The Gospel Heritage Foundation, the nonprofit founded by Dr. Teresa Hairston (of Gospel Today magazine) fifteen years ago, is adding regional conferences to its ever-popular annual Praise & Worship Conference, the first of which begins TODAY in Cleveland, OH.

Each regional conference will consist of Friday evening ‘Worship and Word’ services, followed by an artist showcase featuring local talent. From that talent pool, local artists may receive an invitation to perform at an upcoming annual conference or live recording.

Regional conferences end  on Saturday mornings with a three-hour seminar featuring Dr. Teresa Hairston, along with national speakers and recording artists, including Bishop Hezekiah Walker, Wess Morgan, Joe Pace, JJ Hairston and Dr. John Guns.

A quick look at the cities/churches sponsoring a regional conference:

Aug. 19 – Aug. 20 | Cleveland, OH | New Spirit Revival Center
Sep. 23 – Sep. 24 | Bloomfield, CT | First Cathedral
Sep. 30 – Oct. 01 | Washington, DC | Mt. Calvary Holy Church
Nov. 11 – Nov. 12 | Sacramento, CA | This Is Pentecost Fellowship Ministry

Next year’s annual conference will again take place in Jacksonville, FL, from February 16-18, 2012.

For more info about the regional conferences and the annual conference, visit Gospel Heritage’s website at http://www.gospelheritage.org.

Be there!

Do you think sexism exists in the gospel music industry?

For purposes of our discussion, let’s say that sexism can be either of two things–

1. Discrimination based on a person’s gender; and
2. Enforcing attitudes and/or behavior based on what one believes to be “traditional” gender roles

I think it’s an issue in all of humanity, so I assume we would see traces of it in gospel music.

I’ve heard about it as it relates to industry professionals– I’ve heard businesswomen in gospel speak about being viewed as inferior to their male counterparts, despite being  more qualified or more experienced, in some instances.

Interestingly, though, some of the most prominent indie companies in gospel are run by women– Ignition PR, One EnTiTy, The Bellamy Group, the ND Company, Eye 4 Gospel, Black Gospel Promo, Gospel Today Magazine… and MANY others.  I wonder if any of their stories of striking out on their own include instances of sexism that they simply couldn’t take any longer.

But what about with artists?  Do female gospel artists suffer at radio?  Do female gospel artists not get booked for as many gigs?  Are they considered inferior in some way?

Or is there “reverse” sexism as it relates to artists?  Do male artists get the short end of the stick?  Are there fewer opportunities for them in gospel than for female artists?

Or is it specific to the format?  For example, there are clearly more male choir directors and ensemble leaders than females (partly why I miss Natalie Wilson & SOP so much, and one of the reasons that we loved Dr. Mattie Moss Clark)…

Maybe I’m just asking about something that is not there.  But maybe it is there.

What do you think? Have you seen things in the industry– either as it relates to the biz professionals or the artists– that look like unfair treatment based on the person’s gender?

Talk to me!

If you good people happen to get a copy of the May/June issue of Gospel Today magazine, you might find a little article called “The NEW Gospel Music Industry” in it, written by a young man named EJ Gaines.

My article focuses on the state of the changing music industry economy– explaining where we were 10 years ago, where are are today, and what changed during that time to affect the industry as it has.

The magazine, published by Dr. Teresa Hairston, is the leading magazine in the urban faith-based community, reaching over a quarter of a million people.

Click here for a preview of the editorial… let me know what you think!

Last week, I was fortunate enough to attend the Gospel Heritage Foundation’s Praise & Worship Conference in Jacksonville, FL, which is the vision of Gospel Today’s Dr. Teresa Hairston.

I was a featured speaker on two panels for the youth and college division along with Carla Williams (General Manager of Kirk Franklin’s Fo Yo Soul Entertainment), Monica Coates (author/speaker/industry vet), Asaph Ward (super producer), Grant Jenkins (artist manager/artist development consultant, the point5ive agency) and Myron Butler (artist/songwriter/producer).

