Needless to say, I have received a significant number of emails regarding the Southern Gospel Music Artists Association.
It is certainly reasonable to expect lots of dialogue when one suggests something with the potential ramifications of an organization such as this.
I can’t cover everything, but I would like to address a few of the questions.
First of all, I have no desire to be the “Grand Poobah” of the SGMAA. As I stated in my previous article, this is an organization that needs to be run by artists, and while I do consider myself an artist, I have enough on my plate teaching and producing the artists I work with. I am willing to spearhead the situation long enough to get it into capable hands, and believe me, there are some pretty smart folks out there among you artists who could do a much better job than I.
Secondly, I have no intention of beating a “dead horse.” I think this is a great idea, and apparently some of you agree with me, but if the artists in SGM don’t want it, we won’t do it. I see no point in spending a great deal of time and energy force-feeding artists who don’t want it and won’t support it.
Apparently I wasn’t clear enough about what the SGMAA is and what it isn’t. I realize we already have the Southern Gospel Music Association (SGMA) and the Southern Gospel Music Guild (SGMG). If you’re into Award Shows and the Hall of Fame, that’s fine with me.
The SGMAA is about artists. It’s about helping artists. For too long our industry has been run by self-serving individuals and companies who will smile and pat artists on the back with one hand while reaching into the artist’ back pocket with the other hand. It’s time for the artists to have a say in the direction of SGM.
Here are the main points of the SGMAA:
1.United Artists.
Right now our industry is fragmented. It’s a “hodge-podge” of entities that have no idea what the others are doing, and we are all suffering because of it. By my “guesstimation” there are about 1200 artists in SGM, soloists, duos, trios, and quartets, so I think it would be fair to assume that there are at least 2500 individuals in that group. Imagine the influence that 2500 united artists would have on the direction of SGM. Would you rather have your future determined by 2500 like-minded brothers and sisters, or by a handful of companies whose main purpose is to line their own pockets?
2. Health Insurance.
I have been in meetings where this subject comes up and it never gets any traction because of the fact that we have so many people living in different states. Insurance companies can’t cross state lines to sell health insurance. That means if you live in Indiana, you can’t buy health insurance in Ohio. But there is a simple solution…find a company that is licensed in every state, or at least in many states. There are not many insurance companies that would decline serving a group of 2000 -3000.
3.Retirement.
It is not right to let our SGM heroes walk off into the sunset without a penny to their name. And while it is true that many have already gone, we need to address the SGM heroes of tomorrow, and we need to start right now. This could be easily funded in a similar manner as the American Federation of Musicians. Part of a musician’s compensation for each session is paid to the Pension Fund, paid by the person who is hiring the musician. A similar program could be set up for our SG artists.
4. Education.
There is never a time when you stop learning and sometimes the best education comes from those who have “been there, done that.” The sharing of information between artists is a valuable benefit of an organization such as the SGMAA. I can personally attest to this, having learned much of what I teach to today’s artists from artists who mentored me. In addition the SGMAA can provide seminars and other valuable tools such as videos and online classroom instruction to our artists. WOW! Imagine the energy and power of 1200 artists who all know exactly what to do.
FOUR SMALL STEPS
There are 4 things I would request of you.
First, pray. There are many prayer warriors among us. Pray that we know God’s will in this matter. Pray for wisdom and knowledge.
Secondly, discuss this with as many as possible. Email this article to your friends… get the word out.
Thirdly, prayerfully consider your role in this endeavor. Some of you work in the insurance industry, or in financial services, or in some other industry that would benefit the SGMAA. Your expertise would be welcome.
Last, but most important…CONTACT ME! I need to hear from at least 25 artists who are willing to be involved and help get the wheels turning. It makes no difference if you are professional or amateur, I need to hear from you. I need you to contact me at my email address, not just submit a comment. If I don’t get emails from at least 25 artists, I will assume that this is not something you want.
My email is: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
As always, I welcome your comments.
God Bless You,
Nick Bruno
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Author: Nick Bruno
| Author's Website: http://www.nickbruno.com/
Written: 02/01/2009
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Category: The Gospel Truth
Comments: 1
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Nick, My name is Gene Hamman I'm the owner of the "PromisedLand Quartet" from Virginia. I think this is a great idea and would be of intrest to my group.
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