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Sunday Edition


31
May
2003
Sowing and Reaping


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Deon Unthank

imageI was sitting in church the other Sunday listening to a guest speaker, and as I was listening, it seemed that everything he was saying was hitting me, as a Southern Gospel artist, right between the eyes. So, before anyone gets too defensive, this article is speaking as much to me as it is anyone else. Our guest speaker said that we pitifully try to harvest, when we haven?t done much planting. We just had a big discussion on this web site last month about sinners in the church. The fact is that one of the main places sinners should be getting saved is in the church, but we don?t seem to be doing a very good job of getting sinners to the church. This same principle applies to us as artists as well. We tend to get a booking and just expect that when we do our part of ?showing up,? then the rest of the world will do their part and ?just show up? too. One look at just about any Southern Gospel concert will tell you that this just is not happening. Very few groups can be counted on to draw enough people to pay their flats, let alone pay for any of the other expenses involved in promoting a concert. I have said before, when I put on my ?promoter hat,? that it isn?t fair for the promoter to be struck as the only one responsible for the success of a concert. If Southern Gospel artists want to benefit from the rewards of the concert, then they should do their fair share of making that concert a success. Crowds do not happen on accident. People don?t just show up at concerts. I do believe that promoters have the responsibility to do everything they can to bring a crowd in. Advertising in newspapers and radio are always effective. However, I have seen promoters do everything they can to get a crowd, doing all the right things, and still not have enough people show up to pay the group. Because of that, I want to look at what the groups and artists can do, and should do, to help carry their portion of the concert. Just about every concert I go to, I put my name on some group or artist?s mailing list. I have often wondered what they do with these lists when they get them home. Do they make good kindling for the fireplace? Do they make good wallpaper in their living rooms? They must be doing something with these lists, bcause I very, very seldom receive any communication from these groups when they are about to be in my town. In fact, I can?t count the number of times that an artist or group has been in my town and I didn?t knows about it until after they had already been here and gone. I know, it costs 22 cents to mail a post card. I cannot help but think that it would be a very wise investment for groups or artists to send post cards to people on their mailing lists, informing them that they are coming to perform in a concert near them. Surely the people liked them and would come to see them again, if they went to the trouble of putting their name on that groups mailing list. Most promoters use a mailing list, but how much more personal it would be to receive an invitation to the concert from one of the groups going to be there. One more thought about what groups and artists can do to help promote any concert that they are about to perform on, is to call the radio station in or around the city where they are about to perform. When I was on the radio, my listeners loved to hear interviews with the artists. They especially loved the spontaneous interviews, when an artist was in town that night, and took the time to spend just a few minutes with the audience. What was even more impressive was when an artist would drop in at the radio station. I would get calls for an hour after the artist had left, with people still wanting to talk with them. You know, a phone call, and ten minutes out of your time could reap you a much larger attendance at your concerts. We have been expecting a harvest, when we haven?t planted any seeds. We have expected to just show up and have a harvest. Talk to any farmer and you will find out that getting to the harvest is a lot of work. Psalm 126:6 says ?He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him?. If we want the harvest, we have to do the planting. We can?t just continue to go to the field and expect to see a harvest, when we haven?t planted any seed. Remember, the more you plant, the more you will harvest. I recently heard a very wise man in the Southern Gospel industry say that when he quit depending on other people to promote him and started doing all he could to promote his group, the concert attendance grew rapidly. I am throwing this challenge out to every artist and group that is traveling. Start doing all you can to promote yourself and see if your concert attendances don?t start increasing.

Reader Comments

I agree with Deon. It is very hard and expensive work to promote a concert. I am not complaining, however over the last 19 years of promoting, it has cost me a lot of money out of my pocketbook. This means many are going to churches and putting in a dollar or five thinking they have helped. If they knew what it cost to have a top notch concert, they would probably try harder. One person comes to mind. He said he was one of the biggest supporters of Gospel Music at concerts. He handed me his offering of 3 dollars. That bought 2 gallons of fuel. Thanks


Commented by On 06/02/2003
Excellent article Deon!


