gospel Music Association than from Wikipedia on this particular topic. Additional source material for your consideration: 1. The blog of the reporter who did the story on GMA week. 2. www.dictionary.com definition of "genre" Labels: In The News, Observations April 19, 2007Sinning Singers: Aren't They All?I was thinking and reading and formulating my thoughts recently on Christian artists/entertainers and their personal lives and struggles (read: sin). The biggest challenge to what I'm about to write is to not come across self righteous about self righteousness. And it's really hard. But here goes: Fact 1: We all have sin in our lives. We all have secrets that would horrify us if word got out. Fact 2: Your most favorite Gospel artist is a sinner. Regardless of how it is rated in our minds, he or she is still a sinner. I believe that if you are going to be in the professional music scene, then you have to accept the “celebrity” baggage that comes with a successful career. That is, if you get divorced, people will find out about it and you can't hide it. If you cheat on your taxes, and get caught, the industry will know. If you abuse drugs and get caught, your fans will hear about it. I also believe there are some things even celebrities have the right to insist on being private -- some things are built in to "human decency" and should always remain private. (I don’t need to know which artist had a fight last night with their spouse and all the details therein. I don’t need to know what brand of underwear so-and-so wears or even how much money they really make. Those things are really, truly, none of my business). But, at the same time, if I never knew one ounce of "dirt" on an artist and even though they may be the most "dirty" one of us all, if I'm not distracted by that, his or her music can still minister. And some may be totally turned off to listening to anything a "known sinner" has to say or sing. I can understand that to a degree. (Sometimes I think it may be more of "our" problem with putting singers on a pedestal of holiness than anything else, although that's another topic for another day). I hope, on the other hand, that we can be honest to know that we've got secrets just as bad as the artist has. Ours just may not have been "found out publicly" yet. I like the advice of Spurgeon when presented the problem of a pastor who sinned publicly. The advice: Let him sit on the back row of the church until his repentance becomes as notorious as his sin. Maybe we should look at the definition of "public sinning." I'm not sure what all would be included, although, in the case of Imus: that would be a "public" situation. If a SG artist blatantly sinned in front of a crowd on stage, that would be a "public" situation. And the time needed to sit on the back row certainly would vary. For some people, it may take longer to make the repentance known. (And by the way, as a side note, I’ve been taught and believe the Greek word for repentance is metanoia which is not change but instead to change one's mind; knowing who you are, who God is, what you've done and going to him with it. God does the changing work.) No matter how much some artists repent, they're still shunned from the larger Christian community. So, the problem still is and probably always will be: God will forgive & forget, but his people don't always. God doesn't put "level" on sin. We do and there are some things we're willing to put up with and “allow” more than others. Christians are supposed to be accepting of sinners (we’re still beggars, we just found bread). We’re supposed to love to each other (again, even the really bad sinners). The church is to be a soft and safe place (it has drifted from that in many cases). And the church is to apply discipline in the case of non-repentance. I'm afraid it seems there is too much "discipline" being applied to those who have already repented. And by the way, why are we so concerned with how much the singers are sinning anyway? I mean, if you really, really, really get down to the heart of the matter: not sinning isn't even the point. Jesus is the point. We can't even sit together at his feet 'cause we're too worried about who has disappointed us lately with their scandals. The scandals aren't the "main attraction." Jesus is. -Daniel Britt Labels: Observations, Sad But True April 18, 2007Diamond Awards Ever More BogglingVoting for the 2007 Diamond Awards is taking place HERE. The deadline for getting in your votes is May 19, 2007. Let me just say this about this year's crop of nominees. If you are one who looked over the Dove Award categories a couple of months ago and felt like something wasn't quite right with one or two nominations, your sonar signal ought to be red hot after seeing the Diamond Award nominations. You'll look at some of them and say, "WHO?" This is a cloud that hangs over these awards every year. Of course, it's inevitable with the Duet category when there's so few well known duet configurations from which to choose. Other categories are more telling, though. In the Male Vocalist category, you have Jason Crabb, Guy Penrod, etc., and Dale Golden. In the Female Vocalist category, you have Kim Hopper, Lauren Talley, etc., and Cheryl Golden. In the Trio category, the Mark Trammell Trio evidently isn't nearly as popular among Southern Gospel fans as Faith 3, the Alan Harris Family, and the Wright Family...yeah, wright. But it isn't just that aspect... The 2006 WINNER of the "Album Of The Year" (Give It Away by the Gaither Vocal Band) is nominated again for 2007. If the people running the Diamond Awards don't even bother to check to see when an album was released to be sure it falls within the year they're recognizing, how can these awards carry any degree of credibility? It's So God by Brian Free & Assurance is also nominated, even though it released very early in 2006. I could perhaps see that slipping in, but you'd at least think they'd remember, "Hey, the GVB won last year with Give It Away...maybe it shouldn't be nominated this time." Labels: In The News, Observations April 13, 2007Hero WorshipThe Prodigal Comes Home is an autobiography by the ever controversial Michael English that is already drawing a mix of praise and criticism for just how openly he discusses the initial affair that led to his departure from Christian music, his brushes with the police, live-in girlfriends of dubious reputations that carried on even after his return to gospel music, and his ongoing drug addictions that ultimately thwarted what was to be his big return to Christian pop. This post isn't really about Michael English, though. It's about fans...one fan in particular...me. Up until last night, when I read his book straight through in about three hours (no great feat, as it's only 200 pages or so), I had believed English was unfairly treated by Warner Alliance when he was dismissed from their label. He wasn't. A few years later, I had no idea when I invested several thousand dollars in promoting a Michael English concert (for which I profited a slightly less than zero return) that he was routinely abusing massive amounts of drugs, going to strip clubs, and even living with one of those strippers. In fact, I'm pretty sure she was at the concert I promoted, among all the other fans who believed that while Michael English had clearly messed up just one time (we thought), he couldn't really be THAT bad. Surely, he deserved another chance. In due time, I met other people who were even more extreme fanatics than me. Some started a fan based website that later became the official Michael English website for a period of time. We sadly shook our collective heads, lamenting the fact that "only Christians shoot their wounded." The fact that English had a good testimony in which he said he took full responsibility for his sins and apologized for his mistakes at each concert only served to strengthen our position that he was a victim of an over-reaction in the industry, unfairly punished for one mistake. The book reveals that this wasn't the case at all. While Warner Alliance could have handled English's dismissal from their label better, his rebellion was very real and sustained for almost a decade. During this time, he was granted platform after platform by fans (including fellow artists) who wanted to will him back into stardom. I've drawn a few conclusions in the past few hours. One is that I was extremely gullible at the time...gullible to the point that I was willing to invest my hard earned dollars based on a principle that was fundamentally false. I've always been prone to rooting for those I perceive to be the underdogs, especially if the underdog is a first class musician or vocalist. This has been one of my basic character flaws. Another conclusion is that fans will project onto a gifted person the image they want to believe, even when there's plenty of evidence to the contrary. I've always known this to be true of other people, but I never thought I had given in to it myself to any great degree. However, you can go over to Google and do a Usenet search right now if you like. It shouldn't be too difficult to locate examples of me defending English in the late 1990s even in the face of evidence provided by people living in Nashville who knew his reputation a lot better than me. Another conclusion is that there should be a line between forgiveness and rushing a fallen artist back into the limelight. The limelight should be denied to a Christian artist who continues to lack the ability to handle the attention. I used to side with those who continually want to give second, third, and fourth chances. God gives second chances, and so should we. But is putting an artist on stage and handing them a check afterwards that will allow them to support their stripper girlfriend and buy more drugs really the type of second chance we want to be giving? I think not. It's called "hero worship," yet we all should be well aware that no human being is ever perfect. It's fine to be a fan of an artist, but there's something fundamentally wrong with fans who want an artist to live up to their expectations so much that the fantasy of what this person represents (a Christian artist or otherwise) overshadows the reality of the actual life they're living. And so, while I'm still very much a fan of Michael English's music, after 20 years, I suddenly find myself no longer a Michael English fan after reading his book. This statement may seem ironic, given the encouraging message of redemption and restoration at the end of his book which I happen to believe to be true. However, when I look back, it always should have been about the music and not the singer. I hope this is a lesson I can remember for the rest of my life. It isn't that I no longer pull for him to succeed...I do...but I'm also painfully aware that a hundred thousand fans "ministering" to one guy who's hurting by putting him in a position where he has no business being can end up doing a lot more to facilitate and maintain his poor choices than to help. That $4250 check I handed to his road manager when I promoted the concert is just one of many examples. Here's how stupid I was at that time. Jeff & Sheri Easter appeared on the same program that night, thanks to an booking agent who insisted that English couldn't come unless I booked another group who would be able to provide sound. Then, I ended up providing part of the sound equipment. English's road manager called a few days before the event to ask if I was going to provide them with meals or a hotel. I didn't fall for that, since it wasn't in the contract. On the day of the show, I watched as Jeff Easter did 90% of the work in terms of setting up his sound equipment for the event while English's band sat watching him work and didn't offer to lift a finger. Jeff's group got $1700 for their efforts. The booking agent got $1050, for a total of $7000, plus there were advertising costs, a rental fee for the facility and countless hours spent distributing concert promotional material at other concert events and selling advance tickets. I felt good about myself at the time, knowing I had done my part in helping restore Michael English in the gospel music industry. I refused to believe that what I had done was wrong right up until last night. Then I finally was confronted with precisely what he was doing with the money at that point in his life and forced to admit I made a mistake. Labels: Observations April 12, 2007Beating The Revolving Door DilemmaIt's too bad there isn't more stability in Southern Gospel. If an Oak Ridge Boys song comes on the radio, I immediately know it's the Oaks regardless of whether it's a song from 1980 or 2007. This is only partly because it's the same four guys. It's due more to the unique character of each voice and the unique blend that results when they sing together. Change is SG has always been a fact of life, even in SG's supposed "heyday." Stability in SG is likely to remain a rarity. It's still possible for a group to have a unique sound, though. I believe the key is having at least two key members with defining vocal potential. This is most likely to happen when the group owners are the individuals whose voices have the most defining characteristics. The best example of this is the Cathedrals. If you had put any adequate tenor, any baritone who could sing in the lead range comfortably, and any decent piano player on the stage or in the studio with George Younce and Glen Payne, you'd have had a sound people could aurally identify as the Cats. (Of course, it's ideal if there's defining potential in all four voices and no changes in group members for a number of years...as with Triumphant Quartet.) The other key is producers who enhance and define the group's sound with their arrangements. J D Sumner & The Stamps Quartet made such a recording with the Michael Sykes/Michael English production team in 1995. Steve Mauldin was responsible for putting the defining stamp on Gold City's major releases for a number of years with his brass heavy arrangements. More recently, he's started doing the same thing for Triumphant Quartet and the Mark Trammell Trio. A testament to Mauldin's ability as a producer is the fact that you can hear differences when you compare his work with Gold City, Triumphant and the MTT. Wayne Haun took Brian Free & Assurance from being just another quartet to super-group status by suggesting a song like "Long As I Got King Jesus" and then building on it with "Jesus Will Pick You Up" and "The Coming Of The King." It will be interesting to see if Lari Goss adds to what Haun started with the next BF&A release or if he takes them another direction entirely. When I look at groups like the current Kingsmen, who have snatches of fresh possibilities until yet another member departs, I see several factors at play. They travel extensively. They still use a band. They have a legacy hanging over their heads...which can be both good and bad...good in the sense that people know the name, but bad in the sense that fans still ask why Hamill isn't with the group now. I think the Kingsmen have been hampered by this state of limbo ever since they went through the name change and subsequent "return." Fortunately, things are looking up. Until Good, Good God, their recordings have left something to be desired in terms of making any sort of unique statement. Even though two vocalists will have changed by the time the next Kingsmen CD rolls out, this move is still a very positive step. Let's hope the return of Bryan Hutson and whoever takes over at tenor will be the beginning of a stable period for the group...not just in terms of member changes, but also in terms of creating a fresh sonic identity for the Kingsmen. There are many other examples I could mention other than the Kingsmen, but my points would be more or less redundant. A consistently unique vocal blend (regardless of personnel changes) coupled with consistent arrangement/production enhancements is the best way to duplicate the consistency exemplified by the Oak Ridge Boys. Labels: Observations My Take on "Quality" RadioAveryfineline recently posted his thoughts on "Quality" in radio programming. (I am starting to enjoy reading the reader's comments just as much as I do Avery himself). A comment by Tim was posted, to which I had to respond. Here's what Tim said: I program music across three formats and chart nationally for SG and AC. I find that SG music can me the easiest or the most difficult music to program. Boy, I resonate with what Tim had to say. I agree that if you really have an ear for the "entertainment factor," then you can take more risks in that direction and break molds, get creative and do some really incredible things for your station. However, If you don't have that ear of discernment, it would be best to stick to the stuff that will give you the brand identity and become a "top 40" SG station as opposed to another cheap sounding station. Bottom line is to play better music, which is subjective I know. But at the most basic level, even if you aren't a good judge at what "good" is, then follow the known success stories in SG. In time, you should recognize the patterns that create successful songs and you can recognize it in other, new, up-and-coming artists too. Don't try to scout out talent if you really aren't a good judge to begin with. (And I realize we all think we know best... this is where it's also very important to look at retail, the marketplace, and at solid research). We certainly need more of a Simon mentality in what we allow on the air. Too many of us are sweet and insipid when it comes to giving unknowns a chance. Everything these days is so watered down, everybody wins, everybody does a good job and nobody is a loser. And I've been so guilty of letting stuff slide through myself.... I repent. It has been said that SG audiences are a weird bunch. I agree. The audiences demand a lot of low quality stuff at times. It boggles the mind at what people will buy and go crazy over. But what's the cause of that mentality? Could it be that if you're spoon fed stale rice cakes all your life, you may learn to love it so much to a fault where you become turned off and repulsed by the smell of prime rib and roasted potatoes? Radio needs to lock up the rice cakes and save it for the times of famine and pestilence. (And in the words of Chuck Peters, let me know if I can help, too!) -Daniel Britt Labels: Advice, Observations, Other Blogs April 11, 2007So You Want To Be A Charting Station?
