Scratch any previous announcements from BET about Sunday Best auditions beginning on January 30th or making a stop in Atlanta.  Not happenin’!

The real deal is that auditions begin THIS SATURDAY, February 20th, in Detroit, MI.  Also, the New York and Atlanta auditions have been cancelled.  Instead, the other audition cities will be New Orleans, LA (February 27th) and Philadelphia, PA (March 6th).  Click here for full details on how, when, who, yada yada.

The new season of Sunday Best premieres on Easter Sunday, April 4, 2010.  I’ll definitely remind you guys as it comes closer and, like last year, I’m sure it’ll be an all-industry Twitter extravaganza, so you’ll wanna follow me now so you won’t forget!

IF YOU’RE AUDITIONING, don’t forget to read my lil’ editorial on what those contracts actually mean for you… it can be an incredible opportunity, but don’t get caught up cuz you didn’t understand the fine print.  Cool?

Okay, who’s auditioning???

Heads-up, good people… Vickie Winans (frequently dubbed “the HARDEST working woman in gospel music”) will be on The Mo’Nique Show on BET tonight at 11pm ET/10pm CST.

I do believe Mo’Nique will meet her match in Vickie’s crazy self, so it promises to be a good show.

Tunin’ in???

Over the past week, as BET has broadcast episodes of The Mo’Nique Show featuring various gospel artists, discussions have been swirling around the web about Mo’Nique’s incessant use of profanity and the reactions (or lack thereof) from gospel artists.

Apparently, in recent interviews with both Marvin Sapp and Kirk Franklin, Mo’Nique didn’t hold back from using casual profanity and, sometimes, crude humor.  I’m grateful that neither of them went to slingin’ oil and rebuking her, despite the fact that (to me) they appeared be a bit uncomfortable with it.  Anyway, some of you thought they should’ve been more outspoken against it.

Personally, I thought “who the heck cares,” because I won’t declare myself the arbiter of how artists should act when they get a national platform.  It ain’t easy to do and I don’t know how I’d handle a personality as strong as Mo’Nique’s in that moment, with the cameras rollin’, before a live studio audience… I just can’t say.  Plus, I tend to enjoy her show– she’s hilarious and she features great interviews with great people in the African-American community.  In any case, I definitely wasn’t gonna enter the discussion.

BUT last night, when Mo’Nique featured gospel duo BeBe & CeCe Winans, she didn’t curse.  Not once.  I was prepared to just say “oh, well whatever” until SHE said, from her own mouth, that her words were twisted because, as it relates to “God’s angels,” God told her “Mo’Nique, don’t you FOOL with BeBe & CeCe, now.”

Now, whether God spoke to her or not, there is clearly something about BeBe & CeCe that Mo’Nique respected differently as compared to Kirk Franklin and Marvin Sapp (I won’t even say “respected more”).  She perceived that she had to treat them differently.

And so I wondered– what do BeBe & CeCe have, exhibit, carry and/or represent to Mo’Nique that Kirk Franklin and Marvin Sapp might not?

I know a BUNCH of y’all are gonna talk about the anointing, but to be clear– I think Kirk Franklin and Marvin Sapp are super duper anointed for what God has called them to do.  I love them and adore their ministries.  What else might it be?

I thought maybe it’s gender… maybe it wasn’t as much about BeBe as it was an issue about CeCe.  Maybe it’s a respect for women, because I don’t recall Mo’Nique using profanity with Yolanda Adams a few months ago either.

Maybe it’s… I dunno.  I just know that it happened.  And maybe it’s not even worth discussing.  But maybe it is…

Marvin Sapp’s new single, “The Best In Me,” is proving to be a huge hit in the marketplace, and the full album’s release is still over a month away!

Aside from being the #1 gospel song at iTunes and the #1 Christian/Gospel song at Amazon.com, “The Best In Me” is #3 with a bullet at radio.

Perhaps most impressive is the song’s success relative to other songs in the music industry right now.  The track has jumped from #78 to #14 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hot Songs Chart.  Billboard says that his jump represents the largest position jump by a gospel track since the chart began using Nielsen SoundScan data 18 years ago.  So… like… EVER.  It’s also the largest jump in 4 years across all genres of music.
 
“The Best In Me” is the debut single from Marvin Sapp’s upcoming album, Here I Am, a live project hitting stores on March 16, 2010.  It’s available NOW at iTunes for pre-order.

The momentum of “The Best In Me” has been incredible since the live recording.  Then, it was boosted by the BET’s airing of Celebration Of Gospel…

Are y’all still loving this single?

Kirk Franklin will be appearing on The Mo’Nique Show tonight, on BET, at 11pm ET.  I hear that he did very well, so you don’t wanna miss it!

Kirk Franklin has also been added to the performance line-up for BET’s Haiti relief concert/telethon, SOS Saving OurSelves - Help For Haiti, which will be broadcast live TOMORROW night at 8pm ET on BET, Centric, MTV and VH1.

The event, hosted by Sean “Diddy” Combs, Queen Latifah and Pharrell, will feature performances by a who’s-who list of artists, including  Wyclef, Mary J Blige, Robin Thicke, Chris Brown, Monica, Ne-Yo, Justin Bieber, and more.

