This is it, folks… PART FOUR (the final segment) of the Gospel A&R Series of And Now You Know. As a reminder, this series is all about getting some of the top industry professionals to give us an EXCLUSIVE peek into the inner workings of the gospel music biz.  Be sure to POST COMMENTS — we can create a great dialogue!

We welcome back Monica Coates, our A&R expert, who has worked at the top Gospel labels (EMI Gospel, Verity) and with a variety of artists, including Fred Hammond, Donnie McClurkin, Hezekiah Walker and Joann Rosario.

As a reminder, her first book, The Beginner’s Guide To The Gospel Music Industry, is available NOW at http://www.monicacoates.com, as well as at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.  Folks are already raving about the book– it is a must-have.

If you need a refresher from Parts 1, 2 and 3, click here now. Otherwise, here’s the wrap-up of the Gospel A&R Series, entitled “A&R And The Future Of Gospel Music”…

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PART FOUR: A&R AND THE FUTURE OF GOSPEL MUSIC

In our previous discussion, we took a look at the short-term implications of the shift in the A&R process in the Gospel music industry over the past two decades.  We discovered that, largely as a result of the music technology boom of the early 1990s, producers gained financial and creative power throughout the music industry, while A&R reps began to fade from the creative process.  So what does all of that mean for Gospel music in the long term?

To develop a more accurate forecast for all of you GospelPundit devotees, I dropped in for coffee with one of my mentors, EMI Gospel President, Ken Pennell.  For those of you who don’t know, Ken has been a consistent creative and executive presence in the Gospel music marketplace for nearly 30 years, contributing to the development of such legendary artists as Fred Hammond, Hezekiah Walker, Smokie Norful, Kierra “KiKi” Sheard and Donald Lawrence’s Tri-City Singers.  His vision for artistry and firm grasp of the business of Gospel has produced some of the most creatively exciting and profitable music ventures in Gospel music history.

I began our chat by asking Ken to expound upon a profound statement I heard him make several weeks ago at a conference for aspiring and independent artists.  He opened his comments that evening with this declaration: “We’ve officially entered the age of the independent artist.”

Although you might have expected a room full of aspiring and independent artists to rejoice at that announcement, I watched instead as confusion and, I think, a bit of fear began to seep into the hearts of those in the room.  The hopes of anyone expecting to gain insider hints on how to get a record deal with a major label, instantly evaporated.  I, on the other hand, took notes.

Here’s what I heard:  As a result of all of the elements we’ve been discussing over my past three columns on this site—-the influence of big corporations on Gospel labels, the lack of A&R development at the major labels, the rise of the Gospel producer—along with the huge decline in music sales worldwide over the past 10 years, the music industry as we know it has experienced a sharp, forceful restructuring. 

But what may seem like a death toll for anyone trying to break into Gospel right now is, in fact, the sound of opportunity.

Although the historic structures of the music industry have begun to shatter, new doors have opened allowing aspiring artists, songwriters and producers to take their work directly to consumers.  Through home studios, digital recording technology and the Internet, there have never been more chances for people to create and share their gift around the world…instantly.

“There are more opportunities for artists to make music and be heard then ever before,” Ken explained to me.  And that’s when I caught a mental picture of the future.  

When we can no longer rely on record labels to discover and develop our next generation of artists, when recording contracts are in fact NOT the key to big music sales and broad touring opportunities, where does that leave us?  For the first time in the modern music age, the responsibility for creative development rests undeniably in the hands of the artists themselves. 

“People have to take the responsibility to build their own careers,” Ken told me, and I agree.

Toward the end of my new book, The Beginner’s Guide To The Gospel Music Industry, I made a prediction regarding the future of Gospel:

“…Gospel artists will have to rethink CD sales as a source of revenue and put more time and attention into discovering and developing a relationship with their audiences through live concerts, direct marketing and internet promotions.

Now more than ever, the artist has to know who he is, who his audience is and what his albums should sound like in light of that audience.  The majority of the work to answer those questions is going to be done by the artist and management, not the record labels.”