MY OPINION - FOR WHAT IT'S WORTHIt's something I have personally experienced. It's a problem I have overcome with some artists and record promoters. Charting and non charting status with the Singing News. Just so you know,.. my station does not chart for SN,.. but it's something I don't worry about much anymore. Some radio stations do have to deal with the concerns of their "non-charting" status. These comments (in italics) are from a Southern Gospel radio station General Manager.. who is a subscriber to one of my radio services: There is a big difference in radio service to charting and non-charting stations. We have applied to be a charting station with The Singing News on several occasions. I never receive a response on what we need to do to become a charting station, I just get ignored. Our station is again being reviewed to chart but I don't know what will happen, that's why I don't want you to use my name because I don't want to sabatoge my station. Artists have told me that it doesn't count if I chart for one of the other companies, the only one that matters to them is The Singing News. Some of the companies that send compilations have told me that they cannot send me a project since we don't chart. This puts me in a place that I do not always get music that is quality. Some of the songs on the charts we do not have for airplay because I don't have the money to go out and buy the cd. The companies that produce "less than quality" music are very easy to work with and send their compilations on a regular basis. So, I guess we air what we get. I don't know both sides of the story in this case.. but I do know that it happens. Non charting stations are treated as inferior in some situations. I know first hand what it means to feel that you are not "up to par".. because your station doesn't report to the magazine. I also know you can work around this problem. I would suggest that stations who are not allowed to "chart" for the SN.. should make themselves valuable in other ways. When I faced the dilemma.. I got on the phone, sent email, stayed in touch with the artists and record promoters,.. and most important,. I made sure my station sounded great! I worked hard and programmed professionally. I made noise.. and I tried to create a desire for air play on my station. Now I have pretty good record service.. and I still have not been invited to join the Singing News charting club. If an artist or promoter doesn't want to send product now,.. that's ok.. I have plenty of others to play. Make yourself valuable by being the best radio station you can be.. Don't rely on a "charting ticket" to get you where you need to be. Let me know if I can help in any way. April 10, 2007PR Photography: Spit Out Your Gum!I'm honestly not doing anything here but having a good laugh. No hard feelings are meant by this post; please don't read that into this. I opened a Press Release via email recently with this high-resolution, professionally photographed image of Eighth Day announcing a talent search to replace a member of their team. This image is what I saw:  A closer look, thanks to such high resolution, shows that Mr. D in the middle likes his chewing gum! -Daniel Britt Labels: Advice, Humor, In The News, Observations April 7, 2007EMI DRM-Free Music Available NowThe first EMI artist to release DRM-free music since the Apple/EMI joint announcement is an alternative band called The Good, The Bad, And The Queen. The story is HERE. They didn't wait for Apple's launch of the higher bit-rate files on the iTunes store, nor did they use Apple's proprietary AAC format. Instead, they are offering their music as 320kbs MP3 files at their online store. (Granted, you'll have to convert British pounds to dollars if you're in the USA wanting to buy these files.) See also: More DRM Bites The Dust DRM Dam Finally Bursts Labels: In The News, Observations More DRM Bites The DustFollowing the lead of Apple, Microsoft has announced they will also offer DRM-free music from EMI at their online store. The full story is HERE. "Consumers have made it clear that unprotected music is something they want," Asher said. "We plan on offering it to them as soon as our label partners are comfortable with it." By the way, I have inquired as to whether or not EMI's deal with Apple will affect Gaither label products such as the Homecoming series and music by artists Ernie Haase & Signature Sound, the Isaacs and the Gaither Vocal Band. Gaither's label isn't owned by EMI, but EMI is the distributor. If so, it could mean some already popular Southern Gospel artists will see an increase in online sales. Gaither's publicist said they'd be letting me know; when they do, I'll let you know. See also: DRM Dam Finally Bursts Labels: In The News, Observations April 2, 2007DRM Dam Finally BurstsiTunes To Sell EMI Catalog DRM Free On March 26, 2007 I wrote: Digital Rights Management (DRM) serves only to make life more difficult for LEGAL users. As soon as the music industry wises up and stops making life more difficult for people who are willing to pay for their products, the better off they will be. Boy, the music world listens when I speak, don't they? Others have been working on making his happen for years, but when I weigh in, things change in a matter of mere days. I'm just kidding, of course. Click HERE for the story. iTunes and Christian music giant EMI (CLARIFICATION: EMI is a music giant, period...not just a Christian music giant) have just reached an agreement to sell the entire EMI catalog DRM FREE. This is incredible news for the music buying consumer. I expect the other large music companies will follow EMI's example. This may not mean a great deal for Southern Gospel artists at the moment. I'm not sure how many, if any, are part of the EMI family. I know EMI distributes some SG related titles, most notably Gaither products, but I don't know if the deal with iTunes carries over to distributed titles or not. The music industry is finally getting it. Here's why this is going to work so well: It's going to be cheaper now (relative to how much you value your time, of course) to buy music legitimately than to steal it. "How?" you might say. When you weigh obtaining a file of dubious quality illegally (that also may be difficult to locate) against spending $1.29 to download the same song from iTunes with quality assurance, most consumers are going to prefer to just pay up. The price is cheap enough and the convenience is so great that the time saved is worth it. By the way, an added bonus to the DRM free tracks is that the bit-rate for the 30% higher priced tracks will be increased to 256kbs. This will add value to the $1.29 price point over the standard 99 cent rate for DRM crippled, lower bit-rate tracks. Another bonus...people who buy complete albums via iTunes will get the better quality unprotected tracks with no additional cost. According to the article: Full albums in DRM-free form can be bought at the same price as standard iTunes albums. Labels: In The News, Observations SG Artists: Required ReadingNick Bruno's column at SoGospelNews should be required reading for every aspiring Southern Gospel artist, as well as many who already view themselves as full-time professionals. Click HERE right now! It's all about recording...including what is proper in a contract, what a "contract" really means, etc. Labels: Observations, Other Forums April 1, 2007Audio Home Recording ActThose interested in more fully understanding their rights as consumers under copyright law may want to take a gander at section 1008 of the Audio Home Recording Act of 1992. A frequent question consumers have when confronting this convoluted mumbo-jumbo of copyright law regards the legality of making personal, non-commercial backup copies of the music they buy. Section 1008 states: No action may be brought under this title alleging infringement of copyright based on the manufacture, importation, or distribution of a digital audio recording device, a digital audio recording medium, an analog recording device, or an analog recording medium, or based on the noncommercial use by a consumer of such a device or medium for making digital musical recordings or analog musical recordings. (The bold emphasis is mine.) The law indicates fairly plainly that you can't be sued for using a recording device in a noncommercial manner. This, to me, indicates that it's fine to possess more than one copy of a recording you paid for once. It also indicates that you can record TV programs, capture video from the internet, etc., for your own personal, noncommercial use. (Of course, I'm not a lawyer and this isn't legal advice. A lawyer could probably make it say any number of things to the contrary of what I've just understood it to say.) UPDATE: By the way, the 9th Circuit Court (yeah, that 9th circuit court) ruled in 1999 that "space shifting" music you legally own is fair use. Click HERE for details. As far as I know, this ruling hasn't been overturned. A pertinent quote from the article: ...under the ruling, consumers may, for example, legitimately transfer music from their audio CDs to their hard drive, convert the files to MP3 format and either play them on the computer or download copies of the files to the Rio or to other devices. Labels: Observations March 29, 2007Does the 'Christian Music Genre' Still Exist?We talk a lot about putting labels on the "style" of music, but consider this question: Does the 'Christian Music Genre' Still Exist? If the answer to this question is "no, not really," then what is "Christian Radio" to do? No longer is it a choice between "sacred" and "secular." And frankly, God has always used whatever and whoever he wants anyway. Is it a day of reckoning with this dichotomy of life we live? --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Does the 'Christian Music Genre' Still Exist? http://www.christianpost.com/article/20070329/26584.htm --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- There is a real catch-22 with it and I could argue both sides. -Daniel Britt Labels: CCM, In The News, Observations March 20, 2007Two New SG BlogsAdam Edwards and Kyle (no last name) have started Southern Gospel blogs titled Southern Gospel Critique and Southern Gospel View respectively. I'm already familiar with Edwards. He has contributed some significant content to my SGHistory site in the past few months and is a regular poster on various SG message boards. From the initial posts made by both men, it appears they are sincere fans of Southern Gospel with critical eyes...two characteristics that make for good SG blogging. I look forward to reading what they have to say in coming months. Labels: Observations, Other Blogs March 16, 20072007 Singing News Top Ten Fan AwardsTop Ten Nominations By now, you may have already read that Singing News announced the Fan Award nominees for 2007. Click HERE for the complete list. As it stands at the moment, there are ten categories with ten nominees. Subscribers who receive the May 2007 issue of Singing News will have the opportunity to vote and narrow the field down to five nominations in each category. Subscribers who receive the July 2007 issue will then determine the final outcome. I didn't mail in a ballot, since I'm writing reviews for the Singing News now. If I had, here's who would have received my votes: Group - Dove Brothers Quartet *Male Singer - Arthur Rice *Female Singer - Lauren Talley Horizon Group - Skyline Boys Horizon Individual - Bryan Elliott *Musician - Jeff Stice *Young Artist - Scott Inman *Songwriter - Kyla Rowland Song - "Sky Full Of Angels" Album - Everyday by Mark Bishop Those marked with asterisks made it past the first round. I'd stick with them on the next ballot, of course. In the categories I missed, I'd go with the following : Group - Brian Free & Assurance Horizon Group - Crist Familiy Horizon Individual - Jeremy Lile Song - "My Anchor Of Hope" Album - Revival by Gold City Part Categories Return Along with the announcement of the nominees, Singing News has reactivated six categories that had previously been slated for deletion. In May, subscribers will vote to determine five nominees each for Tenor, Lead, Baritone, Bass, Soprano, and Alto categories. Here's how 2007 compares to 2006: 1. 13 categories from 2006 have been retained. These include Female, Male, Songwriter, Song, Horizon Individual, Horizon Group, Album, Tenor, Lead, Baritone, Bass, Soprano, and Alto. 2. The separate categories for Pianist and Musician have been combined to create a single Musician category. 3. The category for Young Artist has been retained with modifications. 2007 nominees must be no older than 25 and previous winners are ineligible. The previous requirement was that artists be 30 or younger. 4. Mixed Group, Traditional Quartet, and Trio categories have been combined to create an overall Group category. 5. Soloist, Band, Website, Small Market DJ, Medium Market DJ, and Large Market DJ have been eliminated. (Soloists are eligible in the overall Male or Female category.) There were 22 presentations and 23 acceptance speeches in 2006. (The extra speech was due to a "statistical tie" for the Traditional Group category.) Also, there was a point in the program where the three DJ categories were announced. Reducing the number of categories to 10 at first was probably an over-reaction to complaints regarding the length of the ceremony. They can always leave off the six vocal part presentations when editing it down to a length suitable for a TV special if length is still an issue for that department. All things considered, this is a good compromise. Labels: Fan Awards, Observations, Singing News The Risks of CreativityAt SouthernGospelBlog.com, the topic of Table Sales came up. Throughout the comments on that post, the topic shifted somewhat to "custom projects" versus "record label projects." One poster said that the custom, table-projects are often great projects in their own right, once the artist is free from following the wishes of a label executive. I replied with my thoughts on the subject: You have a point, Ron. I thought about this some during the conference at Crossroads. Because I’ve often heard the complaint from artists that record companies dictate what you record and, in their opinion, stifle the artist’s own creativity (which is probably what attracted the record deal in the first place). How often has one heard the complaint that “I liked them better before they ‘made it big’ and were signed? They were producing better, more original creativity on their custom/table projects.” HOWEVER, I tend to agree with how the record companies think, too. IF you have an artist who really is a creative genius and innovative with his music, then the record company probably is smart enough to let that artist run their own show. Realistically, though, how many artists are good talents, so-so at creativity, but still need a bit of seasoned help from the record company with whom they are signed? I think this may be the case for the majority. So, just as remixes are popular, I’d like to see both angles and, from a fan’s standpoint, choose for myself: “do I like the record company version of the artist or the artist’s version of the artist?” For the sake of good business, you’d probably have to side with the record company. For the sake of variety and possibly a surprise-success, you’d look forward to see what the artist can do on their own. Risk is risky which is why we don’t see more of it. -Daniel Britt Labels: Observations, Other Blogs March 15, 2007Retail vs. Table SalesDaniel Mount raises an issue we discussed at the blogger summit: table sales vs. retail. I suspect some other genres face the same problem, though off the top of my head, I can't think of another genre where artists routinely turn out two or more recordings per year. I suppose one jaded answer might be that other genres don't have a built-in guilt complex among the fans driving them to "encourage" well meaning groups that don't have the skill to sing their way out of a wet paper bag. This takes away money that might otherwise be spent on a really good group, leveling the playing field and encouraging anyone and everyone to participate. This notion also extends to what radio is willing to play on the air. In other genres lacking this "we must support our brothers" mentality, people will buy and play your music only if they like it. The question comes down to whether more harm is done than good by false praise. I submit that it is. It's a vicious cycle. One point I tried to raise at the meeting is that until a group reaches a "critical mass" of popularity...meaning their recordings regularly recoup expanses and they see significant benefits from sales at retail...they aren't going to see the value of retail. Who can blame them? If an artist makes an average profit of less than $1 per unit on say, 12000 units per title sold at retail, and $10 per unit on 3000 units per title sold at their table, the question is a no