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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 | |||