For years we’ve let the industry become too much a part of our goal.  For those of you who are artists, songwriters and producers, this is the perfect moment to hone your craft.  Rather than to look toward a marketplace to affirm and define you, take responsibility for your gifts and talents and use them to pursue your God-given calling.

The news throughout the music industry may sound a bit scary, but for those of us committed to the music of the Gospel, this is a wonderful moment.  In this new age, more and more, the bend of technology is to find new ways to connect people.  Consider the reality:  The marketplace is wide open and we’ve got all the resources we need to connect with people. 

With great opportunity comes great responsibility.  So let’s seize this moment.  Let’s be wise.  Let’s be excellent.

Copyright © 2009 Monica A. Coates.

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I love that!  It’s incredibly inspiring, I think, because it seems as if some tremendous opportunities are at hand for those who are IN POSITION and PREPARED to capitalize on them.

SPECIAL thanks to Monica Coates for her four-part series educating the GospelPundit readers about Gospel A&R.  I’m also thrilled that we were able to gain insight from someone like Ken Pennell, who has so much experience in, and wisdom about, the industry!  Thanks!

What do you guys think?  If you’re an aspiring artist, are you inspired or dismayed?  If you’re a consumer, how do you think the changing industry might affect you?

Talk to me!!!

SO sorry for makin’ you wait for this… we’ve been busy busy busy at the site (as you’ve seen), but we’re back with PART THREE of the Gospel A&R Series of And Now You Know.  As a reminder, this series features top industry professionals giving us the EXCLUSIVE deal on how things work in the gospel music biz.  Be sure to POST COMMENTS and lemme know what you think!

Monica Coates is updating us on the current state of “artist and repertoire” (A&R) in the gospel industry.  Over the course of her diverse career, she has worked at the top Gospel labels (EMI Gospel, Verity) and with a variety of artists, including Fred Hammond, Donnie McClurkin, Hezekiah Walker and Joann Rosario.

Her first book, The Beginner’s Guide To The Gospel Music Industry, is available NOW at http://www.monicacoates.com.  Do not sleep… it’s an incredible, must-have book.

If you need a refresher from Parts 1 and 2, click here now.  Otherwise, here’s PART THREE of the Gospel A&R Series, entitled “A&R And The Current State Of Gospel Music”… 

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PART THREE: A&R AND THE CURRENT STATE OF GOSPEL MUSIC

In our last conversation we discussed how and why true A&R methods are dying in today’s Gospel music marketplace.  We cited the corporate demands of mainstream record labels along with the broad accessibility of high-quality recording technology as the main contributors to this phenomenon. 

So what does all of that mean for the future of Gospel music?  To fully answer that question, we need to look at the short-term impact as well as the long-term implications.  In this article, we’ll focus on the short-term impact.

In recent years the lack of a true A&R presence at our major labels led to two major trends: (1) the rise in power of the Gospel producer and (2) a lack of artist development at Gospel labels.

Perhaps the greatest beneficiaries of the music technology boom of the 1990s were producers.  It is the role of the producer to shepherd a song from idea to full production.  The producer oversees the creative direction of a song, hires the performers (musicians and background singers) and engineers, directs the recording sessions and, although funded by the record label, is often responsible for ensuring the bills are actually paid.

Where once a producer had to rely upon hefty financial support from record companies to create a song, the introduction of MPCs and Protools gave virtually anyone with a dream access to high-quality, digital audio in the comfort of their own home.  That shift in venue also marked a shift in financial and creative power.

Historically a producer had to allot a sizeable amount of each recording budget to an expensive studio along with an array of recording costs. However, in the wake of the technology boom, the same producer could now spend that money in his own studio.  And because the new technology made recording more affordable, producers could now complete a song with a bit more money to spare.

As the creation of music moved into home studios across the nation, A&R representatives became less involved with the daily process of production.  And for the first time producers found themselves in a position of greater control not only financially but creatively as well.

That’s when things began to get really interesting. 

When you combine the pressure of corporate timelines and responsibilities with a decreased need for A&R reps to be hands-on in the production process, the role of true A&R is relinquished by the record label and picked up by the producer.   The result was our second trend—a lack of artist development at Gospel labels. 