Commented by On 06/02/2003
Putting on a Gospel music concert at a church kind of reveals one of the ugly sides of Christianity. That is that Christians are among the cheapest people on earth -- especially when it comes to appreciating those who provide them value services in a ministry setting.

Many Christians will pay $40 to attend a concert of their favorite secular artist, but they feel like they've sacrificed the world if they put in five dollars for their whole family to attend a Southern Gospel concert. But an even worse tragedy is perpetrated by the artists themselves. They will spend thousands of dollars on sound equipment and busses, but will not pay a penny for their singers and musicians. This is the real seed they must sow if they expect to reap financial benefits from their travels. How can the groups expect people to pay anything for their concerts if the groups are not willing to pay the money to have quality musicians. No doubt, this is what makes it worth $40 to see Garth Brooks, because he is willing to pay those who help him a decent amount of money.

The groups will say they don't have enough money to pay their musicians. Maybe they should give up that bus and get a van. Maybe they can use a less expensive sound system. But, they will have to invest money in their musicians if they ever expect to receive a significant fan base or financial reward. If they will do this, everyone will benefit, including the promoter. If not, it will not matter how hard the promoters and artists try to get people to come to the concert, they will not come because the groups have not invested in their musicians.


Commented by Keith Prater On 06/03/2003
Deon,

I agree with your article to an extent. A promoters job is to promote and an artist job is to sing. Promoters tell people what is happening or who is comeing. The artist's job is to be as visible to the fans or concert goers as possible. Now if artist's do the promoting what is the promoters job and where does he or she fit in. What I'm saying is as artists we record, travel, set up photo shoots, take time with fans, keep sound systems up, work out transportation, release songs to radio, find a place to eat,spend as much time with or familys as possible not to mention the promotional things we do for record co. special events for the SGMA and booking agencys. I am not complaining at all cause I love it but if we start promoting events we might as well leave out the promoters and keep all the proceeds to cover all expencess. I lay all responsibility on the promotion on the promoter.


Commented by On 06/03/2003
Gunsinger, I wrote this article from the exoerience of wearing both hats, that of artist and promoter. If you ever try it from the promoters end and find yourself paying out of your pocket a few too many times, you will understand that the artist has more responsibility than just showing up and singing. My point is that the really successful groups out there are doing their share to promote themselves.

Keith,
There is no difference between a group having musicians or not when it comes to drawing power. People do not come to hear the bands in SGM. In country music they do, but not in Southern Gospel.


Commented by On 06/03/2003
Deon,
I agree 100%. We just had the Hoppers with us at our homecoming and they did thier share of trying to make it a success. They sent out postcards to the people in my area and even made a few phone calls to pastors and music leadersin the local churches. We get to thinking "hey look at us" when we need to be saying "hey look at him". The more people we get to a concert the greater the chance of seeing someoneget saved. I'm not being ugly, but if you are waiting on someone to promote you and you not have to do anything, than you must be better than the Hoppers or Bill Gaither and you just don't need anyone!!
Great article Deon!! God Bless!!


Commented by On 06/04/2003
Deon,
In my letter I listed the things artist do to promote their group. Bottom line artist are not concert promoters! Bill Gaither is a concert promoter/artist and you see what is happening to your smaller events due to the artist takeing over promotion of concert in His areas. No I believe your true Good promoters had rather just do the research, see who draws in their area,plan their promotion as if it were a buisness with the possibility of that event failing, and let the artist handle their job. Which is many that I listed in a previous statement. A lot of your promoters think just because you have a certain group you can put promotion on auto pilot. Put a few spots on your local radio station, buy an add in the local news paper, throw up a few flyers and presto we have a crowd!! Well I'm sorry but if it was that easy everybody would do it! You have to have a plan and work every angle possible to bring in ticket sales. Yes I said ticket sales! Now if your looking at the ministry side of it then where 2 or 3 are gathered He will be in the midst. I am not bitter or mad just looking at this from a real view! Please if you are going to promote do your homework and plan for the worst! That is just good buisness! One more thing please list the things that you think are the responsibility of the promoter. Great article that needs to be addressed and talked about for the good of artist and promoter. I think it is healthy to go in to any concert knowing what is expected from each side.