brainer. Often, that average profit on retail is zero, because the CD never recouped production expenses. What the artist fails to see, and what recording labels ought to emphasize to their artists, is that more retail sales should open more doors for concerts and higher flats. You aren't going to get many large scale concert promoters interested in you if you aren't moving product at retail. FYI, we have very few large scale concert promoters in SG. We have a few who think they're big, but when you compare them to CCM concert promoters like Premier Productions and others, the scale is much different. Labels: Observations, Other Blogs March 14, 2007Mark Lowry Added To NQC Main StageAlthough they're not billing him as a soloist, NQC has just announced that Mark Lowry has been added to the main stage. He will appear on Friday night as part of a 50th anniversary celebration of the NQC and will perform along with LordSong. I think this is a move that will give NQC some added drawing power. Labels: In The News, Observations March 12, 2007Where Musicscribe Draws The LineSusan Unthank sparked a good discussion a few weeks ago that's still underway. The topic began as "What Do You Want To Read," but has since morphed into "Where Do You Draw The Line" when it comes to reporting negative news. If it's some bit of news that may be perceived as negative, I draw the line at verifying the facts. This doesn't mean I necessarily wait for a press release to be issued. I've been known to pose questions without waiting to be spoon fed. After the facts are confirmed, I then try to apply the "What Would Jesus Do?" principle. I also ask myself, "Would I say this if the parties being discussed were in the same room?" (Of course, I'm not particularly shy. Some things I might say to a person, another person might not.) There's another extreme I also make every effort to avoid. Just as there is a line between reporting negative news and gossip/rumor, there's also a line between positive news and sensationalism. That's why you'll rarely see me quote a press release word for word. I should also point out that one major difference between Musicscribe and pure news reporting is that we're more about opinions. Daniel Britt or I may allude to a news story or even break news on rare occasions, but it's usually so we can add our own opinion to what has transpired. I don't lose any sleep if we get scooped, because reporting the news isn't really our first concern. Labels: Observations, Other Forums Yes, Virginia. We are taking over Southern Gospel.Since David Bruce Murray gives me space here to make my own commentary and posts, I have decided in the spirit of clarity, to simply offer a link to my summary of the blogger summit meeting. I hope this will avoid any confusion as to "my thoughts" versus "David's thoughts." My post is here. -Daniel Britt Labels: Observations March 9, 2007Blogger Summit ReportI just got home a short while ago from the "Blogger Summit." In attendance were Mickey Gamble, Chris White, Scott Wagner (sp?), and Jim Stover of Crossroads; Wayne Haun and Kevin Ward of Vine Records; bloggers Doug Harrison, Daniel Britt, and me. Daniel Mount participated by phone as well. Mount has posted a running commentary of our discussion on the Singing News forum. Go ahead and read that first, if you want, because I'm not going to rehash what he's already posted. In a nutshell, the agenda for the day presented by Crossroads was: 1. Let's talk generally about various aspects of the industry. 2. Here's what we do in these various areas. 3. Do you have any questions? 4. What would you do if you were in our shoes?" Topics included the state of radio, television, concert promotion, product distribution, finances, declining sales trends, marketing techniques, the Singing News chart and Fan Awards, SG choral music, record production (particularly song selection), and artists. A few acronyms were thrown around...BMI, NARAS, AGM, etc. For those of you worried about us being bribed, I guess I should disclose that we all got a free DVD and Crossroads picked up the tab for lunch. No cash...oh well...I guess I'll just have to keep on being honest with my opinions rather than becoming a devious promotional mouthpiece for the SG recording industry. :o) Seriously, at the end of the day, I was glad to have the opportunity to meet several people I hadn't had the chance to meet previously. In the process, I learned some details about the recording industry that will help me be a more accurate blogger in the future. Additionally, I had the opportunity to make a couple of face-to-face suggestions to the Crossroad execs about embracing digital downloads (which they appear to already have in the works) and being pro-active in improving inferior SG radio (which they aren't really doing at the moment, but have tried in the past with only marginal success). I was also able to lend some perspective to the discussion from my previous experience working in Christian retail. What was the result of today's meeting? We met, we talked, we ate, we talked some more. Only time will tell if anything fruitful actually took place today, but that wasn't really the point. The point was to give bloggers an opportunity to share suggestions with Crossroads while they in turn gave us a glimpse "behind the curtain" of the Southern Gospel industry. Labels: Announcements, Observations March 8, 2007Blogger Summit ContinuedRegarding my previous post on tomorrow's "Blogger Summit," Trent had this to say: I think you bloggers are great, and I love to read your stuff. I think what you have to say has, in many instances, advanced & improved SG exposure and given us food for thought about our music and artists. However, I think you are being naive if you think some SG record execs are getting together with you just to chat you up & get your input on the direction of the industry. Does starting up a blog make you an expert on the industry? No. If I was interested in dentistry and started a blog about it, would the great journals on medicine be interested in my comments? No. Would dentists? Well, they might read it for curiosity sake, but they wouldn't really care what I thought about procedures for root canals. My guess is the record execs are going to very subtly & gently prod you guys into being a "positive" voice for the industry and to tone down any negativity. Just a hunch. ------------- To Trent and anyone else with similar thoughts, I would say that it's true that I'm naive about some issues. I am the sort of person who takes people at face value the first time. If they try to burn me, I adjust accordingly in my future dealings with them. I'm way past the star-struck fan stage at this point in my life, though. I'm a huge fan of Southern Gospel, obviously, but it's more a love of the musical style now than the personalities who are, after all, just people. Flattery can be just as offensive to me as rudeness, if I perceive that the person giving the flattery is just wanting something from me. I agree that starting a blog doesn't make a person an expert. In fact, it's probably the quickest way to prove a person isn't an expert if in fact, they aren't. I'm reminded of the old adage, "It's better to keep your mouth shut and have everyone think you're a fool than open your mouth and prove it." However, I would hasten to point out that SOME blogs are run by experts. These may be few and far between in Southern Gospel, but there are plenty of examples otherwise. Plus there's the fact that interactive dialog coupled with experience can, over time, make a fan into an expert on a particular subject. Granted, it may not be enough to turn a person into a dentist (at least not legally), but SG isn't exactly dental surgery. If it is, we have a lot of false practitioners. As for my own credentials, I'd prefer that my writing pass or fail on its own merit. If that isn't enough, I do happen to have a couple of diplomas stuck in a drawer that say I earned undergraduate and graduate level degrees in Sacred Music and Music Theory respectively, for whatever they're worth. Labels: Observations February 23, 2007Baptist Church Workers Aren't Under SBC AuthorityThe following is quoted from the New York Times: The Chicago-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests has started a campaign to call attention to alleged sex abuse committed by Southern Baptist ministers and concealed by churches. SNAP presented a letter Monday to Southern Baptist Convention executive committee members in Nashville, asking the group to adopt a zero-tolerance policy on sex abuse and to create an independent review board to investigate molestation reports. Church leaders concede there have been some incidents of abuse in Southern Baptist congregations, but say their hands are tied when it comes to investigating complaints across the denomination. Unlike the Catholic Church, with its rigid hierarchy, Baptist churches are independent. They make their own decisions about hiring ministers and conducting investigations, Baptist leaders say. ''They don't want to see this problem,'' said Christa Brown, a SNAP member from Austin, Texas, who says she was sexually abused as a child by a Southern Baptist minister. ''That's tragic because they're imitating the same mistakes made by Catholic bishops.'' The article goes on at length about how the Southern Baptist Convention supposedly doesn't want to deal with this issue, even though the SBC has already done as much as its level of authority (none) allows it to do, and that is to advise. The situation has been clearly explained more than once to SNAP. Southern Baptist churches volunteer their participation in the SBC. All SBC churches are independent entities. The SBC as a whole answers to the churches, not the other way around. The same applies for state Baptist conventions as well as local Baptist Associations. The only entity that has authority over a staff member at a Baptist church is the church itself, and even then, all they can do is fire the person and cooperate with law enforcement to see that they are properly prosecuted. This concept is so foreign to the world at large, even when it's abundantly and plainly spelled out, the people who ought be hearing it instead stick their fingers in their ears and chant, "La la la la la." Child molesters need to be removed from churches. Everything that can be done should be done. But asking the SBC to exercise authority over a local church when it has no legal right to exercise some sort of authority makes no sense at all. I'm on the staff of a Southern Baptist church. The SBC doesn't have the authority to force me to lift a pencil, much less submit to a review that might result in disciplinary action. Neither does the state convention. Neither does the local association of Southern Baptist churches. In the past, the SBC has passed resolutions that may have seemed to speak for all member churches as far as the mainstream press is concerned...a boycott of Disney, for example...but it has always been up to each church to go along. SBC churches don't even have to pay dues to the convention in order to maintain membership. All that is required is that they be a member of a local SBC association, and some member churches choose not to donate to the local association. The SBC has done everything it can with regard to advising and educating local churches regarding this problem. I'm sure the convention will continue to provide advice in the future as well. Trying to shame the SBC into overstepping their authority makes no rational sense. The SBC already encourages background checks before hiring a staff member and encourages churches to cooperate openly and fully with law enforcement whenever there's an accusation of abuse or molestation. The church where I attend is in the process of writing policy that would require background checks even on people who simply volunteer to work with children and youth. I completely admire and support SNAP's cause, but they've gone about this backwards. As foreign as the concept may be to someone coming from a Catholic or even a United Methodist background, church staff members, including everyone from the senior pastor to the piano player, answer to the congregation in a Southern Baptist church. Labels: In The News, Observations February 22, 2007Advice For Groups Choosing SongsA member of a regional Southern Gospel group wrote me today explaining his group's particular situation and asking for some advice. His group is based in an area that doesn't get a great deal of Southern Gospel. His local fans tend to have different expectations than Southern Gospel radio, or at least, he perceives his situation to be that way. He would like to please his local fans as well as the general Southern Gospel market, including SG radio. An added layer to his dilemma is that songwriters (naturally) tend to give their best songs to better known, national level artists first. He wanted to know what I thought his group should do in the future. My reply to him is below: I think attempting to balance the expectations of your local audience with the expectations of SG radio is a mistake. Focusing on your strengths is much more important, in my opinion. The first question you should ask when selecting a song to learn is, "Can we sing this song with as much appeal as any other artist who might attempt to sing it in the future?" Sure, you might have to concede that another group may do better with better vocalists. If there are several dozen groups you know who are more suited to delivering what the song requires, though, move on...no matter how much you like the song. That being said, it's still important to choose songs you enjoy performing. When a group is enjoying what they do, it carries over to the audience. This needs to be the case not only on stage, but in the studio as well. Pick songs you enjoy, but only after they've first passed the test of matching your strengths as singers. You mentioned your local audience's expectations. For a regional group, local expectations are much more important than national expectations. The following is something that illustrates this principle. I've determined this from my personal experience working in retail and being a customer as well: If someone calls a retail store when a cashier has customers in line, and that cashier is the only one in the store who can answer the phone, it's fine for them to go ahead answer the phone. What should happen next is they should politely tell the customer on the phone it will be minute before they can assist them. They should then put the caller on hold, and process the customer holding the cash first. The most important customer at any given time is the one trying to give you cash! My advice to you is similar. If you're going to cater to the expectations of anyone, cater to your local customers who are already buying your CDs. Your avenue to greater success down the road may not even lie with Southern Gospel radio. It may be Christian Country programming or something else entirely. Not to contradict the writings of St. Paul, but in music, pleasing your existing audience as much as you possibly can will serve you better than trying to be all things to all people. In summary, I think you'll go further by sticking with styles that: A) you do well, B) you enjoy doing, and C) already get the best response from your existing fans Hope that helps! Reading this over again, I would probably add that trying new styles is great. It's never good to get into a stylistic rut. However, it's not wise to try something new just for the sake of trying something new, especially if it totally fails to capitalize on your abilities as a group. For example, Brian Free & Assurance hit a home run with "Long As I Got King Jesus." This would never have happened if they had merely tried to please their existing fans, but more importantly, their performance succeeded because the song suited them and they clearly enjoy singing it. Fast forward a year, and BF&A's next CD had two more songs in a similar style ("Jesus Will Pick You Up" and "The Coming Of The King"), because they wanted to KEEP the new fans they had gained with the previous hit. That wasn't all, though. They also took a new sound for a test drive with "If It Takes A Valley," and it did pretty good for them. This is how a group retains existing fans while adding new ones. In the case of "Long As I Got King Jesus," it wasn't a matter of waiting on a songwriter to write something new they could use. Instead, they took an existing song and re-invented it. That might be a way out of the "songwriters don't send us their best songs" dilemma. Labels: Advice, Observations A soloist at NQC in 2007
The National Quartet Convention announced today that for the first time, a soloist has been invited to perform on the main stage. A press release was issued at the same time stating that Charles Burke has come off of the NQC board of directors. Burke's son Michael will take his place.