Rather than the A&R rep discovering an artist and working to develop that artist’s material and style, labels began signing artists based upon their potential and sending them out to develop their sound with a producer.  Over time the process shifted even further to the point that producers were discovering and signing talent and then bringing that talent to the labels to cut a deal.

From a business perspective the arrangement worked well for large record companies.  As with other kinds of businesses, the ability to outsource certain tasks can increase efficiency and allow the company to become more profitable.  But when the main product is creative, that business model has a way of stunting artistic growth.

The strength of the old-school A&R model was the broad access that the A&R rep had to various producers, songwriters and musicians.  An A&R person could draw from a large pool of talent to best explore the potential of an artist and further develop that artist’s sound.  Conversely, with producers at the helm of the process, too often an artist would conform to the style of that producer, rather than growing into a sound of their own.

In the new scheme of things, the producer is often more famous than the artist.  Audiences can recognize the producer shout-out at the top of a track even though they’ve never heard of the artist featured in the song.  In fact frequently it’s the producer’s name and sound that lends immediate credibility to a new artist.

In the short term everyone wins:  The label gets the power of an established name to attach to an unknown artist, the artist gains an immediate audience through his connection to a well-known producer and the producer finally gets to reap real financial benefits.

But what happens to our marketplace in the long-term?

More about that next time…

Copyright © 2009 Monica A. Coates.

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Wow.  I love that entry because it talks about the stuff that we’re SEEING in the industry, but haven’t really articulated.

For example, we’ve definitely seen the pro’s and con’s of everyone being able to record without big label dollars behind them– some amazing indie projects, and some reaaaallly bad ones.

Soooo… whatd’ya think of the article?!

[Editor's Note:  I've re-posted this because I reaaaaally want you guys to read it as a featured article and it got lost in the shuffle after the "breaking news" post that now follows it.  READ ON!]

Part Two is here already!

Y’all judged me so hard last time cuz you wanted the goods IMMEDIATELY, so I decided to follow-up sooner than anticipated with the second portion of the Gospel A&R Series of And Now You Know.  To refresh your recollection, this series features top industry professionals giving us the EXCLUSIVE deal on how things work in the gospel music biz.  Be sure to POST COMMENTS and lemme know what you think!

Monica Coates, a Gospel music industry vet with experience in artist management, publicity, radio promotions and A&R, is back with more info on what’s happened to “true A&R.”  Over the course of her diverse career, she has worked at the top Gospel labels (EMI Gospel, Verity) and with a variety of artists, including Fred Hammond, Donnie McClurkin, Hezekiah Walker and Joann Rosario. Her first book, The Beginner’s Guide To The Gospel Music Industry, will be published in the Spring. 

If you haven’t read PART ONE, you should prolly do so now (click here).  Here’s PART TWO of the Gospel A&R Series, entitled “True A&R: A Dying Art Form”…

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PART TWO: TRUE A&R: A DYING ART FORM

In our last chat, we discovered that historically A&R representatives scouted new talent (artists, songwriters and producers) and were also responsible for finding and developing appropriate material for artists at their labels to record and perform.  So how is it possible for such an important role to virtually disappear from the Gospel music industry?

In all fairness, most record labels still have A&R Departments housed by A&R directors (or A&R reps).  However, with few exceptions, those divisions have morphed into Artist Relations departments where the A&R rep is expected to serve primarily as a financial and production administrator, overseeing the flow of album and video projects. 

I can tell you it is no small task to deliver the project of a major artist both within budget and on time!  Nevertheless, that’s a far cry from true, old school A&R.

Two major changes in the overall music industry contributed to this shift in A&R method: (1) the acquisition of Gospel labels by major record companies and (2) the audio technology boom of the 1990s.

In the late 1980s, several Gospel labels came under the umbrella of major, mainstream record companies. While those corporations delivered important perks—huge increases in CD sales, mainstream media exposure and significant touring opportunities for their Gospel artists—the demands of big business gradually shifted focus at the labels away from developing their artists and toward meeting the parent company’s timelines and sales goals.

Simultaneous with that development, the creative side of the industry was forever altered by the audio technology boom.  The widespread use of musical programming and digital recording technology—most notably the introduction of the MPC programming system and Protools software—gave rise to the self-contained producer. 

