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I am finally home and another season of American Idol is finished. Many of you can get a sneak peak and hear the mixed studio version of Taylors first single hitting the street June 12th at http://www.rickhendrix.com. Over the past several years my company has handled a portion of the radio and press placement for the Idol finalist. I have enjoyed watching common everyday folks rise to the top of the American Entertainment food chain. But, as I watch folks literally fall and loose based on a single performance, I think it must have been like someone turned on a light in their life and then someone shut off the power.
Idol is like an incubator. You audition, you're accepted, you're in Hollywood, you're exposed to 40 million people in a matter of weeks, you have stylists, interviews, limos, jets, press, stardom, fame and major pressure. These kids find themselves standing in a line full of hopes and dreams one day, and the next they are fighting for their lives and a seat in the finale.
It's equivalent to running for President. If I were a teen I would certainly love the roller coaster ride Idol brings. I have watched our industry (Southern Gospel) raise its head high enough to catch moments of success, moments of real notoriety, though I don't see our genre ever having mass appeal like Idol and Fox. Sure we all would like for it to. But, reality and history has shown otherwise. I hear from artists everyday. They need more dates, more units to move, better flats and hotter airplay. As a manger, promoter and fan of Southern Gospel I think it's fair to pinpoint a line of reality. First, there is only one Elvis.
No matter how many names you attach to yourself, no matter how many bookstores carry your product, no matter how many stations agree to play and chart your music, you're still singing GOSPEL music. And your biggest records in Southern aren't going to scan much over 50,000 units. The average major artist in Southern Gospel is moving under 10,000 units a year. So, I ask myself- Why the egos? Why the demands? Why all the pressure?
I love helping my artist see the reality of the business, know what to expect, grow and learn, get quality dates not quantity, get solid airplay, and only place your product in stores when it will actually sell. You don't have to be an American Idol to do this work. You don't have to have a limo, the newest bus to reach the people that may not even have a good car. Whether you're called to do Southern Gospel, or just have a desire to sing, be a good steward with your talent. Don't carry an ego, don't stay angry at the fellow artists and companies for their successes, lift up as many as you can on your way up, and I promise you the ride will be much sweeter and faster.
Rick Hendrix
http://www.rickhendrix.com
Reader Comments
A lot of currently "hot" Southern Gospel artists don't realize how short their career can be. Today's hot group is tomorrow's "Scenicland Boys."In SG, we have to look forward and backward at the same time. We have to honore the pioneering efforts of talents like Harold Lane, Frank Stamps, James Blackwood, Dad Speer, and Conner Hall, but, at the same time, shake things up and make it sound new. That doesn't mean we go CCM, we just make Southern Gospel relevant for our time. We're not trying to sell Stamps-Baxter songbooks anymore, so we should stop singing like that's our goal.
Chris J. Becker
Hallelujah Street Music (ASCAP)
Cedar Rapids, IA
“Don’t play cards with Satan… He’ll deal you an awful hand.”—Daniel Johnston
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Written: 06/01/2006 
Author: RickBHendrix
Category:
Leave No Stone Unturned
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