-----------I expect some will argue that soloists have appeared on the main stage in the past. In a sense, this is true. NQC sub-lets the main stage to the Singing News on Thursday evening each year for the Fan Awards. At times in the past, soloists have performed as part of this program. Of course, soloists have been scheduled on the main stage during NQC for afternoon showcases as well. Stated more accurately, this is the first time a soloist has been scheduled to be part of the regular NQC main stage evening line-up. (I'm hoping we can avoid the Ricky Skaggs = "soloist" argument, and no, the Michael English "return of the prodigal" appearance was a situation where another performer brought him to the stage as part of their set, not an official slot on the program offered to him by the NQC board.) By the way, the honor goes to Ivan Parker. 2/22/07 (9:20 PM) FOLLOW UP: In a reply on Daniel Mount's blog, reader "John" observes that many soloists have appeared at NQC on the main stage in the past...and John ain't talking about the Fan Awards, Ricky Skaggs, OR Michael English. He's mentioning names like Big Jim Waits, Jimmie Davis, Winston Blackwood, Don Butler, Vep Ellis, Wally Fowler, Arnold Hyles and Frank Stamps. 2/23/07 (10:25 PM) FOLLOW UP: A press release issued today via Writer's Ink states the historical significance of Ivan Parker's solo appearance at the 2007 NQC with more precision: During the annual National Quartet Convention Board Meeting held in Louisville, KY, on Tuesday, February 20, the NQC Board voted to invite Ivan Parker to perform on the Friday evening featured concert. Although there have been guest soloists who have appeared on the main NQC stage from time to time down through the years, this is the first time that a prominent soloist with a vibrant career as a soloist has been a featured performer on the NQC main stage featured concerts. Labels: Observations February 21, 2007Who's Nominated Or Inducted?In a comment to yesterday's blog entry, Chris Unthank has objected to some of my opinions on the matter of Dove Award nominations and GMA Hall Of Fame inductions. I also received a private email from an individual generally agreeing with me, but asking, "Where do you draw the line?" Here's Chris' comment (in blue). My reply is in black below. ------------- I guess I fail to see how it's a stretch to say they are a Dove Nominated artist if the entire group appeared on the video. If the project wins - each participant will recieve a statue for their participation. They are dove nominated. Now I agree that if JBIF started claiming they were Dove nominated for the work that Stephanie and Jeremy did on the recording - that would be a stretch. The whole choir wasn't nominated - just those individuals that participated. As to the GMA Hall of Fame thing - Pete Orta has every right to say that he is a GMA Hall of Fame inductee. Every former member of a group is inducted because of their participation - regardless of how long they were a member. If they've got the medal to prove it - then they're a GMA Hall of Fame inductee. --Chris Unthank ------------- Chris, My opinion is held up by the official records. If you pull up a list of GMA Hall Of Fame members, you will see Petra listed, but you won't see Orta's name. The GMA inducts individual members separate from groups. Roger Breland really IS in the Hall Of Fame, for example, separate from Truth. It diminishes the accomplishments of a true individual member of the HOF when group members claim they're in the hall, while neglecting to mention it was for their participation as part of a group. The medallion around their neck in the photo merely means they were there at the ceremony as one of several individuals representing the group at that point in time. Former members of the Kingsmen who didn't make it to the ceremony have just as much stake in the group being inducted as those who attended. Even Tony Peace, who joined the Kingsmen after their induction and only stayed for a year or so, can legitimately say he's a former member of a GMA Hall Of Fame group if he wants. As long as he maintains proper context, there's nothing wrong with using that to bolster his reputation. The same applies to Dove Awards. If the Crabb Family is nominated for Artist Of The Year, they collectively are Dove nominees. When Blur The Lines is nominated for Inspirational album, however, THE nominee is the project. The participants (artist, producer, label) that are listed after the album nomination are only nominated within the context of the album. Stewart Varnado's vast PR department could roll out ad copy stating he participated in the Dove nominated Torch project. That would be well and good. However, it would be misleading to say he was nominated without mentioning the context, as if he specifically had a Dove nomination on his own. If Torch wins, the record will state that Torch won...not Varnado. So, to answer the private email I received and hopefully Chris as well, I draw the line at context. I see no problem with someone saying they were nominated or inducted "as part of" etc. I think we should reserve the individual claims, however, for those individuals who were THE nominee. For example, an individual nominated for Producer Of The Year really is a Dove nominated producer. An producer whose project was nominated for a Dove Award, in contrast, is just that...they should specify that the project they worked on was nominated rather than merely saying THEY were nominated. To do otherwise, whether you're an artist or a PR firm acting on behalf of an artist, causes people to draw inaccurate conclusions. 2/22/07 (12:15 AM) FOLLOW-UP: Since posting this, I have done a little more digging. Chris mentioned that if Torch were to happen to win, every artist would receive a statuette from the GMA, giving them legitimacy in claiming to be a Dove Award winner. I pulled up the official rules, and this doesn't seem to be the case. In the Special Event Album category, the statuette goes to the artist IF the artist is "prominent." Otherwise, it either goes to the named "Creator" or "Producer" of the project. There is no prominent artist on Torch. It looks like the statuette recipients would be Ed Leonard, Crystal Burchette, Mike Speck, Rick Shelton, and Melody Van Nuss rather than the 30 or so artists who appeared on Torch. Of course, we'll never know unless Torch wins. Chris said this was unlikely in a comment at southerngospelblog. I agree with him on that. Projects like the DC Talk tribute Freaked!, Integrity's Arise and Sparrow Records' Passion probably stand a better chance. Labels: Dove Awards, Observations February 20, 2007Dove Awards 2007Nominations for the 2007 Dove Awards were announced today. Southern Gospel made a respectable showing again this year, with nominations in several categories other than SG-specific categories. Also, the nominations generally make sense, with a couple of glaring exceptions. (I will refrain from pointing the exceptions out, but feel free to read over the list and see if any strike you as out of place.) I noticed the Torch video project got a nomination, which it fully deserved. A thought just hit me. Since Torch includes numerous artists, they can all add the phrase "Dove Nominated Artist" (acronym: DNA?) to their curriculum vita. Sure...each individual was just one lone voice in a huge choir, but hey, you've got to take advantage of these things. This sort of thing wasn't above Word Music, who marketed Pete Orta's solo CD as being by a "Gospel Music Hall Of Fame Member" a few years ago. Actually, he was just a member of Petra briefly, but you'd think he was right up there with Andrae Crouch to read the marketing. It was true...technically...but also very misleading. Seriously, I hope no SG PR people will use the Torch nomination to pump up an individual artist's credentials. (On the other hand, if you do, at least send me a check for giving you the idea. Hey, inspiration ought to be worth something!) Anyway... Listed below are the categories where Southern Gospel artists were nominated. You can view the complete official list (including one misspelled SG nomination) HERE. Song of the Year (Title; Writer; Publisher) * "Bless The Broken Road"; Marcus Hummon, Bobby E. Boyd, Jeff Hanna; Careers-BMG Music Publishing, Inc. (BMI) * "Cry Out To Jesus"; Mac Powell; Consuming Fire Music (ASCAP) * "Drifter"; Josh Reedy, Brian Bunn, Erik Miker, Boone Daughdrill; Willow Branch Publishing, DecembeRadio Publishing (BMI) * "God’s Still God"; Johnathan Bond; HIS Choice Music, PraiseStreet Music (BMI) * "Imagine Me"; Kirk Franklin; Zomba Songs, Inc., Kerrion Publishing, Lilly Mack Music (BMI) * "Made To Worship"; Stephan Sharp, Ed Cash, Chris Tomlin; sixsteps Music, worshiptogether.com Songs (ASCAP), Alletrope Music (BMI), Stephan Sharp Publishing * "Me And Jesus"; Adam Agee, Ian Eskelin; Bridge Building (BMI), Starshaped Music (BMI), Wordspring Music, LLC * "My Savior My God"; Aaron Shust; Bridge Building, Whitespot Publishing * "Nothing Left To Lose"; Mat Kearney; EMI Blackwood Music/ Facade Aside Music (BMI) * "Praise You In The Storm"; Mark Hall, Bernie Herms; Club Zoo Music (BMI), SWECS Music (BMI), Word Music, LLC (ASCAP), Banahama Tunes (ASCAP) Artist of the Year * Casting Crowns * Chris Tomlin * Jars of Clay * Stellar Kart * The Crabb Family * Third Day * TobyMac Southern Gospel Recorded Song of the Year (Title; Writer; Publisher) * “Give It Away”; Give It Away; Gaither Vocal Band; Gloria Gaither, Benjamin Gaither; Gaither Music Group * “God’s Still God”; Strength; Young Harmony; Johnathan Bond; Praise Street Music, Lamon Records * “New Day Dawning”; New Day Dawning; The Whisnants; Joel Lindsey; United Independent Artists * “Nothing But The Blood”; Blur The Lines; The Crabb Family; Robert Lowry, Bubba Smith, Aaron Crabb, Jason Crabb; Clear Cool Music * “Prodigal’s Dad”; Kenny Bishop; Kenny Bishop; Jeff Steele; Daywind Records Country Recorded Song of the Year (Title; Writer; Publisher) * “Don’t Let Who You Are Keep You Away”; Kenny Bishop; Kenny Bishop; Kenny Bishop; Daywind Records * “It Ain’t Over When It’s Over”; Graceland; The Mike Bowling Group; Ronny Hinson, Daywind Records * “Jonah, Job And Moses”; Front Row Seats; Oak Ridge Boys; Tina Sellers, Bill Anderson; Spring Hill Music * “On The Other Side Of That Hill”; He Kept On Loving Me; Barbara Fairchild; Lisa Alexander, John Lemonis; Daywind Records * “Say Hello To Heaven”; Jamie Slocum; Buddy Hyatt; Curb Records Southern Gospel Album of the Year (Title; Artist; Producer; Label) * Give It Away; Gaither Vocal Band; Bill Gaither, Michael Sykes, Marshall Hall, Guy Penrod, Wes Hampton; Gaither Music Group * Graceland; The Mike Bowling Group; Mike Bowling; Daywind Records * It’s So God; Brian Free And Assurance; Wayne Haun; Daywind Records * Stepping Stones; Poet Voices; Phil Cross, Cliff Duren; Sonlite Records * Strength; Young Harmony; Dave Moody; Lamon Records Country Album of the Year (Title; Artist; Producer; Label) * Everyday; Mark Bishop; Jeff Collins, Mark Bishop; Sonlite Records * Feels Like Home; Dave Moody; Dave Moody; Lamon Records * He Kept On Loving Me; Barbara Fairchild; Marty Funderburg; Daywind Records * Precious Memories; Alan Jackson; Keith Stegall; Arista Records * Songs Of Inspiration; Alabama; Randy Owen; RCA Records Special Event Album of the Year (Title; Artist; Producer; Label) * Arise-A New Celebration Of Worship; Don Moen, Lincoln Brewster, Paul Paloche, Robin Mark, Jared Anderson, Lenny LeBlanc; Paul Mills; Integrity Music * Bluegrass Gospel Time; Honi Deaton & Dream, Dave Moody, Wendy Word + Forgiven, George Hamilton IV, George Hamilton V, The Moody Brothers, The Bradleys, Ricky Traywick, Bluegrass Revival, Aver Harreld, Harvest Wind; Dave Moody, Nelson McSwain, Gary Rushing; Lamon Records * Freaked! A Gotee Tribute To dcTalk’s Jesus Freak; Ayiesha Woods, John Reuben, 4th Avenue Jones, Sarah Kelly, House Of Heroes, Relient K, Fighting Instinct, StorySide B, Liquid, Family Force 5, Paul Wright, The Showdown, Chasing Victory; Brad Moist, Paul Ebersold, Todd Collins, Ahmad Jones, Daniel Huscroft, Mark Townsend, Joe Baldridge, Lucio Rubino, Liquid, Dave Wyatt; Gotee Records * Passion: Everything Glorious; Chris Tomlin, Christy Nockels, Kristian Stanfill, Charlie Hall, Matt Redman, David Crowder*Band; Nathan Nockels; sixstepsrecords, Sparrow Records * Torch; Lauren Talley, Scott Inman, Annie McRae, Adam Crabb, Jeremy Peace, Josh Feemster, Derrick Selph, Jeremy Lile, Nick Succi, Brandon Reese, Jason Selph, Amber Thompson, Jeff Snyder, Kelly McRae, Christian Davis, Ricky Free, Matthew Holt, Jeremy Brown, Paul Smith, Chris Weaver, Matt McFarland, Aaron Crabb, Jason Crabb, Dusty Barrett, Justin Ellis, Micah Schweinsberg, Lori Sikes, Zach Smith, Autumn Thompson, Avery Wolfe, Scott McDowell, Randy “Scoot” Shelnut, Jr., John Rulapaugh, Lance Moore, Josh Singletary, Aaron McCune, Andrew Ishee, Jim Mahalick, Jessica Harrison, Amber Balltzglier, Katy Peach, Joseph Habedank, Jason Waldroup, Anthony Facello, Josh Garner, Chris West, Stewart Varnado, The Crabb Family, Lauren Talley, Stephanie Brown, Eddie Harrison, Josh Simpson, Troy Peach, Terah Penhollow, Kelly Bowling ; Ed Leonard, Crystal Burchette, Mike Speck, Rick Shelton, Melody Van Nuss; Daywind Records Christmas Album of the Year (Title; Artist; Producer; Label) * A Christmas Homecoming; Cumberland Quartet; Wayne Haun, Kevin Ward, Depp Britt; Vine Records * A Mary Mary Christmas; Mary Mary; Warryn Campbell; My Block, Sony Urban, Columbia, Integrity Gospel * Christmas Offerings; Third Day; Mac Powell, Tai Anderson, Brad Avery, David Carr, Mark Lee, Don McCollister; Essential Records * Do You See What I See?; Todd Agnew; Todd Agnew; Ardent Records, INO Records * The Christmas Hope; NewSong; Bernie Herms, Drew Cline, Matt Butler, Michael O’Brien, Rico Thomas; Integrity Music Long Form Music Video of the Year (Title; Artist; Producer; Label) * Alive In South Africa; Israel & New Breed; Israel Houghton; Di Rosen; Di Rosen Productions; Integrity Music * Give It Away; Gaither Vocal Band; Bill Gaither, Barry Jennings, Bill Carter; Doug Stuckey; Gaither Television Productions; Gaither Music Group * Jeremy Camp- Live Unplugged; Jeremy Camp; Ken Concord, Michael Sacci; Carl Diebold; Jupiter Project; BEC Recordings * Legacy of Love...David Phelps Live; David Phelps; David Phelps, Jim Chaffee; Russell E. Hall; Word Records * Lifesong Live; Casting Crowns; Karl Hortsmann; Triple Horse Entertainment, Gospel Music Channel; Beach Street Records, Reunion Records * Time Again...Amy Grant Live; Amy Grant; Ken Carpenter, Rod Carpenter; Ken Carpenter; Franklin Films; Word Records Labels: Dove Awards, Observations February 16, 2007Typical Walmart Ignorance If you had pulled up the Southern Gospel section of digital downloads at Walmart.com today, the image above is what you would have seen. There's not ONE Southern Gospel artist displayed in the "Hot Titles" for Southern Gospel. If I were working for Gaither, Daywind, Crossroads, etc., I'd be calling up Walmart to ask why this is the case. By the way, I found a number of Crossroads and Gaither titles by searching on artist names, but I couldn't find any Daywind titles. This is probably the top site on the web for WMA format music with over a million songs available and an attractive price point. You'd think a major label would participate. (Of course, it's worth mentioning that many Daywind titles are available at www.emusic.com, where you can get MP3 format files rather than DRM restricted WMA format.) But let's return to the issue of non-SG artists being promoted as SG. Fortunately, Walmart's customers are a lot smarter than the people who lay out the online storefront. The current top Southern Gospel artists at Walmart are: 1. Bill & Gloria Gaither And Their Homecoming Friends 2. Gaither Vocal Band 3. Signature Sound Quartet 4. Ernie Haase 5. The Isaacs 6. The Statler Brothers 7. Bob Carlisle 8. Anthony Burger 9. The Bill Gaither Trio 10. Lynda Randle Current top albums are: 1. Get Away, Jordan - Ernie Haase (This explains why "Ernie Haase" appears on the list of Top Artists as well as "Signature Sound Quartet." Walmart data entry clerks are too dumb to enter the names of artists consistently.) 