As many of you know, I spend a good deal of my time these days teaching and mentoring young artists. The three most frequently asked questions are:
Why are we so broke and how can we start making money instead of losing money?
Why aren’t we seeing any results from radio promotion?
Why is it so hard to find good places to sing?
The reason so many groups struggle with these problems is that they have bought in to the big fat lies. But, let not your heart be troubled…I have the truth for you.
BIG FAT LIE #1 IT IS WRONG TO ASK FOR MONEY TO SING.
This is a flawed tradition born of the belief that poverty is akin to spiritually. You can call it whatever you like; I call it “Stinkin’-Thinkin’.” It has been reinforced through the years by pompous board members and pastors who “badmouth” groups that ask for a fee, but would put up quite a fight if you threatened to withhold their checks.
And so, many groups, particularly you “newbies,” fearful of being on the “wrong side” of this issue, fail to ask for the money.
This relegates you to “beggar’ status. There is no other way to describe it. You are exactly like the folks standing on street corners with signs that say, “Will Work For Food.”
When you speak to a pastor or music director about singing at their church and make statements like, “oh we never charge to come and sing,” or, ‘just take us up an offering,”
you probably think that makes you sound humble and spiritual, but you might as well hold up a big sign that says, “Will Sing For Food.”
Did God call you to be a beggar or a singer?
SIMPLE TRUTH #1 YOU CANNOT GO OUT AND SING AND NOT BE COMPENSATED.
Unless you are wealthy and choose to sing at your own expense, you must return home with more money than you had when you left. That means you have to be reimbursed for your expenses and receive a love offering in addition to your expenses.
It is simple to calculate your expenses by keeping records for 30 days. Add up all your receipts and your miles and you will know exactly how much it costs you to travel one mile. If you spent $500.00 and you traveled 500 miles, your expenses are $1.00 per mile.
Now when you are asked about the money you can say, “Well pastor, it is 250 miles to your church and our expenses are $1.00 per mile, so we will need $250.00 to cover our expenses plus a generous love offering.
There are very few churches in the United States of America that can’t raise enough money to cover your expenses. There are some that won’t. If you happen to find one of these, do them and yourself a favor…DON’T GO THERE. They are not worth your talent.
If God called you to sing He will meet your needs and then some. But you won’t find manna from heaven covering your van, or bus. God knows you need MONEY to go out and minister, and He uses the churches and concerts where you minister to provide that money.
John 16:24 (KJV) Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
BIG FAT LIE #2 YOU NEED A SONG IN THE TOP 80 TO SUCCEED.
Radio promotion and the charts, especially the top 80 charts are the biggest scams ever perpetrated on the young artists in SGM. There is no accountability and the radio stations are not held to any standard or methodology as to how to evaluate and position songs.
Trying to get a song in the top 80 charts as a means of building your career is about the same as playing the lottery for your retirement.
It has little or nothing to do with how many people have actually heard your song or how the public perceives you as an artist. It is simply a number and how many reporters placed you at that number while they ate their taco.
It’s about the same as finishing 50th in the Miss America contest. If you asked every one of those beautiful young ladies a week before the event where they would place, how many do you think would respond? “Well, my family has spent a lot of money and I’ve worked very hard for the last ten years… I’ve got so much invested…I can’t quit now…I’m so close…I’m going for that 50th spot. I want to come home and have everyone know that I made it.”
Yet, nearly every artist at every showcase I attended at NQC has a current radio single. It reminds me of the little towns you pass through where most of the houses have a green metal roof, or the same kind of aluminum siding. You know a good salesman has gone through there and sold everyone.
The problem is, that in our case, the victims are the young groups. These groups are still “wet behind the ears” yet someone, a good salesman, has convinced them to purchase radio promotion.
Unless you have a great song that will minister to people, that is well performed and professionally produced, don’t waste your time or money. There is no value to you or anyone else in sending a song to radio that only reveals that you are not what you think you are.
SIMPLE TRUTH #2 ANY PRODUCT THAT IS STILL BEING DEVELOPED SHOULD NOT BE SENT TO MARKET.
There are 3 purposes to radio promotion.
The song should minister to the listeners.
It should drive folks to retail outlets to purchase the CD
It should drive folks to attend a live performance of the artist.