Congrats to Kirk for the tremendous opportunities that the Lord is trusting you with!  Thanks for reppin’ the Kingdom of God and the gospel community.

Kim Burrell’s tribute to Whitney Houston, which aired last night during the BET Honors program, was simply incredible.

She looked incredible, sounded great and had the entire audience mesmerized.  It was really a great, classic moment. Almost as classic was Whitney’s MAJOR responses to the performance. LOL I love it!

In case you missed it, or even if you immediately played it back on DVR several times, go’n ahead and treat yourself:

Tune in, tune in and I meeeaaaaaaaan TUNE IN to BET tonight for the BET Honors program.  One of the honorees of the night is Whitney Houston and singing in tribute to her is the incomparable Kim Burrell.

It’s been said that Whitney Houston considers Kim Burrell’s voice to be “the greatest on the planet.”  And I hear the singing was SO good that Whitney was on her feet goin’ crazy (insert NO jokes here, please… LOL).

The program airs on BET tonight at 9pm ET/8pm CST.

Who’s tuning in???

Who caught Bobby Jones Gospel on BET yesterday?  It featured some INCREDIBLE performances from Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Darwin Hobbs and LeJeune Thompson.

Vanessa performed her hit single, “Good News,” and the classic and TIMELESS “Peace Be Still.”  In my humble musical opinion, the choir behind her didn’t quite know some of the nuances of their part, but the performance was still awesome.

Darwin Hobbs is just a worshipper, plain and simple.  He is a great performer because he offers the audience a personal encounter with God, in that moment, every time.  He performed “We Worship You Today” and did a great job with it.  For his second go’ round, Darwin sang the hit “He’s Able,” which has been, like… the rock worship ballad for the past year.  Deitrick Haddon wrote QUITE an anthem with that song– it’s awesome.

Aaand, LeJeune.  My, oh my.  LeJeune Thompson is one of the most underrated female vocalists in gospel and I don’t quite know why.  In any event, she sang “Lost Without You,” from her 2008 sophomore release, Metamorphosis.  It’s a mellow cut laced with incredible vocals… great job.

Who else saw it yesterday?  What was your favorite performance of the episode?

Word has it that Y’Anna Crawley’s has recorded a cover of Anita Baker’s hit single “Sweet Love.”

While doing press after the Stellar Awards, the Sunday Best winner shared that she re-worked some of the lyrics for the track, which will be on her upcoming debut album.

I’m likin’ the idea of it.  Y’Anna has a voice that can do a BUNCH of styles.  We know she can squall and give us straight church, but I’m glad that we’ll get to see the jazzy side of her on this project.

What do you think?

Most of you know me as a gospel music fan and blogger.  And that’s me.  But by trade, some know me as an attorney.  And that’s me, too.

So, for a moment, I’m swapping my blogger hat for my attorney hat to simply caution all of you would-be Sunday Best auditioners… be VERY CAREFUL of anything you sign as you go to audition for the hit gospel talent competition.

DISCLAIMER:  Legal information is distinct from legal advice.  The commentary that follows is not intended, in any way, to serve as legal advice.  If you desire legal counsel and assurance, you are advised to consult a competent attorney.

First, please know that what I’m about to say is in NO WAY intended to slight BET or the Sunday Best program.  Their legal requirements are generally similar to other televised talent competitions and many of the things that viewers and auditioners might consider “unfair,” are merely protections that the network and the program’s producers need, and deserve, to have in place.

With that said, I’m going to speak GENERALLY about how some of the agreements at televised talent competitions, such as Sunday Best, American Idol and Gospel Dream, operate.  This info is not necessarily applicable to each televised talent contest.

Here we go:

1.  You’ll HAVE TO sign it.  Please understand that when you audition for a show, you will be required to sign a binding legal agreement.  I’m not talking about just before the finals– I’m talking about while you’re standing in line with thousands of folks.  If you don’t sign something, you’re not auditioning.  Period.

2.  When you sign, you’ll be giving your CONSENT to a lot of stuff.  Most folks don’t care about this.  At the preliminary stage, you’ll just be consenting to have your image, likeness, singing voice, etc. on TV.  How else is America supposed to laugh at you or applaud you if you make it to the judges?  Basically, you’re consenting to be on the show WITHOUT PAY.  And the show can edit, manipulate and use the images and sounds that they get from you in any way they choose (even if it makes you look like a heathen).  Further, the show owns, and can use, this footage any way it wants, FOREVER.

3.  You might not be able to sing, dress or act like you want to.  How many times have we heard “wrong song choice” from the judges?  Or how many times have you sat at home and said “why is she singing THAT?!”  Well, sometimes, it’s not really up to the contestants.  Remember when I interviewed a bunch of the Sunday Best finalists last year?  Several of them mentioned that they didn’t get to pick their songs at all.  And let’s not forget about the mandatory makeovers.  A good one can be anybody’s friend, but don’t start fussin’ about “holiness” if they color your hair and dress you like a lounge singer.  This is what you wanted.