2. Give It Away - Gaither Vocal Band 3. Heroes - The Isaacs 4. Amen - The Statler Brothers 5. Israel Homecoming - Bill & Gloria Gaither And Their Homecoming Friends 6. Nothing But The Hits - The Canton Spirituals 7. It's Just Like Heaven - Greater Vision 8. Power - The Hoppers 9. Southern Gospel Favorites - Various Artists 10. Glory - Joseph Spence Top songs are: 1. "Butterfly Kisses" - Bob Carlisle 2. "God On The Mountain - Lynda Randle 3. "The Longer I Serve Him" - Bill & Gloria Gaither And Their Homecoming Friends 4. "In The Palm Of Your Hand" - Alison Krauss & The Cox Family 5. "He Made A Change - Ernie Haase 6. "Why Me" - Gaither Vocal Band 7. "I Catch 'Em, God Clean 'Em" - Gaither Vocal Band 8. "Give It Away" - Gaither Vocal Band So generally speaking, artists whose style could be logically be called Southern Gospel are outselling mis-categorized artists (including a slate of heavily promoted non-SG artists) within the Southern Gospel category. The only exceptions are Bob Carlisle, the Canton Spirituals, and Joseph Spence. At least there's a degree of comfort in the fact that Walmart HAS a Southern Gospel category...this contrasts with iTunes, which doesn't get any more specific than "Christian And Gospel." However, I have to wonder if this gross mis-representation by Walmart doesn't do more harm than good. Labels: Observations, Shopping Tales February 15, 2007Whither Loyalty IndeedDoug Harrison writes about loyalty and group changes in Southern Gospel. He points out rightly that this is nothing new for the genre. I think any time you have a group with four or more members, the odds of sticking together for any significant period of time are pretty slim unless you reach a "we're getting filthy rich doing this" level (see Rolling Stones, U2, etc.)...and even those groups take extended sabbaticals at times. This must never happen for a Southern Gospel group. Even the Gaither Vocal Band has a fair share of turnover. In theory, the GVB ought to be the most financially rewarding gig in the industry, plus, they don't do that many dates per year. Turnover among most other touring groups in Southern Gospel is understandable. I've already done some informal research which revealed SG groups are constantly traveling, averaging 7-12 dates per month. No rest for the weary. Even groups that "have it made" in terms of a touring schedule have turnover. The Kingdom Heirs and the Cumberland Quartet have had a few changes in the past few years, even though they have a regular gig at a theme park that reduces their time on the road. The key to staying together for any significant amount of time appears to NOT be tied to how hard a group works or how much money they take in. Of the groups that stay together with no changes for any significant period of time, most appear to either be family groups or groups structured as partnerships. If I was starting a group from the ground up and we had an obvious good thing going in terms of sound and personal chemistry, I'd think long and hard about going the partnership route. Of course, I'm not privy to the inner structure of any full time groups in the industry, but I've noted a few that appear to be operated as a partnership. I've noted other situations where the employees have been instilled with a sense of pride and ownership in the group. Fans don't tend to mind turnover that much until it breaks up a combination that really clicked. That's why I think so many people hate to see Keith Plott leave Brian Free & Assurance and Tony Peace leave the Kingsmen and Gene McDonald possibly leave the Florida Boys. The hardest hit, though, are those groups poised to succeed. A year ago, Crystal River was ready to take on the industry. They got hit with a double whammy. They're the big casualty in this equation. We don't have the machine in place to launch new groups quickly and decisively in Southern Gospel. Think of all the groups we've lost in the last ten years. N'Harmony floundered when Shane Dunlap left for Signature Sound. The Journeymen Quartet ceased to exist some time after Facello left. Some groups still persist, but are shadows of what they were when they stood briefly on the brink of greatness. Crossway has bucked the trend. They've actually improved with each change, but how many SG fans know them by name after several years of intense marketing on their behalf? I'm impressed by groups like the Imperials that do manage to stick together even without a significant level of commercial success. I hope their boat is about to come in with this new CD. Jeremie Hudson and Jason Morales have been traveling across the country for eight years together. Triumphant Quartet is another group that has been together several years without any changes. Aside from family groups, they may be the only group scheduled on the upcoming 2007 NQC main stage with five members who have been together for more than four years. Even the Inspirations have had some that left and then came back. Then there's guys out there like David Phelps. He longed to move on to something potentially greener, musically freeing, or something like that, even though he was already working in the Gaither Vocal Band alongside the likes of Bill Gaither and Guy Penrod. Clearly, it isn't always about money. So while loyalty isn't for sale, at least not for what SG can pay, in a few select cases, loyalty still manages to exist. Labels: Observations February 9, 200733 Miles SG?In response to my post on the group 33 Miles, Sam has this to say: I've listened to the samples from the group for a month or two and really like them a lot. For some odd reason, they don't remind me of CCM at all...more the new country/rock/pop sound of Rascal Flatts or Keith Urban. And I agree that the music could be very accessible to the SG audience. Think any sg station would be daring enough to play them? There is at least one SG station that would play them in a heartbeat. The other day, I was listening to a SG station and heard a Hillsongs song...right after the Hoskins Family. A couple of days later, I was tuned in to the same station and heard Barlow Girl. Call them "daring" or "clueless"...your choice! Labels: Observations February 7, 2007What Are They Thinking?In response to my NQC 2007 Schedule post, "DJ Guy" writes: I am shocked that Valor is on the Main Stage? How is this possible? What about New Ground . Theyve been charting songs for at least 3 Years. Valor leans more to Contemporary Christian Music. What is the Board thinking? Oh yeah while Im on my soap Box I dont like the changes at Singing News. Someone tell me why they are cutting into the Fan Awards. Forget the Djs we dont really matter anyway huhh. I can't speak for the NQC board or the Singing News, of course, but it's not really a matter of whether or not DJs are important. Excellent DJs are so few and far between that the good ones certainly deserved to be recognized for their efforts. However, a Singing News Fan Award recognition for a DJ meant absolutely zilch. How could fans...scattered all over the face of the earth...be expected to compare a slate of DJs and select a favorite when they hadn't heard them all? Yet that's what the Singing News Fan Awards expected fans to do. DJs should be recognized by the industry, not fans. There's no way I can tell if the guy on my radio is a better DJ than the guy in Knoxville, TN, because I don't live in Knoxville, TN. This is just elementary logic. As for Valor, I too am a bit puzzled as to why the NQC board would invite a group that, from the look of their website, never tours. That being said, I thought their CD was the most unique sounding, consistently ear worthy projects of 2006. I'm looking forward to hearing how they sound in a live setting. Perhaps that's an interest the NQC board shared. Labels: Observations February 6, 2007"CCM" A Southern Gospel Fan Can Enjoy Click HERE to sample music by a new group called 33 Miles. Former Gold City sound tech, Josh Hoevelmann, alerted readers of the Sogospelnews.com forums to 33 Miles in THIS thread. Based on their three song samples posted at MySpace, I really like this group so far. Vocal harmony counts for something on the chorus of a pop song. Better yet, I even heard a guitar solo and some nice vocal ad libs on "What Could Be Better." It reminds me a bit of the music I used to hear in the early 1990s, before groups like Jars Of Clay, Caedmon's Call, and Mercy Me came along and made bland music the "in" thing, crowding out just about everything in this style in the process. Remember East To West? At one point in time, they were thought of as the next huge group on the horizon. Just as they were hitting their stride with a critically acclaimed second CD, it's like the faucet was totally turned off on Christian pop music. For the next ten years, "CCM" has been all about a constant supply of worship music with very little in the way of musical virtuosity, vocal harmony, or elaborate production quality. When is the last time you heard a decent guitar or keyboard solo on Christian radio? It's well past time to turn that faucet back on. (By the way, former East To West member Jay Demarcus went on to tour with Michael English before joining a popular Country act called Rascal Flatts. 33 Miles is being compared to Rascal Flatts.) Let's just hope Christian radio is wise enough to run with this group. If groups like this start to catch on, this SG fan might grow to enjoy listening to the two humongous Christian FM stations in my area again. Labels: CCM, Observations February 2, 2007NQC 2007 ScheduleThe 2007 schedule for NQC has been posted (subject to change, of course). Click HERE for Mon-Wed and HERE for Thur-Sat. Comparing the 2007 schedule to the 2006 schedule, several changes stick out. 1. First and foremost, quartet night is gone. For years, the evening concert on Monday night has been limited to male quartets, but in 2007, Monday evening will be just like the rest of the week with a mixture of quartets and trios. That really stinks...worse than the Singing News Fan Awards changes, in my opinion. Fortunately, the non-male quartets on the program for Monday night are mostly solid names, including the Booth Brothers, Greater Vision, Hoppers, Karen Peck & New River, Mark Trammell Trio, Perrys, and the Talley Trio. The Pfeifers and a couple of somewhat lesser known quartets (Torchmen and Southern Sound out of Nashville, TN) round out the evening. 2. The evening concerts in 2006 featured 17-18 acts per night with the exception of Thursday, which had 12 acts plus the Singing New Fan Awards event. The 2007 schedule currently has one or two fewer acts listed per night, but it's possible more artists will be added before the event. 3. Two groups will kick off the week with a Sunday night concert again. This year's groups are Legacy Five and the Booth Brothers. 4. Wednesday's three showcases are the same as 2006...Vintage Quartets, Artist Spotlight, and Dennis Swanberg (comedy). On the Vintage Quartet showcase, the Dove Brothers, Florida Boys, and Kingdom Heirs return for another year. The Perrys and Palmetto State have been replaced by Brian Free & Assurance and Gold City. On the Artist Spotlight showcase, the Diplomats, Gospel Enforcers, Sons Family, and Singing Ambassadors are back. The Hayes Family and Ricky Atkinson & Compassion have been replaced by Called Out and Heirline. (RA&C graduated to the main stage.) 6. Thursday's showcases are mostly fresh for 2007. The Bluegrass Pickin' Jamboree hosted by Tim Surrett and Les Butler is back, but gone are Mosie's Men, the Artist Spotlight Showcase, and the Low Bass Competition. These have been replaced with the Sevier Heights Baptist Choir and Orchestra, Aaron Wilburn (comedy), and a relocated Instrumentalists Jam Session hosted by Tim Lovelace. (The jam session was on Saturday last year.) 7. Friday will follow the same schedule as 2006. Showcases include Dr. David Jeremiah, two Artist Spotlight showcases, the Brooklyn Tabernacle Singers, and Mike Speck's Choral Extravaganza. The first Artist Spotlight will have 3 for 1, the Duvalls, and the pink suited Northmen, just as in 2006. Amy Lambert, the Torchmen, and the Hoskins Family have been replaced by the Browns, Collingsworth Family, and Daryl Williams Trio. (The Torchmen return to the main stage after a two-year absence.) The second Artist Spotlight on Friday has the Gabbards, New Ground, and Jubilation returning. The Rick Webb Trio and Poet Voices return to the main stage. Their replacements are the Greesons, the Crist Family, and the Freemans. 8. Saturday's showcases will again include Pianorama, a Songwriter's showcase, and two Artist Spotlight showcases. The Crabb Jam and the Instrumentalists Jam Session (shifted to Thursday) have been replaced with a Hoppers 50th Anniversary showcase. Pianorama has been lengthened from just one hour in 2006 to an hour and 45 minutes in 2007. Saturday's first Artist Spotlight has Mark Bishop, the Roarks, and Shiloh reprising their 2006 roles. The Pfeifers won't appear in 2007 on this showcase, but Michael Combs, the Galloways, and the McCraes will. The second Artist Spotlight on Saturday will feature the return of Paid In Full, the Songfellows, Crystal River, and the Mike Lefevre Quartet. The Ruppes and the Jody Brown Indian Family (aka JBIF) will appear on the main stage this year. In their place in this showcase will be Mercy's Mark and the Gann Brothers. Mercy's Mark will also be on the main stage Monday night. 9. Finally, here's a rundown of who's new and who's out on the main stage for 2007. NEW: Ricky Atkinson & Compassion, Valor, Mike Lefevre Quartet, and JBIF...also Poet Voices and the Torchmen return to the main stage after having been away for a couple of years. Of these, the group I'm most eager to hear in a live setting is Valor. OUT: Freemans, Monument Quartet, Hoskins Family, Safe Harbor, Mike Bowling Group (or Mike & Kelly Bowling), Crabb Family, Cumberland Quartet, Galloways, Isaacs, Martins, and Lordsong Of the groups that are out, the Freemans have been bumped to an afternoon showcase, which is downright mind boggling considering their current radio success. They should be on the main stage. The Crabb Family will be retired by this point. Layer on the losses of the Isaacs (who put on the most tremendous display of musical talent of any group at NQC in 2006) and the outstanding vocals of LordSong, and it's clear the losses currently outweigh the additions. Of course, we must keep in mind that some of these groups may be added to the main stage schedule, just as several changes were made in 2006. It certainly isn't carved in stone yet. Labels: NQC, Observations 15K minimum per showThis link puts things in perspective, doesn't it? Scroll down to the bottom of the form and click on Gospel Music Roster to see a list of artists this agency presumably books with a $15,000 minimum per show on a regular basis. I did see a couple of Southern Gospel artists on the list, but I wonder how many dates they've actually booked via this agency. Labels: Observations 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 January 26, 2007Freemans 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 January 11, 2007Music, 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 January 4, 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 December 29, 2006He Was Just A Sweet Old ManHere's how ABC, CNN, CBS, and MSNBC's websites presented the Saddam Hussein execution story. 