Most new artists don’t have a presence at retail since they are not on a distributed label. And as a regional group, their live performances are restricted to the area in which they travel. This is important, of course, and will benefit the group in that area, but is not much value in other areas of the country where the group does not appear.
Therefore, about the only benefit in sending a song to radio for a young artist is to have the song heard. If you insist in sending a song to radio, do it for this reason.
Getting your song heard is more important than getting on the charts. Run from people who promise to get you on the charts. The charts are worthless to a young artist. Forget about the charts.
Work on your craft. Spend your time and money getting the music and singing right. Here is one of my quotes. I encourage each of you to write it out and place it in plain view in the front of your bus or van, “YOU CAN”T HIDE A BONFIRE UNDER A BUSHEL.”
When you concentrate your efforts on singing, stage presentation, finding great songs, making terrific recordings, and reaching people, you will benefit yourself and the Kingdom…and the word will get out and people will hear about you.
If you are one of the many artists who are consumed with getting on the top 80 charts, you are in this for the wrong reason. You should prayerfully re-evaluate your calling.
BIG FAT LIE #3 YOU NEED A TALENT AGENCY TO GET GOOD DATES.
To be clear, we have several excellent talent agencies in SGM. They are professional and do a great job for their artists. They are also successful because they book artists that command a good flat rate, and so they make a good commission.
These agencies should not be confused with the new “sub-culture” within our industry comprised of folks who have built a small list of churches where they can place amateur artists. So now instead of the artist having to get on the phone and “beg” for dates where they make very little money, they can let the “talent agent” book them on dates where they make very little money, and give part of it back to the “talent agent.”
This is a great deal…for the “talent agents,” who are counting on the fact that there are lots of young artists who are weary of making cold calls trying to talk their way into a booking.
But, it is a bad deal for the artists because they are now caught in that cycle that keeps them begging. It’s like giving a pacifier to a baby instead of a nice warm bottle.
SIMPLE TRUTH #3 THERE IS A WAY, A SIMPLE WAY, TO DO THIS RIGHT.
Every group must have places to sing. Whether your group started last week or you have been singing for 20 years, you need bookings. This is where you work on your craft, perfect your performance, and gather the funds to keep growing.
And I have good news for you…there are countless churches out there just waiting for you to show up and bless them. There are smaller churches for you groups just starting out. There are medium sized churches for the groups that are a little further along. And there are great big churches for you Poppa Bears, (ooops, wrong story).
Here is more good news…I can teach you how to get booked and stay booked for as long as you care to sing. And you don’t need a talent agent or anyone else booking dates for you.
I have a system for booking dates that I teach to artists. It is the same system I used to book my very first group, The Keystone Quartet, and I kept that group booked about 20 -25 dates a month. I guarantee that it works.
Some of the groups that are using this system report that they are 12 -14 months ahead in their bookings.
It is a very simple system but it takes a whole page to explain and teach it correctly. So if you would like to have it just send me an email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and I will send it to you. There is no charge and I have no other motive behind this, however, my system requires work and I feel if you won’t make the effort to send me an email, you won’t work the system.
The way I see it you can:
1. Continue begging for money.
2. Send more songs to radio with no results.
3. Stay on the phone for hours making cold calls.
OR
You can listen to me.
Seems like a no-brainer!
As always, I welcome your comments.
God Bless You,
Nick Bruno
http://www.nickbruno.com
Author: Nick Bruno
| Author's Website: http://www.nickbruno.com/
Written: 11/01/2009
| 
Category: The Gospel Truth
Comments: 4
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Nick: You are Spot on about The Beggar Situation in S.G.M.
SoundMan
Nick you are 100% right. Pastors especially want something for nothing. When you it that way, that is exactly what you get, next to nothing. Pastors seem to think they will not get a big pay raise if someone ministers in their church besides themselves. Most pastors us promoters work with act like beggers. They also do this with the public and church members which means they do not expect to have to pay the same price church members pay. Pastors, music is a ministry which is being sung instead of spoken and in many cases the musicians have worked longer on their skills than you have.
Hey Nick,
AWESOME article and SOSOOOOO true. you are right on the money. Ha Ha!!!!We love and respect you. Keep telling it like it truly is......
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