Comments on: Commercial Success vs. Staying True to the Vision

By: Daniel J. Mount

Daniel J. Mount — Sat, 16 May 2009 02:56:11 +0000

Bobby, hardly anyone in Southern Gospel is getting rich doing this. Even among the top-level professional groups, a salary of $30,000 per year is toward the high end, something that few groups can offer.

And if you have a wife and children to support, $30,000 might meet the bills, but it sure won’t cover a mortgage in a nice part of town. Though of course I won’t name names, I happen to know that quite a number of professional SG singers in the top groups on the big labels live in an apartment, and not necessarily ritzy ones either.

By: Bobby

Bobby — Sat, 16 May 2009 02:48:22 +0000

everybody has their own will and loving money more than god sounds like the problem .making decisions with debt and bills to pay is to big of temptation for most people to overcome.the sad thing is that the people running around the country,staying in motels,driving a broke down bus and very little money to show for all their hard work and staying away from their families while their families grow up are the ones paying the price. not the labels who work out deals make tons of money and go home to their families. they drive the expensive cars and live in the big houses all in the name of serving god what a joke. don’t get me wrong we need money but why should the person making all the sacrifice have little or nothing to show for their hard work. it is the American way sign this note and work for nothing the rest of your life. we know the rich man went to hell and let Lazarus lay outside his gate how much more will all these record labels ,CEO company’s bankers false preachers,churches it seams to me they have done worse.where is the fear of god in what people do?

By: Susan Unthank

Susan Unthank — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 18:09:38 +0000

Grigs, now that is an answer worthy of a powerful label exec. Haha.

By: Grigs

Grigs — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 23:56:43 +0000

The Pfeifers were offered a record deal several years ago IF they would ditch the horns and adopt a country sound. They turned it down flat.

I read an article that told abouy how Riversong had suggested to Gerald Wolfe that he start a group from the time he signed on as a soloist, but he didn’t do it because of the label as I’m sure you know.

I’ve heard of labels suggesting to some groups that they go more traditional(pressuring male trios to add a base, for example), to others that they go more progressive, and getting individuals to change their image. A friend of mine told me that the female member of a family group that he knew was told that she needed to lose weight and get a more up to date hairstyle. She did it, but in spite of the group’s considerable talent, they never went anywhere.

If I was in such a position, I’d be willing to listen to advice, but I wouldn’t do something that I couldn’t believe in.

Susan, if I’m running a label, I might hesitate to sign a piano only group for the same reason that I’d hesitate to sign an a capella group….we probably wouldn’t sell many soundtracks of their songs!

By: Susan Unthank

Susan Unthank — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:18:49 +0000

If the market is already there for that sound, then why haven’t the labels picked up these groups? The labels want to make money, it doesn’t make sense that they aren’t picking them up if there is such a large market.

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:27:35 +0000

I think a traditional label is a fantastic idea. There are a lot of groups out there that still do this style of music very very well. Gerald Williams and the Melody Boys, and Southern Sound just to name a couple. I wonder if several of these groups went as a collective to an existing label if the could convince them open a label just for this kind of music ? Hey Homeland are you listening ?

By: SouthernGospelBlog.com » Could a traditional label make it?

SouthernGospelBlog.com » Could a traditional label make it? — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:00:35 +0000

[...] a comment on Tuesday’s post, Susan Unthank asks: Would there be a large enough market for a SG label that catered only to the [...]

By: Quaid

Quaid — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 22:10:32 +0000

Agreeded, Seaton.
There is a very fine line between innovators and immitators.

By: Seaton

Seaton — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:30:57 +0000

The issue is making sure the newer artist is not just a cheap imitation of what is already being provided. If the ‘4 guys and piano player’ groups are creating their own sound, then great, but if they are simply a cheap imitation of the Dixie Echoes, then no I would rather see the Dixie Echoes.

By: Daniel J. Mount

Daniel J. Mount — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 01:16:58 +0000

On #19 – Amen, brother!

It was a simple acapella encore of “Who am I” that brought a previously only somewhat responsive audience to its feet the last time we both saw them.