Labels: Observations Airplay, Accuracy, and AwardsIf you visit Southern Gospel Reporter's website and look at THIS page, you will see the Top 100 songs played by Chuck Peter's Real Southern Gospel internet station last year. Other internet stations such as Southern Spin Radio post a similar weekly chart. Of course, there are many other airplay charts on the internet as well as in magazines, but I have a good reason for directing you to these two. These charts have a column showing the actual number of spins each song received. Now, each chart represents the data for just one station, so you shouldn't put any stock in either of them as an indicator of overall popularity in the industry. I'm pointing them out because this sort of info is something the national charts that do claim to represent all of Southern Gospel should add. They'd probably need three columns instead of one so that spins from small, medium, and large markets could be listed separately. Over the long term, I believe the entire charting process should be automated to avoid having DJs write down what they THINK they played most. Requiring stations to report spins would encourage stations to add statistical gathering software to their audio playing computers. (I'm not holding my breath.) Which brings me to awards shows. On one hand, awards shows are silly. Otherwise excellent entertainers shift into wannabe comedian mode when they get in front of a microphone at an awards show. On the other hand, awards shows can boost an entertainer's career. Like it or not, winning awards does add to an artist's popularity, at least in terms of name recognition. So why don't awards shows report the vote totals? They could make it as campy as America's Got Talent or as serious as the Olympics, but it seems some sort of black and white final tally would be in order. An awards show should recognize achievement and be entertaining for the fans who attend. A huge part of the fun in any competition, though, is knowing how close you came to winning, and if you won, by how much. Yet awards shows never fully inform the participants of just how close they came or use this data to make the show more entertaining for the fans. Labels: Observations December 25, 2006The term "Southern Gospel"Click HERE to hear Ed Sullivan use the term "Southern Gospel" on May 1, 1966. Of course, I realize he means "gospel music from the south," not Southern Gospel from the white quartet traditions that we use the term to describe today. After all, Sullivan is introducing James Brown (who died today at the age of 73). Still, it's interesting to hear how the term was used in an era before its definition was restricted to its current focus...at that time, the "Southern" in "Southern Gospel" meant a section of the United States, not a particular style, even though the term overall is being used to define Brown's style. And of course, before that, the "south" part of the USA was defined due to the division created during the Civil War. "The South" is really southeast on a map of the modern USA. It's funny how some labels originate from a simple, logical combination of terms, but then persist based on traditional usage even as the underlying reality that caused the terms to combine shifts away. Labels: Observations, Video Clips December 22, 2006How does the rest of the world see Southern Gospel music?I work at a station in Atlanta that, musically speaking, is hard to define. We play a mix of Contemporary Christian Music, Southern Gospel, and Inspirational. It really is a schizophrenic/A.D.D. variety, but people love it since most have tastes that are fairly eclectic when it comes to music. So, since we're not easily defined, one of the biggest problems we have is this: Die-hard CCM fans categorize us as Southern Gospel and Die-hard Southern Gospel fans categorize us as CCM Which brings me to this question: How loosely does the non-Christian world define what Southern Gospel is? As I've said before, progressive Southern Gospel may upset traditional fans, but the world still will file it away as Southern Gospel. We can define the genre any way we want, but will that make any difference in the way the world sees it and makes it their reality? -Daniel Britt Labels: Observations December 4, 2006Critic Critics, Chew On ThisAny reasonably intelligent person who immerses themselves in an area they love is going to have a respectable opinion on the subject, regardless of their actual ability to perform the skill they're evaluating at a professional level. "Who says that? I say that." (Robert D. Raiford says that bit in quotes. I say that first bit.) Doug Harrison takes a lot more words to say practically the same thing to a reader who trotted out the tired old complaint: "If you know so much, why aren't you doing it yourself?" Labels: Observations November 28, 2006EH&SS: SG or "CCM?" Over on AMGS, they're gearing up to wrestle over a favorite chesnut...is Ernie Haase & Signature Sound "Southern Gospel" or "Contemporary Christian?" This question never fails to amaze me. The only people who ask it are either deliberately being rhetorical, trolling (trying to start a prolonged debate), or only have a vague idea of what really distinguishes SG from "CCM." (I put "CCM" in quotes just now, because in truth, CCM isn't one particular style.) If you've listened either to SG or Contemporary Christian for more than a few hours, then you should already know the answer. It's quite obvious EH&SS is Southern Gospel. You have four men singing harmony in a traditional style. You have a piano player who tells silly jokes. Audiences laugh anyway. Here's a question to ponder...what contemporary group is anything remotely like EH&SS?  Regarding this "dancing," the Statesmen did the same sort of thing in the 1950s, so that certainly can't be labeled as contemporary. (I put "dancing" in quotes, because I think there should be some sort of fluid grace to a movement before you can call it "dance." Herky-jerky marionette motions don't qualify.)Gold City, the Hoppers, Jeff/Sheri Easter, and many other prominent SG groups have a very modern, progressive sound compared to Signature Sound, yet no one ever questions whether or not these groups are SG. EH&SS' new CD/DVD is titled "Get Away, Jordan," and yes, it's the same song the Statesmen and more recently the Dove Brothers popularized...it's hard to get more traditional than that. Colored lights and a rat's nest for a hair-do are not enough to make a group "CCM." It's rather funny, but also somewhat sad to read a statement about being separate from the world in the context of winning the world for Christ. Someone on AMGS recently said that about EH&SS. They shouldn't be doing this sort of stuff to get fans, because it's adopting things of the world, and that means they aren't being separate. Yes, we are to be separate from the world in terms of our values, but one of those values we ought to hold dear is fulfilling the Great Commission. The apostle Paul tried to relate to each group of people in a context they'd best understand. As long as we maintain standards of modesty and decency in our appearance and the things we do, we ARE being separate in the way that scripture requires. It's just downright silly to gripe about groups doing "dance steps" and using dry ice on stage "like the world." How is that possibly offensive to a fellow Christian or to God? EH&SS are entertainers. Their appearances are ticketed, and people must expect to pay if they expect to see them. Consumers must also pay if they want a CD. They wouldn't draw a crowd if they didn't possess certain skills and appeal as entertainers. At the same time, the message of the Gospel is very clear in their concerts and on their recordings. An individual would have to be a complete dunce to miss out on the message in a song like "Oh What A Savior." This is a song some of us long-time SG fans have heard until we're tired of it, but many fans of EH&SS are hearing for the first time. If you're a long-time SG fan, do you remember the first time you heard that song? Did you remember the song or did you get distracted by Hovie, Jake, etc. cutting up during other parts of the show? Or maybe you first heard it by the Cathedrals when it was George and Glen who cut up during the show. Of course, you still remember the song. What is the point in grumbling about insignificant stuff like lights, hair, dry ice and "dancing," if those tools are being used to attract new fans to traditional quartet music? Labels: Observations November 14, 2006Homeland's RebirthDaniel Mount has heard via Paul Heil's Gospel Greats program that Bill Traylor's Homeland Records will be returning next year. This label was once the home to such legendary groups as the Hoppers, Cathedrals, and the Florida Boys. The label successfully launched the careers of groups like the Dove Brothers, Legacy Five and the Journeymen Quartet. It will be interesting to see what sort of team Traylor assembles. The old Homeland involved individuals like Ben Speer, Otis Forrest, and Zane King. What the old Homeland always seemed to lack was proper distribution. If Traylor can work a deal with one of the "big three" (Provident/Integrity, Word/Warner/Curb, or Chordant/EMI) to get Homeland products into the national sales chain, then perhaps Homeland will be more successful this time around. Since Spring Hill has moved away from Southern Gospel, the return of a long respected label name is welcome. Politics seems to work best with two parties, but in music, people seem to prefer three choices. The Daywind label family and the Crossroads family of labels are doing a great job overall in creating quality releases (although Daywind appears to be in a state of turnover and cost cutting over the last couple of years). Hopefully Homeland will step up and give us a strong third choice in Southern Gospel by filling the void created when Spring Hill moved on to the greener pastures of P&W music. Labels: Observations November 9, 20065 Star QualityHere's a long reply to a discussion I tried to post HERE. My attempt was thwarted by a computer glitch or something. I tried more than once, but got the same error message every time. Anywho...I'd already typed it out, so why not post it here? The topic is Valor's CD, and whether or not it deserves the 5 Star rating. You can read what others have written at the link above. My review was based on the CD...nothing more, and nothing less. I've never heard Valor in a live setting. I really don't see a problem with Valor recording more than three parts, and that's certainly no reason to reduce a rating. There are places on Woody Wright's new solo project where a full fledged male quartet is singing behind him and his own voice is singing one of the parts. 5 voices at one time, but there's only one guy on the cover! Yet no one would have a problem with that. When I rate a CD, I consider a number of aspects and rate them for quality. Areas include Material (songwriting), Performance (vocal related issues), Production (music tracks and arrangements), and Presentation (photos, graphic design, and liner note content). In other words, I approach every CD with pen in hand (figuratively), ready to count off for any problems I hear. If you pay attention to the CDs I've rated at 5 Stars, though, you will see that something "extra" is also required. The best way to sum it up is to say that a group MUST be doing something outside of the norm IN ADDITION to doing everything right. Only then will a CD earn that last half star. Doing everything right merely gets you to 4 1/2 Stars. 5 Star CDs must stand out from the pack in a very distinct way. I don't rate CDs at 5 Stars just because they're nice people, nor am I "starry eyed" as Doug Harrison has said. (I wonder how starry eyed he thinks I am regarding Aubrey Clark or Shiloh.) This year, I've rated four CDs and one DVD at 5 Stars, which I believe is more than I've typically done in the past. After earning a top level rating for Material, Performance, Prodution, and Presentation, each CD gained the top rating for a totally different reason. With Brian Free & Assurance's It's So God, the 5 Star rating was awarded due to the fact that they built on the success of "Long As I Got King Jesus" with more songs in a black gospel style, PLUS they went a new musical direction with "If It Takes A Valley." It was a combination of song selection and arranging that pushed this CD to the top level. With Mark Bishop's CD, the rating came due to the quality of his songwriting. With Mercy's Well, the rating came because they did a concept recording, primarily limiting themselves to piano for accompaniment and hymns for material...yet it didn't sound just like every other hymns project on the market. This CD was a fresh take on traditional, time proven material. It's amazing to me how many groups record songs that have been recorded in the past and do them in the same manner. But Mercy's Well avoided this and created a unique sonic experience. With Valor's What It Took, the rating was pushed to 5 Stars based on their unique vocal sound. Whether you like the sound or not, an honest person should at least admit their sound is nothing like any other group's. It's not up to me to decide if someone else will like that style, but I can say that their CD definitely won't be mistaken for...say, the Florida Boys. Typically, it's one individual who defines the sound of a group, but in this case, it's a combination of a bass with a freaky range, an abundance of reverb, and the material they choose to record. The GVB Give It Away DVD was rated at five stars because the level of music production and video production, lighting, etc., exceeded the quality of any other video product I've seen come out of Southern Gospel in spades. A nice big budget does make a difference in quality when it's spent both practically and creatively, so it's really no surprise that no other group is coming close to turning out video products this good. Gaither covered all his bases with Give It Away...unique interviews, a compelling stage layout, lights, confetti falling from the ceiling, etc. All this is over and above the quality of the music, stage presence, and other elements which were also excellent. Labels: Observations posted by David Bruce Murray @ 3:01:00 AM
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 November 8, 2006McRaes are now, officially, a trio Here's the press release that's out today from the McRaes: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE "McRaes Announce New Vocalists" HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn.--The McRaes are pleased to announce the addition of Morgann McClanahan from Rowe, Virginia and Amanda Till of Prattville, AL. Annie, Morgann and Amanda made their debut as a trio this past weekend to an overwhelming response. "I believe that God has sent two of the most talented and anointed individuals to our ministry. From the first time we sang together it just felt right. I prayed for singers that would share my vision for the lost and God answered my prayers. I am so excited about where God is leading the McRaes and what He is doing in each of our lives. It has always been my dream for the McRaes to be a trio, but I didn't realize until now how much fun it would be singing with a third part," commented Annie McRae. The McRaes are booked by the Beckie Simmons Agency, record for Daywind Music Group and are managed by Big Ten Entertainment. For more information on the trio, visit www.annieandkellymcrae.com. The McRaes Since their beginnings only six years ago, the McRaes have experienced many career highlights. In 2004 the group claimed their first number one song on the national radio charts, “If It Had Not Been The Lord” and in 2005 they celebrated Song of the Year with “There Is A Remedy.” They have been seen during Mark Lowry’s Senior Trip, the CrabbJam Tour, featured during Gospel Music Week, on Gospel Music Television, at the Gospel Music Association’s Estes Park, presenting during the 2006 Dove Awards and on the Gaither Homecoming Video Series. The McRaes opened for Mark Lowry’s 2000 tour and were featured on his On Broadway video project alongside the Gaither Vocal Band and Sandy Patti. As their ministry expands to hit the national scene, their goal remains one of sharing the Gospel and encouraging fellow Christians. Program note: On next week's Daniel Britt & Friends, you will hear about how you can audition. Obviously, that information is now null and void. -Daniel Britt Labels: Observations November 6, 2006NC Foothills In The FallBelow is a photo I took yesterday of a mountain range that sits near my house. I get to see this sort of view every day for a few weeks each Fall. I know there are some of you unfortunate souls out there who live in flatlands, by the ocean or even worse, in a huge city. I thought I'd share this image. Perhaps it will give you a little taste of what it's like to live in God's Country! He's really showing off this year.  Labels: Observations October 23, 2006NQC CDs, my new iRiver, and Rediscovering SongsI've got a stack of CDs from NQC that I'll be reviewing in the next couple of weeks. I've spent a few weeks listening and absorbing them now, so it's time to put a few opinions in print. Normally, I'd have jumped on some of them a bit sooner, but my time has been occupied lately with a purchase I made just after NQC. Gene Shell, who traveled to NQC with me this year, brought along a portable MP3 player. I never thought I'd want one, but after spending four days with his, I went out and purchased a 20GB iRiver a day or two after I got home. I've been spending the last few weeks moving my CD collection to this little box that's just slightly larger than a pack of playing cards. If I measure by the spine, I have 33 linear feet of CDs (including many that are just in sleeves). I have to place each CD in my computer, decide which songs I want, rip them, level them, and then copy them to the iRiver. I've covered nearly fifteen feet of shelf space and added 2005 songs so far, so the halfway mark is in sight. The thing is supposed to hold about 4800 songs! It has been fun going thru and finding little gems in my collection that I'd forgotten about. I never was a fan of Johnny Q. Public's music, but their hilarious "Women Of Zion" went on the iRiver. I've remembered how much I originally liked Clay Crosse's A Different Man and the Kingsmen's Shelter. I remembered hearing Billy Joel's Russia concert on the radio years ago. It was a huge deal at the time, because he was the first American pop star to perform behind the Iron Curtain. "Angry Young Man" and several cuts from that project made their way to the iRiver. The early 4Him CDs, Amy Grant's Collection and Glad's first Acappella Project have caused me to recall my years just out of college. So I guess I'm late to the bandwagon, but I'm firmly on board now. I haven't even started looking for places to buy downloads. I've used eMusic and iTunes in the past, so I'll probably be visiting there again in the future (though I'll have to work around iTunes' proprietary format if I use them). The last technology that changed the way I listen to music this significantly was the CD. It's true that MP3 quality isn't as good as CD, but it's as clearer than XM, FM, or AM radio. Because I'll mostly use the player in the car, it's certainly good enough for that environment. By the way...after making this purchase, I'm 90% sure I'll be ditching XM Radio when my contract runs out next year. That's $13 a month that could be spent downloading songs I really want to hear. Labels: Observations September 29, 2006Drive By CommentsI've done my daily tour of the web and noted a few things that may merit your interest. 1. The Tracks Vs. Bands debate rages on with more than 150 comments and no signs of stopping at the Sogospelnews forum. (I'm pro-band, but I'm far from anti-track. I'm a realistic member of two different male quartets that use tracks plus piano. However, I see the advantages of having all live musicians, but only IF they are talented enough to add to the program.) 2. Is it just me, or does this strike you as being odd? A new gospel newspaper is being formed "in memory of" Paul Boden, who owned U. S. Gospel News. There's certainly nothing wrong with announcing the formation of a new gospel newspaper so soon after Boden's death, but to dedicate the new venture to the recently deceased owner of a competing publication strikes me as...well, I've already said how it strikes me. UPDATE: I've written USGN to ask if the new publication will replace USGN. If this is indeed a replacement for USGN, then the dedication makes sense, but if that were the case, you'd think the press release would have mentioned that salient fact. On the other hand, if a group of writers have left USGN en masse to form a directly competing venture, then tying the new paper to Boden's name is just...well, you know...I'll let you know what I find out. 3. Danny Jones had a great blog entry yesterday about gripe-happy morons who think Singing News runs NQC (and he manages to say it much more politely than I just did). 4. Sooner or later, everyone who bemoans the censorship of ideas on the internet squelches a discussion of their own. I suppose we all have our sensitive topics, yours truly included. 