***eidted by moderator***


Commented by On 06/04/2003
Gunsinger, I have to ask, have you ever promoted a concert? If you have then you should know that after a promoter works his hands to the bone, if that artist doesn't draw, then it's not the artist who loses his shirt, it's the promoter. Bill Gaither is a great example of someone who has promoted himself.

You have missed the whole point of the article. I am not suggesting that artists promote the concert for the promoter, but promote themselves, so that they draw. It's not the promoters job to make the people to come to hear an artist. That's the artist's job. The promoters job is to inform the people that an artist is coming, get the venue, and make the artist available to the public for performance. It is the artist job to make the public want to come out and see them. By keeping in contact with the public, and making their fans aware of when they will be in an area, they produce an artist personality that makes the public want to come out and see them.
Once again, The GVB and the Crabb Family are both very good at promoting themselves, and both are amongst the best drawing groups in the genre. We can keep this attitude of all the artist has to do is "show up" and perform, and we can keep having promtoers lose their shirts and artists not get much renumeration, or we can do our part as artists and see bigger crowds gather.

There may be an ever so small percentage of promoters who have an "auto-pilot" mode, but most of the promoters that I have come in contact with, know that they have to work very hard to get a crowd there, or they end up paying the artist out of their pocket. That is pretty good incentive to work a concert hard.

Exactly what do you think that a promoter is supposed to do to get a crowd there besides advertise with radio, newpaper, flyers and mailing list?

Have you ever stuck your neck out for the responsibility of a several thousand dollar flat that has to be paid whether a crowd shows up or not?

It would be interesting to see groups work on a percentage basis. That would give them the incentive to help make the concert a success.


Commented by On 06/04/2003
I have no way of knowing if having a band or not affects drawing power. I do know that I will not go to a concert if I know the artist will be singing to tracks. If I wanted to hear that I would just buy the CD. I would prefer hearing a single pianist live than a huge orchestra on tracks. Even then, I hope the pianist is skilled and practiced.

But this is about investing in your product. Taking the time to vocalize to keep your voice in shape. Taking the time to practice your instrument everyday. Practicing together as a group an hour or two a day. Being willing to invest in quality musicians behind you if you are not a good instrumentalist yourself. In order to reap a reward you have to bring as much to the audience as you possibly can. Shortcuts and inattention only diminishes what you do and reduces the reward.

I am sure that most of the top groups know this. But if SGM is going to be a respected music genre, everyone involved needs to be diligent to plant these seeds. If we can do this, then this little spat over who does the promoting will not be such a big deal.


Commented by Keith Prater On 06/04/2003
I don't understand some of these comments. Obviously some of you have never done anything but show up to a concert and find a seat. Deon is just trying to make you realize it takes a little hands on on the groups side to make it happen. I've done both and the more you do the more you learn what to do and not to do. I know everyones got their opinion and thats fine, but if you don't have commonsense than it tends to get a little hard to voice an opinion. I'm not trying to be rude, but if some of you could hear yourselfs you might realize how weird you sound. I just think its alot of work for a group to get a following. It takes more than just showing up. If you get on a personal level with these fans than you will see a difference. Some of you act like the fans and promoters owe you something when in fact you owe it to the fans and promoters to be the very best you can be in all areas. If you stay on good terms with the promoters, guess who might just call you back for another booking. Think about it!!!

Keith,
You are missing out on alot of great talent by building a wall because they don't bands. I would love to have a band, but the finances are not always available. I do pay my singers, but to have a topnotch band you have to have the finances to do so. Now maybe you have alot more money than some and thats great may God bless you, But you can't just put Joe & Sam up there just to have a band. Just because a groups uses trax doesnot mean that they sound exactly like whats on the cd nor do they just do whats on the cd. I think I would pray about it before I made a statement like like that. I don't think the Lord would find that to flattering!


Commented by On 06/04/2003
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