4.  You might get a MANAGER that you don’t want.  Some shows, within that early agreement, make contestants agree that they can be managed by a manager of the show’s choosing.  This is particularly rough if you’re already working as an aspiring artist and you’ve already got a manager– you might have to drop him/her and end up having your career guided by a total stranger.

5. Some shows bind you to a RECORD DEAL.  Many of you have asked me why Jessica Reedy doesn’t have a record deal yet.  Here’s why… BET may have temporarily taken away her right to do so.  Take a look at the Sunday Best release from this year’s auditions in Nigeria (click here) as an example… there’s a clause that says “if my appearance, name, likeness, voice, singing voice… are used in connection with the Program, I may be required… to enter into… an agreement for my exclusive recording services which may include an agreement for my exclusive songwriting services…”  OUCH!

In effect, it says “in order to appear on the show, I may be required to sign a record deal.”  So, you ask me “but, with what label?”  Here’s the kicker– with BET’s “record label.”

Now, you and I both know that they don’t really have a gospel label, but look at the beauty of this clause for them.  If a contestant is good, and has a huge fan following from the show, BET gets the FIRST opportunity to sign that artist to a label that it has, or will create.  For how long?  Let’s just say that I have spoken personally to a former contestant from last season who is STILL not allowed to sign a record deal.  But we’re already getting ready to tape a new season!

Actually, I should amend that… BET will allow you to sign with another label, but only if they can split the profits with that label.  Or maybe the new label will have to pay to buy you out.  How much?  Dunno exactly, but I can guarantee it’ll be too much for ANY gospel label to pay and still make a profit from your record sales.  So, you might just have to wait it out and hope that people still remember you, or care about you, once the contract is up…

6.  Some shows bind you to a SONGWRITING DEAL, too.  This is where it can really hurt financially.  In the same Sunday Best release I referenced above, did you notice the language that says “which may include an agreement for my exclusive songwriting services”?  When you sign an agreement for your songwriting services, it generally means you’re gonna lose some, or all, of your publishing rights.  Publishing rights refer to song OWNERSHIP, so you can count on losing some, or all, of the money from songs you may write after signing this agreement, IF you are signed to a songwriting agreement.

Note, also, the buzz-word “exclusive.”  That’s right, buddies… exclusive means you can’t do a similar contract with ANYONE else.  If you’re a writer, that means you can’t write for anyone else without BET taking a percentage of that songwriting money, because they’re part owners of any song that you write while under that exclusive songwriting contract.  In the gospel industry, where so many artists write their own material, this could have a significant effect on your career and the money that you bring in from it.

7.  You may be sharing your income for a while.  In addition to recording and songwriting deals, some shows may take bites of every apple you can get your hands on, for years to come.  From merchandising (like, a T-shirt with your picture on it) to touring revenue (if you’re so fortunate), the contract you sign MAY require you split the profits from any money-making opportunities you get as a result of your appearance on the show… and how are you REALLY gonna prove that your future success isn’t linked to your appearance on their national television program?

8.  You might have to be where they want you, when they want you.  Your cousin is gettin’ married the same weekend of an American Idol tour date?  Sorry, you’ll have to miss your cousin’s wedding.  Your goddaughter is getting baptized next Saturday?  Yeah, well, that’s the taping of Celebration Of Gospel and we’re gonna need you in the audience for camera shots, soo… yeah.  Catch my drift?  The network doesn’t just get access to you for its show– it needs you to promote all things related to the show.  If you’re trying to be an artist, that may be great for you.  But don’t complain… this is what you wanted!

 9.  And don’t go using their name or logo, either.  Funny how one-sided things can be– they can use your picture and name to promote their stuff, but don’t think for a MINUTE that you can use their logo or title to promote yours.  To do that, you’ve gotta get consent from the network.  It makes sense, I guess– they want to control how their brand is being used and discussed.  What that means, though, is that it’s harder for you to book yourself for gigs or promote your independent record (you can’t necessarily say “from Sunday Best” or “from American Idol“).  Unless you were incredibly memorable, most consumers need a reminder of who you are and why they should care.  You may not get permission to GIVE that reminder, though.

10.  You have only a moment to decide.  This is, perhaps, the hardest part of the contract– you must commit, and commit QUICKLY.  Eventually, the only thing standing between you and the judges’ table will be a wordy document that you don’t really understand.  No one’s really waiting while you find an attorney and fax him your contract to review… either sign it, or leave.  You won’t really be missed.  Plus, this is your big shot.  The shows are prepared to dress you up and put you on national TV to sing!  But, decide now– what are you prepared to do in exchange???

Sooooo, I hope this helps to explain what some of the language you might see actually means.  Again, NOTHING I HAVE SAID IS INTENDED TO SERVE AS LEGAL ADVICE.  I ENCOURAGE YOU TO SEEK PROFESSIONAL LEGAL COUNSEL WITH REGARDS TO ANYTHING YOU MIGHT SIGN.  And that goes DOUBLE for anyone who makes it from the massive audition line to the televised stage.

Now, having said all of that, who’s auditioning???