5. Daniel J. Mount has churned out a bunch of entries since throwing his hat into the blog ring a couple of weeks ago. CD reviews, news articles, interviews, etc...and he's getting a lot more comments than Musicscribe. Labels: Observations September 26, 2006Thoughts On American Gospel RadioI finally got to see a copy of the American Gospel Music proposal. The document had no date, so I'm assuming it's the original proposal that was floating around before NQC. If you'd like to read it for yourself, click HERE. (This link resides on Sogospelnews' server, so thanks is due to the Unthanks for providing access.) The document's full title is: The Plan to Power Brand: A Proposal to the Southern Gospel Music Industry from Christian Music Presenters, Inc., Vivici Marketing, Inc. and the National Quartet Convention, Inc. By Dr. Randall A. Bayne, Dr. Roy J. Hayes, Mr. Jim Gibson and Mr. Clarke W. Beasley This proposal is indeed a bold move...quite possibly, it's the bold move that will grow Southern Gospel in the long-term. I definitely believe growth of the industry could come from having a unifying brand for the best artists and denying access to that brand for artists who fail to meet quality standards. At it's core, the proposal is positive. I have to admire the blunt way they describe the current state of the industry, and how they've directed their attention to just about every area of the industry that matters. Here's how they describe the current climate, and I think they're right on target with this statement. a climate whereby doors are closed to the upper echelon professionals of our industry because of being lumped together with the poor quality of the custom recording amateurs. The proposal isn't perfect, though. I've read Doug Harrison's four "logic flaws" regarding AGM, and while I agree with him in principle, I think there's a more serious area. This area has nothing to do with whether NQC can be trusted to choose which artists qualify as AGM artists (they probably can, but some will disagree); or whether the church really wants to hear the top echelon of current Southern Gospel artists (they do, but just don't know it); or whether artists will want to pay to be spiritually "certified" (they will, if it means singing at huge events); or whether or not the word "american" opens more doors than the word "southern" (it probably does).The flaw is that AGM assumes the answer to EVERY area of the market is licensing their brand. If everyone pays, no one is the salesman. AGM is too "license happy." Sure, artists, record labels, etc. should pay for access to the brand, but the media (even radio) is expected to pony up licensing fees as well. The title is right. This is definitely "The Plan To Power Brand." In some ways, it can be viewed as a house of cards. This won't work unless a number of key entities get on board. They pretty much admit that if Singing News balks, their plan won't work. Here's a quote from the document that emphasizes just how crucial they consider a Singing News endorsement to be: This re-branding would need to be promoted and emphasized by the Singing News, both in the positioning of their magazine and their editorial content. We would need support from the Singing News focusing the vast majority of their coverage on the artists and events that qualify to carry the brand. Whether or not they sign on to be an official AGM publication, I suspect Singing News will get on board with promoting AGM given the number of ads AGM should be able to afford to buy, what with licensing fees coming in from virtually every corner of the market...but what if radio doesn't get on board? Media outlets"really aren't expected to sign up until they see the success of the brand in other areas. The document states: With the brand secured and established, media outlets would want to use the brand... Wouldn't it make a lot more sense in terms of establishing the brand to give media outlets a license for FREE from the outset, as long as their content qualifies? It makes no financial sense to ask budget strapped, tight-wad SG radio owners to pay for the privilege of promoting AGM artists...$3000 annually, no less, to be able to say, "You're listening to the best in American Gospel Music" and print the AGM logo on their business cards. Here's the biggest whopping logic flaw of all...RADIO WOULD BE PAYING AGM FOR THE HONOR OF RESTRICTING THEIR PLAYLIST TO AGM ARTISTS. Isn't that something AGM ought be buying? I'm not talking about payola, of course...of course I'm not...I'm just pointing out how ludicrous this seems. It would make a lot more sense to to bring radio on board as one of the key beneficiaries of AGM's efforts, not one of the providers for AGM's success. I should mention that the $3000 annual fee also gives radio stations the opportunity to report to the AGM chart and be considered in the AGM Awards. They want radio to PAY to report to a chart. Get that? PAY. I think AGM could very well attract new fans to the industry, and that is naturally everyone's greatest hope for this proposal. My second greatest hope for AGM was that it might offer a way to cure what has been the Achilles Heel of this industry for decades...horrible SG radio programming. This sure doesn't seem like a plan that will work in that regard. Southern Gospel radio is in the mire both financially and in terms of programming quality. SG radio needs to be saved from itself, not asked to pay a portion of the price for getting AGM up and running. I guess I could sum up my reaction to the proposal by saying I think AGM will probably land somewhere around 70% on the more good than harm meter. Seriously, my total reaction to the overall proposal is favorable. Obviously I'm somewhere in the neighborhood of 100% annoyed that the biggest problem in the entire genre was addressed in such unrealistic terms, though. If they flip that junk around, this thing might really fly. Labels: Observations Is This "Stealing?"Situation: An established group needs to fill a hole in their lineup, and they'd like to be able to announce that a new singer has been hired at the same time they anounce their current member is leaving. They approach a hot new talent who happens to be a member of another group. They haven't advertised an opening in their organization, but they tell him the job could be his at certain rate of pay if he's interested. Question: Was that a bad thing for the group to do? Many would say, "Yes"...especially group owners whose groups are often referred to as "farm teams." They'd say one gospel group shouldn't "steal" group members from another. The response of others would be, "No"...it was a business decision that not only benefits the group with the larger name, but also benefits the young singer who...let's face it...was traveling way too much for his sanity and for not nearly enough pay. And in theory, it also benefits the fans who get to hear a new mix that hopefully improves the overall quality of the group. Here's my take... When I'm approached by a potential new employer, there's no obligation to provide my current employer with a blow by blow report of the interview process. However, once I DO decide to take a new job, I tell my current employer as soon as I've accepted the new job and then I offer to work a fair notice...good communication is key. Telling them I'm leaving as soon as I know I'm leaving and offering to work the notice is where my obligation begins and ends. Whether I initiated contact or my new employer inititiated contact is totally irrelevant. The same thing goes for preachers changing churches. If they do their job as long as they are at the first church and work a fair notice before they leave to go to the new church, what's the beef if their new church approached them or they approached the church first? Why would it be any different in a Southern Gospel group? That being said, I do believe a "fair notice" varies considerably depending on the job. If you're at McDonalds, one week is probably more than plenty, but in a Southern Gospel group, I think we're talking more in terms of several weeks (and even as much as two or three months if the group you're leaving has just released a new CD with your voice and face on it). Unfortunately, this sort of situation often creates hurt for a number of people...the group that hires the replacement singer gets a reputation for "breaking up" groups that pay less...the other group's product sales suffer if the singer didn't work a fair notice...the singer gets a bad rap if he isn't totally up-front with his previous employer and sometimes gets a bad rap even if he is...he may keep it secret from his employer for a while after he's decided to take the new job offer, maybe at his new group's request, both of which are wrong. Even if he IS forthcoming about the situation, he may still get fired from his previous group to pre-empt his new employer's announcement about his transition (which is also wrong). It's a situation that comes up all too frequently with Southern Gospel groups. I'd be interested to know how some of you readers feel about the issue...it would also be interesting to hear the opinions of some group members and/or group owners on this issue...whether you agree or disagree with my observations, I think it would make for an interesting discussion. Turnover happens all the time in this industry. If it hasn't happened in your group for a while, it probably will come sooner than later, so when it happens, act like grown-ups. Or perhaps a better way of putting it is a quote attributed (but so far unconfirmed by me) to Sherriff Taylor..."Y'all act like you got some smarts." Labels: Observations September 19, 2006NQC 2006: One Major Thing To Fix For 2007I heard a lot of complaints about the main stage sound quality this year, and not just from the fans. Sometimes it was very obvious, even to the fans, that the mix was off. A prime example was the Dixie Echoes set on Monday night when they struggled to be heard. Other times, it may have appeared that the group was doing a poor job when in fact they were just having difficulty hearing themselves. I've never heard Ed O'Neal off pitch to the degree he was on Monday night, for example. I have cited the difficulty of having so many groups on the same program in the past, and I've commented that the NQC sound crew generally does a good job when you consider the sheer magnitude of their task. However, this year was definitely not up to snuff, even when you allow for that handicap. When a group is on stage, their mics should be on...so explain why a tenor is featured on the first part of the program and it takes a few words before his mic comes up in the mix and then later in the program, the same thing happens with the same mic AGAIN. Whoever was running the board liked to ride the faders WAY too much, they were unfamiliar with the material, and they were always a few beats behind getting the level brought up. That's not the way to mix groups that emphasize vocal harmony. Southern Gospel is not a melody vocal very hot in the mix with three background vocals barely being heard. It's full on multi-part harmony. And the tracks...the tracks were barely heard in the mix...what was there was all highs. Strangely, the mix was always better when live musicians were on stage, which really makes no sense at all. If I can hear Myron Cook's upright bass occupying the lower frequencies of the house mix, why can't I hear ANY bass on Greater Vision's tracks? Maybe it's time to contract sound with a different crew. Labels: NQC, Observations Random Info1. Daniel J. Mount, who has done a tremendous amount of work at www.sghistory.com in recent weeks, now has his own blog. Like Daniel said in an email to me yesterday, I'm surprised no one had secured his domain name previously. Check out Daniel's opinions at www.southerngospelblog.com. 2. Welcome Gene Shell as the newest Musicscribe.com contributor. I've known Gene since 1981 when he played tuba and I played trumpet in the East Rutherford High School marching band. Gene and I co-founded Southern Sounds Quartet in 1994. He recently vacationed at NQC and while he was there, he got an overwhelming urge to start writing for my blog. (I think it's because people I didn't even know were coming up to me and calling me by name.) Expect Gene to contribute the occasional CD review and otherwise express his opinion of various facets of Southern Gospel music. 3. Here's a list of groups I saw at NQC that I'd love to see on a full length program in the future... Route 77: Right now, the group includes Angelina McKeithan and Elizabeth "Lizzy" Long. (Lizzy is the foster daughter of Little Roy and Bonnie Lewis.) These ladies play a number of instruments in addition to singing. They are looking for a third vocalist/player to complete the group, but they're already very impressive as a duo. Mercy's Well: I had high expectations for this trio after reviewing their last CD. Even though you might not expect two slower paced hymns to capture the attention of a crowd used to high paced songs, this group did just that on a showcase at NQC. Hope's Call: This tremendously talented trio knows how to sell a showstopper to a crowd. Their debut on the main stage at NQC won the crowd over immediately. Booth Brothers: Even though I've seen this group perform numerous times, I've yet to see them in a setting where they had time to do full set. Just once, I'd love to see how they'd pace an hour's worth of material. Rick Web Trio: This group has come out of their shell with their new soprano. Wow, all those are trios (or a soon to be trio in the case of Route 77). I did see quite a few male quartets at NQC that I'd gladly go see on a full length program, but I've already seen most of the ones I'd want to see in that sort of setting. Mercy's Mark and Brian Free & Assurance are two that I'd love to catch at some point in the future on a show with only one or two other groups. There's also Valor, which is a trio that sounds like a quartet. I've never seen them perform, not even at NQC on a showcase. Labels: Observations September 16, 2006My first trip to NCQ!!!
Well, with this being my first trip to the National Quartet Convention, I believe I can sum it up with just one word....WOW!!!! I was in southern gospel heaven. So many of my favorite groups and singers, so many new people that I met, and getting to walk around with none other but David Bruce Murray really made the three days there just absolutely wonderful. And just to think that I had actually told David twice that I wouldn't be able to go. I'm so glad that he was persistent in telling me to make arrangements to go. Thanks, Dave!!! I really can't say what the highlight of the trip was, seeing that there were so many. I knew there were many good groups and individual singers out there, but I had no idea of how many. The morning showcases were excellent. So much new, great talent coming along means to me that southern gospel music is not in danger of becoming a lost art. The evening programs had me on the edge of my seat about all night. Wednesday night, I couldn't even keep my shoes on! You'll have to ask David about that comment. And even though I was glad to get back home, I do wish I was up in Freedom Hall at this moment, still listening to the greatest music ever performed. That music is southern gospel. I absolutely love it and am counting the days until next year. You make sure to look for me next year at NCQ.
"nuff said" Labels: Observations NQC 2006: Fan Awards AftermathThe biggest topic of discussion at SGN's message board regarding the Fan Awards has centered around whether or not the unprecedented Traditional Quartet tie was a literal equal number of votes or just very, very close. In presenting the award, Jerry Kirksey said it was a "percentage tie," which would seem to indicate the latter. Assuming EH&SS and the Inspirations got much more of the vote than the other three nominees...like say 40% each, with the other three sharing the remaining 20%...I think it was appropriate to call it a tie. On the other hand, if the vote results were more like 21%, 21%, 20%, 19.5%, and 18.5%, then I think the award should have gone to the group with the most literal votes. This is a trivial issue, and I'm not going to expend the effort of asking the Singing News to disclose their vote count; I'm fairly confident they don't want to set a precedent of disclosing vote counts, but if any of you do and get an answer, you're welcome to share what you learn in the comments section or send it to me and I'll be glad to pass it along. Also, some have expressed an interest in getting confirmation about the Perrys calling the Crabb Family on stage and giving them their Mixed Group award. Would I really make any of this stuff up? Oh well...if you can't take my word for it, listen for yourself. :o) (Note that Solid Gospel DJ Greg Goodman assumes incorrectly that the Crabb Family won't be eligible for the Mixed Quartet award next year...um...by the time the Crabb Family retires in August 2007, all the Fan Award voting will be over, so yes, they will be eligible.) Labels: NQC, Observations September 14, 2006NQC 2006: Fan Awards, Part 21. Greater Vision wins Website This is a new award, and Greater Vision wins it. Like Steve French said when he was trying his hand at stand-up comedy, we really need a new award in order to keep the Fan Awards moving. In his acceptance speech, Gerald mentions that bloggers have said that Greater Vision doesn't have the slickest looking website. I remember saying Greater Vision's site was "OK," so I guess he was possibly talking about me. I also said this category was more of a "Favorite Artist" vote, since subscribers to the Singing News who don't care about the internet would just vote for their favorite group anyway, and if any new award is to be added, it really ought to be an overall award for favorite Artist. 2. The Crabb Family sings their nominated song, "Shepherd's Call." 3. Ernie Haase wins Tenor. Haase accepts via video from Cape Town, South Africa. 4. Gerald Wolfe wins Lead. In his acceptance speech, Wolfe lets everyone in on the fact that he usually sings baritone. We'll see if he switches categories next year. 5. The Booth Brothers sing their nominated song, "He Saw It All." Jason Crabb and Lauren Talley come to the stage to try their hand at stand-up comedy, but Solid Gospel goes to an extended break as the top of the hour approaches. (Right now, I'm listening to dead air...ah, finally, there's the news...I'm going to miss several presentations and/or performances, but hopefully Goodman will recap what happened in the past ten minutes when we go back to the broadcast...nah, he doesn't. By applying logical deduction, I think I must have missed Legacy 5 performing their nominated song, "Out Of My Darkness"...I'm not sure if Ernie Haase & Signature Sound performed "Do You Want To Be Forgiven" via video from South Africa or not.) 6. Rodney Griffin wins Baritone. 7. Tim Duncan wins Bass. He accepts via video from South Africa. 8. The Whisnants sing their nominated song, "New Day Dawning." 9. "He Saw It All" wins Song Of The Year. This award is accepted by the group, but they bring the songwriter to the stage to have a part in the acceptance as well...good for them. In my opinion, this award really ought to go to the writer rather than the group that sung it. Of course, the group plays a big part in the success of the song, but if Singing News had an overall award for favorite Artist, this particular award could put more of a focus on the people who write the songs. Usually an artist wins the Songwriter category, and this year is no exception. The person who wrote the favorite song this year wasn't an artist, but the average fan doesn't know who Daryl Mosely is...thankfully, the Booth Brothers gave him some time in the spotlight. 10. Rodney Griffin wins Songwriter. 11. The Perrys win Album for Remembering The Happy Goodmans. 12. The Inspirations and Ernie Haase & Signature Sound make history by tying for Traditional Quartet. I hope everyone has enjoyed my remote commentary on the Fan Awards, as well as my posts based on my eyewitness experience at NQC 2006 for the past three days. NQC was a blast. Please don't take any of my criticisms personally if you have a stake in NQC...I'm a fan of what NQC is doing, and I hope the event continues to improve each year. 13. Ivan Parker closes the Fan Awards with "Midnight Cry" backed by a large choir. Roger Bennett recognizes the twentieth anniversary of the song. It looks like they finished before the intermission was supposed to be over. The Martins are scheduled to take the stage at 8:45, and it looks like they'll do it on schedule. (I think it's safe to say that most of the credit for finishing on time goes to taped acceptance speeches, which were all very brief.) No, I'm not going to stay up to listen to the bitter end of tonight's concert with an hour delay, but my Replay A/V software is capturing it for me to hear later. In his recap of the award winners, Solid Gospel host, Greg Goodman, just referred to the favorite "pianoist"...not "pianist"..."pianOist." I didn't know there was such a thing. If you read it all...thanks for reading! I know these last two posts have been rambling. I'll have a few more thoughts on the week to share after I've had a day or two to rest, listen to the recordings captured by my software, and condense what I have to say. Labels: Concert Review, NQC, Observations NQC 2006: Fan Awards, Part 1
I got home in time to hear the Fan Awards on a one hour delayed broadcast via KWFC. You can hear portions of the Friday and Saturday night concerts at the same link. Note that the times printed are Central Daylight Time, so adjust accordingly if you aren't in that time zone. Greg Goodman of Solid Gospel is the host. You don't get to hear every minute of the main stage performances, but there's enough to get a good gist of what is taking place.