No longer did artists and producers have to rely on record labels to provide access to expensive recording studios.  For the first time, anyone with an MPC and a computer could take a song from idea to mix in the comfort of his own home.  Consequently, a major breach occurred between record labels and the creative process, which has only widened over the past two decades.

Those historic changes had an inevitable ripple effect—a void in training opportunities for A&R executives.  In a world where quarterly sales projections rank higher than an artist’s creative vision and where record labels are all but removed from the creative process, there are fewer opportunities for industry executives to learn the art of true A&R. 

A genuine ear for Gospel, an eye for real talent and the insight and wisdom necessary for artist development are skills cultivated over years spent in creative spaces, learning how to work with creative people.  Furthermore, true A&R requires opportunities to try new things in an atmosphere where failure is viewed merely as a stepping stone to breakthrough. 

With the steep drop in CD sales due to the impact of digital music sales, in a very real sense major Gospel labels simply cannot afford the luxury of developing their artists nor their executives. 

So, what does all of this mean for the future of the Gospel music marketplace?  More about that next time…

Copyright © 2009 Monica A. Coates.

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Crazy, right?!  As the music industry evolves, it almost seems like the “creative” aspects are getting sidelined while folks are overburdened and overwhelmed with administrative duties.  So, how we gonna fix it (fix it… fix it)?

Thanks, Monica!  Don’t forget to check our her MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/monicacoates for more info on her and her upcoming book.

What do y’all think about what she had to say this go ’round???

I’m really excited to bring you this new series, And Now You Know, in which top industry professionals will give us the EXCLUSIVE skinny on how things work in the gospel music biz.  I’m gonna try to cover all facets of the industry, starting with one of my personal favorites– A&R– which will be covered in multiple parts by industry favorite Monica Coates.  Be sure to POST COMMENTS and lemme know what you think!

Monica Coates is a veteran of the Gospel music industry with experience in artist management, publicity, radio promotions and A&R.  Over the course of a diverse career, she has worked at the top Gospel labels (EMI Gospel, Verity) and with a variety of artists, including Fred Hammond, Donnie McClurkin, Hezekiah Walker and Joann Rosario. Her first book, The Beginner’s Guide To The Gospel Music Industry, will be published in the Spring. 

Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you PART ONE of the Gospel A&R Series, entitled “What Is A&R?”…

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PART ONE: WHAT IS A&R?

For the past 16 years it has been my pleasure to serve as a member of the Gospel music industry.  During that time, one of the most fulfilling aspects of my work has been the opportunity to meet aspiring artists and aspiring music industry people and answer their questions.  In fact, that experience led me to write The Beginner’s Guide To The Gospel Music Industry: A Handbook For Aspiring Artists And Industry Executives.  In the spirit of that book and as a service to all you GospelPundit bloggers, I wanted to answer one of the most common questions:  What is A&R?

Historically the term “A&R” stood for “Artists and Repertoire”.  An A&R representative typically scouted and discovered new talent and was also responsible for discovering and developing appropriate material for that talent to record and perform.  Over the years, as record companies have shouldered less of the burden for the development of artists, the function of the A&R Department has morphed a bit toward “Artist Relations”. 

Nevertheless, of all of the departments within a record company, the A&R representatives work the most closely with artists, songwriters and producers.  They are the staff members responsible for facilitating the creative vision for a project, overseeing the budgets for those projects and keeping them on schedule.

For those of you who think you might like to be involved with the industry side of Gospel music, or are simply curious about what goes on behind-the-scenes, here are some important skills that a good A&R person needs: 

* A true ear for Gospel music

* Strong relationships with people throughout the Creative Community (esp. artists, songwriters, producers and their respective support teams—managers, engineers, publishers, etc.)

* A thorough understanding of the production process for CDs and DVD projects

* Knowledge of the legal aspects of production

* The ability to create and maintain a budget

* Strong management skills

Sadly, true A&R is a dying artform in Gospel music.  More about that next time…

Copyright © 2009 Monica A. Coates.

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Soooo???  Cool, right?  Make sure you keep comin’ back to see the follow-up parts to her awesome series.  And check her out at http://www.myspace.com/monicacoates!