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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

Deon,

I have listed the things most groups do 200+ days a year. Now I will attempt to give you some advice for promoters. Here is an idea get your churches involved. Contact pastors. Hand out flyers at other gospel events. Do not get someone to do it for you. The people want to know who is putting on the concerts. They will build trust in that promoter to have quality programs. Use more than one radio station as so to cover at least a 100 mile radius. Word of mouth. Go everywhere possible and tell people about your event. Talk to youth pastors, music directors about discounts on group rates. There are all kinds of little things that can be done. The Crabb Family does a great job as does Bill Gaither but our industry would be hurting if they were the only ones spending money on promotion. I have not came across a group in 15 years that thinks all they have to do is show up. That has not even been said except by you. Here is an idea, call the group scheduled to be on your date and ask them for help. I believe you will find some great folks willing to help any way they can. Remember this one thing. Never put more money into an event than you can afford to loose! One more thing. Promoters who cut or their checks bounce don't have to worry about that group needing them or wanting them to book their group again.


Commented by On 06/04/2003
Deon,

I have promoted. Sometimes you loose sometimes you win. It is a roll of the dice. You have to accept the responsibiliy and be willing to go with it good or bad. Remember the groups want a good crowd there.


Commented by On 06/04/2003
To the unknown writer,

Please if you can not speak without slaming or questioning someones intelligence do not speak. This is a good topic that needs to be discussed not argued! Lets not argue who is right or wronge but what we can do to make it better!


Commented by On 06/04/2003
Gunsinger,

You have entirely missed the point of this article. Deon never said anything about not promoting as a promoter or leaving it all in the hands of the artists. He is talking about a group expecting a harvest somewhere they have never planted seeds.

If an artist is unheard of in an area, no amount of promotion on the promoters part will get a crowd. The artist has to expect to put some investment into promoting that area as well. This is a two way street. This article was very clear on the need for the promoter and the artist to be working together.

I don't think there was any mention of a promoter not paying or bouncing a check, that is totally off-topic and has no bearing on the article at all.

And I sure don't see anyone arguing. I see some disagreeing with your statements, but that sure isn't arguing.


Commented by On 06/04/2003
WhereHeLeads,

Please read his article again. No mention of what the promoter sowed or did not sow to reap the Harvest. Just mention of how the artist failed there job in some areas in his opinion. Most all groups are willing to do radio calls to help promote a concert, if they know the phone #. Maybe if the promoter would pick up the phone and call these artist he or she would be so surprised at the response they would get from willing hearts wanting to help plant seed. As far as being off topic , Deon mentioned promoters not haveing enough money to pay the groups. Well, when you sign a contract bad checks are not an option of payment. Bad checks only help you skate by long enough for the group to get out of town. Promoters a lot of the time find it easy to work out this problem on the phone instead of face to face the night or day of the concert.


Commented by On 06/05/2003
Gunsinger,

I am thinking that you missed my message all together. What promoters are doing or not doing right is another article. I was focusing on the artists. You seem to have gone to a defensive mode in connection to this article. Promoters and bad checks have nothing to do with the thought of this article. My point is that the promoter shouldn't have to call the artists to get them to make calls to the radio stations. Most groups already have a copy of the Southern Gospel Source Book, which lists just about all the stations playing SGM.


Commented by On 06/05/2003
Deon,

I am not being defensive. Just saying most groups are doing there jobs very well. I'm sure Guy, David, Russ and Bill are home right now stuying their source book. I believe they have a few more things to do. Artist do make calls to radio but it is not their respnonsibility to do the research. What if an artist happen to just pick up his or her source book and found the stations in that area and only one or two were being paid to promote the concert. Don't tell me the station manager is just going to hope on board because a thoughtful artist called. I dare say not! The artist will probably be embarassed. The promoter should know what stations are in his or her support and let the artist know where and when to call. Come on man this is simple. Artist are willing to work at makeing concerts go. Promoters need to know that and make them aware of stations and other avenues of promotion that will be of help. That is just good buisness! One other thing, a promoter should know who draws in his or her area if he has any doubts about a groups drawing power don't book that artist! I have made my point very clear and you seem to keep trying to make this a personal issue. All I have done is take promoting a concert from each side and give my opinions on what you had to say. You have had many more points than just the artist calling stations. You mentioned promoters not haveing enough money to pay groups. That is a very big issue when you have an organization depending on that money. Bus payments, insurance, promotion bills, salarys, product bills, and many other expenses that the general public has no idea that artist have to deal with. Take it from me artist are sowing in faith every week. Right now I can take you to several artist who would be ready at a momments notice to help there promoter sow seed. I have farmed in my life and worked for different farmers who invested in seed to plant. They invested in equipment to help plant the seed. They paid us a good wage to help plant. We did our best for that farmer. He would tell us where to plant and how deep the seed should be. He did everything for a possible good harvest. Sometime his crop would florish and sometime it would die and rot in the field but you know he never called the workers in and asked for his money back or even never mentioned not haveing enough to pay us.


Commented by On 06/05/2003
Gunsinger said:
"a promoter should know who draws in his or her area if he has any doubts about a groups drawing power don't book that artist!"

Well, that being said, the next time you call an area for a booking and the person you are speaking to says, "Sorry, we have never heard of you, you are not known in this area," don't be offended that they won't book you because you have not --planted any seeds-- there. Obviously, it is not a promoters job to plant seeds for an artist who is not known.

I still don't think Deon said anything about promoters --not-- paying groups. He said, and I quote, "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." He also stated, and again I quote, " 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." No where did he mention promoters who do not pay the artist. He was talking about concerts that don't bring in enough money to support the bills of the concert.

As to taking it personally, you seem to be the only one taking it personally by continuing to state, "Just saying most groups are doing there jobs very well." I think you may be speaking for yourself, but I don't think you should presume to speak for all groups. And apparently as a group you aren't receptive to ideas of how groups and promoters should and could be working together to make a concert a bigger success for all concerned.


Commented by On 06/05/2003
This is a great article. There are alot of things in this industry that proves people always leave their success to someone else. The artist leaves it to the promoter, the promoter leaves it to the artist. The artist blames it on radio, radio blames it on the artist. The artist blames the record company, the record company blames radio. And the list goes on. Instead we need to be looking how we can work together to plant seeds. Artists need to realize that just booking a date won't secure a crowd and a promoter needs to realize that just booking an artist won't secure a crowd, but by working together both benefits.

Let's all start planting some seeds, instead of arguing about who should be planting them.


Commented by On 06/05/2003
WhereHeLeads,

Deon's quote, "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." This quote bothers me because if a promoter has signed a legal contract he is obligated to pay the group no matter what the crowd. I am not placeing blame but there has to be somebody that the buck stops with!! This is a buisness when you start talking about people in the seats or might I say in this case how many people in the seats. People in seats means dollars. Now saying that you have to recognize the differance between spiritual seed and investment seed. People place investment seed in the stock market every day. A good promotion will consist of both investment seed and spiritual. I believe if we get the spiritual in front the investment will take care of it's self kind of like titheing with a good heart. Cause God does know our intent and our main goal when it comes to His buisness!


Commented by On 06/05/2003
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