I thought I'd keep a running commentary like I did last year. If you're only interested in the pertinent info, and don't really care about my comments, look at the numbered lines with print in bold...I aim to please! 1. Brian Free & Assurance kick off the evening singing last year's Song Of The Year winner, "Long As I Got King Jesus." Roger Bennett and Janet Paschal are the first to get access to the mic and try their hands at stand-up comedy. Bennett's going to "make this quick," he says, and then wastes about five more minutes fooling around with silly random jokes about having to hurry because he has reservations at Steak & Shake, getting food in his cumberbund, etc. Eventually, they manage to present an award. 2. Ivan Parker won Soloist. Bennett makes a joke about Ivan marrying a booking agent. This is the sort of thing that makes Southern Gospel's "biggest night" drag on forever...Greg Goodman, the Solid Gospel emcee, just cut in to say the night is probably going to run long. 3. Triumphant Quartet sings their nominated song, "Don't Let The Sandal Fool Ya." 4. Wes Hampton wins Horizon Individual. I'm not sure who accepted on his behalf or if he happened to be there...Solid Gospel had cut away while the award was being presented. 5. The Lefevre Quartet wins Horizon Group. 6. Jason Waldroup wins Young Artist. This will be Waldroup's last time to win this award. He is not eligible in 2007, having turned 30 this past year. His acceptance speech turned into a mini-sermon with a great challenge to upcoming younger artists about keeping their focus. (Greg Goodman didn't know 30 was the cutoff for Young Artist eligibility.) 7. The Perrys sing their nominated song, "His Name Was John." The track skips in the middle of their song, abruptly going to another section. Goodman calls it a "track malfunction"...I didn't want to think of Janet Jackson, just now...Goodman cuts in after the song to say Mark Trammell's son, "Will," has just joined the Perrys...in reality, Mark Trammell's son, Nick, has just joined the Perrys. Michael Booth and Susan Whisnant come to the stage to try their hand at stand-up comedy. Booth uses a Larry The Cable Guy line, and presents Roger Bennett with a pacifier, according to Goodman. 8. Kim Hopper wins Female Singer Solid Gospel takes a break to run a few ads. So far, all the winners have kept their acceptance speeches brief and to the point. Maybe the evening will move quickly in spite of the presenters. 9. Ivan Parker wins Male Singer 10. John Pfiefer wins Musician 11. Brian Free & Assurance sings their nominated song, "Healed." Tim Surrett and Karen Peck are the next to get their opportunity at stand-up comedy. Peck gets tongue tied trying to tell a dumb blond joke. I'm not making this up. 12. Kim Hopper wins Soprano 13. Libbi Stuffle wins Alto 14. The Perrys win Mixed Group Tracy Stuffle calls the Crabb Family on stage during their acceptance speech to give them a word of encouragement, then he gives their award to the Crabb Family. As Greg Goodman said, I don't know if that has ever happened before. The Perrys always find a way to make their acceptance speeches memorable, and they sure did it again this year. 15. The Inspirations sing their nominated song, "I'm Not Ashamed." ...and boy, does it ever sound rough. 16. Anthony Burger's arrangement of "Claire de lune"/"Jesus Loves Me" is played while a series of photographs is shown in memory of Warren Parker, Doug Riley, and Burger, three young artists who died this past year. 17. A group of legends (Ed O'Neal, Glen Allred, Archie Watkins, Jim Hamill, and Eddie Crook) perform "I'm Winging My Way Back Home." ...and boy, does it ever sound rough...of course, Hamill makes it entertaining and draws in the crowd anyway. Danny Jones comes to the mic to try his hand at stand-up comedy. Roger Bennett asks Jones to ask the crowd to pray that the O'Neal, Allred, Watkins, Hamill, and Crook NOT buy a bus and hit the road. 18. Jones announces the DJ winners: John Whisnant, Carol Davis, and Wayne Wallace and also Wayne and Judy Rhear won Super Fan. 19. Greater Vision sings their nominated song, "Paid In Full Through Jesus, Amen." Kim Hopper and Mark Bishop come to the mic to try their hand at stand-up comedy. I lost my feed in the midst of their announcement of the winner for favorite Band. I'll come back and fill it in below when I find out who won. (Updated now...) 20. Kingdom Heirs Band wins Band 21. Roger Bennett wins Pianist Bennett's acceptance speech is lengthy, but genuinely funny and touches the heart as well. 22. Greater Vision wins Trio Solid Gospel goes to a commercial break as a group is being brought to the stage to sing a nominated song. Unfortunately, the break was made before the group name and the song title were announced. I'll have more on Part 2... Labels: NQC, Observations NQC 2006: Day 3I heard a lot of music today, some great, some so-so, and some that sounded like a train wreck. I took in a few non-official/off-campus showcases during the day. First it was over to Executive Inn for the Heavensound showcase. I have to say one thing about this showcase...I like my music good and loud, but a guy who works on jet engines WHILE THEY'RE RUNNING leaned over to me at one point and screamed, "Dang, that's loud!" Highlights of this showcase were the Imperials, who performed "Arise, My Love," "Praise The Lord," and a Southern Gospel song...the title escapes me at the moment...their new CD is supposed to be out in a couple of weeks. Next, it was over to the Executive West after lunch for the New City Talent showcase. I only stayed for about an hour. The highlight of that hour was Lulu Roman, who mixed some comedy with her singing. I heard a few train wrecks at this one, including number where the band had no idea what chords they were supposed to be playing. I then walked down the hall to catch some of the SGPA showcase...highlights were Brothers Forever and Soul'd Out Quartet. After heading over to KFEC, I stayed in the Exhibit Hall for about four hours before going over to the main stage. A guy named James Hales was supposed to meet me and Dean Adkins at 4:00 PM in the food court, but I guess he got lost or something. From what I understand, he's bad with directions...and the art of using a cell phone, too, evidently. :o) On the main stage I saw the following groups... 1. Rick Webb Trio: This group has really blossomed with new soprano Lynn Westafer. (I hope I'm spelling that right.) 2. Naomi And The Segos: This set was fairly average until the last number when human bass and drum players joined the group on stage. (They also have a pianist.) Then the crowd really got into what they were doing, which was "I'll Put On A Crown." (This proves my idea of a house band for all main stage groups would be a great addition to NQC.) 3. *Isaacs: Plagued with sound issues at first, the Isaacs soldiered on and gave one of the best performances of the evening. 4. Three Bridges 5. *Greenes: The Greenes were in good form again, though they did a somewhat slower set than Tuesday night's. 6. Jeff & Sheri Easter 7. Ruppes 8. Reggie Saddler Family 9. *Legacy Five: The crowd stayed to hear L5...after their set, about two thirds of the auditorium emptied vs. Tuesday night when 80 percent of the crowd was still there as the last group was taking the stage. (This proves my idea of a "power hour" at the end each evening would be an improvement to NQC. On Tuesday, you had Greater Vision at 11PM followed by the Hoppers. Having only one of the top draws positioned at the end is not enough to hold the crowds...not to take anything away from the Chuck Wagon Gang or the Whisnants...but they should go on earlier in the night. L5 and the Kingdom Heirs at the end of the evening would probably have held the crowd, where the Kingdom Heirs alone and/or the combination of the Chucks and Whisnants in between wasn't enough to keep them there. The later ending time probably had something to do with it as well, but it gets worse. The last group on Thursday night is scheduled to take the stage at 12:32 AM, which is ridiculous. If someone stays to the end, let me know how many people are still there then. They have a pretty impressive closing lineup with Triumphant, the Perrys, and the Kingsmen, but I don't think that will be enough to hold the crowd at that hour.) 10. Chuck Wagon Gang 11. Whisnants 12. *Kingdom Heirs: They did great...singing to about 20 percent of the crowd who had remained to hear them. 'Til next year... Labels: NQC, Observations September 13, 2006NQC 2006: Day 2Day 2 of NQC consisted of 4 1/2 hours of showcase groups, and a full slate on the main stage. I didn't hear every single group today. I spent some time in the Exhibit Hall, meeting friends, hopefully making a few new friends, and just generally wandering around. I won't list all the artists who were on the showcase, but some of the highlights included: Route 77 - This new group consists of Angelina McKeithan and a girl who used to travel with the Lewis Family. They're looking for a third female singer/player. Crossmen - A very solid male quartet. Skyline Boys - With Jodi Hosterman now singing tenor, this group has stepped up a notch over last year. Mercy's Well - Smooth like butter...this was my first chance to hear these guys in a live setting. They did two slower arrangements from their Hymns CD, and both went over well. That's significant, considering they were on next to last, and crowds generally want more upbeat stuff or at least a mix. Gene Shell, who traveled to NQC with me this year, said he was most impressed by Soul'd Out Quartet on the showcase. Soul'd Out is a young group with a great sound. The groups I heard on the Tuesday evening main stage concert are listed below. The groups that were most impressive to me have stars by their names with a few random comments here and there. 1. *Hope's Call - This group made a huge impression their first time on the main stage...two slower songs, with standing ovations for both songs. 2. Karen Peck & New River 3. Weatherfords 4. *Greenes: Gene said the Greenes were the second best act of the evening, behind the Crabbs. They did do a good job. 5. *Freemans - This group was impressive, especially when you consider the circumstances of their set. Earlier in the day, the group learned that Chris Freeman's brother Mike had passed away...it was also his 51st birthday. They decided to go ahead and do their set, and needless to say, it was emotionally charged. Please remember this family in your prayers. 6. Pfiefers - The Pfiefers have their moments, but they're a lot better players than singers. They know how to work the crowd, though...you have to give them that...huge ovation and calls for "more" at the end. 7. *Booth Brothers - The Booth Brothers own the stage. 8. Talleys 9. *Crabb Family - Great bands make a huge difference. This group could take us anywhere they wanted to go. They had the best set of the night. 10. Perrys 11. Mark Trammell Trio 12. Lesters 13. Greater Vision Several other groups performed, but I didn't catch their sets. Labels: Concert Review, NQC, Observations September 12, 2006NQC 2006: Day 1Well, the first day of NQC is over and I've enjoyed another "Quartet Night." I don't know if I've ever actually done this in the past or not, but this year I was there from the beginning to the end of the evening concert. First things first, though... The new Exhibit Hall in the South Wing is much wider, but not nearly as deep as the former location...which is totally gone...flattened by the wrecking crews who are prepping to build a brand new East Wing. I walked through about half of it (the South Wing, that is...not the East Wing) before 6:00 PM...same old stuff...groups you've heard mixed in with groups you haven't...and in between those are all the "flea market" style booths we've come to love. There's more than one bus to view this year. Here's who I heard tonight...I put stars beside the groups that gave the best performances plus a few random comments. I started keeping a set list...I was willing, but my pen was weak...I gave up on that idea after it dried up. 1. Opening - September 11 Remembrance: This began with a slide show accompanied by loud music and soft sound clips of people like President Bush talking. It was good, but could have been better if it had been balanced. It then shifted to a live performance with a soloist followed by the Florida Boys singing the National Anthem while a fireman, policeman, and a soldier stood on stage. The live elements were very good. 2. Monument Quartet 3. Old Time Gospel Hour Quartet 4. Dixie Melody Boys: Ed O'Neal struggled with pitch issues for most of their set, unfortunately...we're talking off by a half step...but he still got a good response from the crowd with a bass feature near the end of the group's stand. 5. Toney Brothers 6. Southern Sound 7. Palmetto State Quartet 8. *Gold City: Aaron McCune is fitting into the bass role nicely with Gold City. 9. Florida Boys 10. Legacy Five 11. *Brian Free & Assurance: They did mostly new songs and still had the crowd's attention from the moment they stepped on stage until they left. Gene Shell, who traveled to NQC with me this year, agreed with me that their set was the highlight of the evening. 12. *Mercy's Mark: They did everything right, but the crowd starred at them like a mule looking at a new gate...a great set, but it was evidently for the wrong crowd. I liked it. 13. Melody Boys 14. *Kingsmen: I know people have said the "Kingsmen are back" several times in the last few years, but this is the first set I've seen them do that made me feel like they really and truly are back. Of course, they never really went anywhere, but the energy and the quality are there this year. 15. Inspirations 16. Anchormen 17. Dixie Echoes: The Dixie Echoes did a good job, but the sound crew evidently wasn't able to adjust the gain properly for the studio mics they wanted to use...so we strained to hear them thru their entire set until they finally got it right on the last song...seems like that happened last year...and the year before. Oh well. 18. *Dove Brothers: With only a tenth of the 6:00 PM crowd remaining at 11:30 PM, the Doves had the second best set of the evening. After hearing several new selections plus "Lonesome Road" and responding well, the crowd came to their feet spontaneously for "Didn't It Rain." Hey...if it works, you gotta dance with the one that brung ya... Labels: Concert Review, NQC, Observations 
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