On the first panel, we talked about the “new” music industry and how the current industry differs from what it used to be.  And we talked about what it means for people, in both the short-run and long-term.  After a quick break, the second panel featured us sharing more about our unconventional careers in this “new” music industry.  Of course, we had lots of time for Q&A, which is generally my favorite part of any panel discussion.

I can’t recap all the nuggets of wisdom that each of the panelists gave– you shoulda been there. In short, we really tried to equip and challenge people to be better, not just to do “business as usual.”  And the audience was of a perfect age to take it and run with it (cuz some of you “seasoned” saints get so set in your ways!).

I’ve been thinking about the panel discussion since then, and I wanted to share some concepts from it with the general readership of GospelPundit.com.  One thing I wanna stress is that it is not enough to look the part– you actually have to be competent.

The “do-it-yourself” theme of the industry is both a good thing and a bad thing.  It’s good because the playing field is being leveled– anyone can promote, market and further their careers from a home computer.  Trust me, I love it.  However, the unfortunate reality is that, of those who do it themselves, only a handful are actually artists or executives of substance.

Don’t be fooled by the current music industry’s resources, now replete with social networking and opportunities galore… you STILL have to do the work, lest you be found severely lacking when the spotlight is on you.  And don’t think that a bunch of views on your YouTube video automatically translates to album sales, ministry bookings, OR (most importantly) impacted lives.  Remember– your shortcut doesn’t speak for you.  You’ll still have to be a person of substance once your arrive at the destination.

That goes for everyone.  It’s not enough to just “look like one,” whatever the “one” is.  Songwriters need to dig deeper; artists, musicians and producers need to be more creative; executives need to actually be educated in what they’re doing.

This is an age of information– but anyone laboring in the gospel industry needs to be more than just informative, they must be transformative.

So, as you’re carving out your niche in this industry, do the gospel community a favor– be a person of substance and refined professionalism, not just someone who grabbed an opportunity and fooled people into buying your hype.  Do your work, beforehand and during, so that you’re actually contributing to, not just taking from, the Kingdom of God.

Cool?

In a couple of weeks, Dr. Teresa Hairston (Gospel Today) will be hosting her annual Gospel Heritage Praise & Worship Conference in Jacksonville, FL.  It’s gonna be a two-day event that you do NOT wanna miss, featuring worship services, musical offerings, workshops and panels that’ll inspire, encourage and equip you.

Check out the flyers below to see just a SAMPLE of some of the folks participating– from Donnie McClurkin, Hezekiah Walker and Kirk Franklin to Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Jonathan Nelson and Paul Morton… on and on and on.

During the conference, I’ll be speaking on two panels geared toward young adults (peep my lil’ photo on the second flyer, top right… LOL).  One panel discussion will focus on what the “new” music industry looks like, the other talks about careers opps in that new music industry.  My panel peers will include some of the best and brightest in the gospel game and I’m excited to be a part of it.

Anyone ever attended one of the annual conferences?  Anyone planning to attend THIS one?  Talk to me!

Planning for the Gospel Heritage Foundation’s Praise & Worship Conference, the popular annual gathering spearheared by Dr. Teresa Hairston of Gospel Today Magazine, is in full swing.

The two-day conference will take place on February 18th and 19th, 2010 in Jacksonville, FL.  Guest speakers include Dr. Rudolph McKissick, Bishop Noel Jones and Kirk Franklin.  There will also be workshops and panel discussions, artist showcases and a huge concert with artists TBA.

And… *drumroll please* You’ll never guess who’s been asked to speak on TWO panels?!

Now clearly, I’m not the only reason you should consider coming, but I’d definitely love to see some of you there!  Cool?  Cool.

Registration is open NOW.  Check out the official website to register and for more details: http://www.gospeltodayonline.com/GHF/.

Remember how, a few months ago, Gospel Today ceased printing hard copies of its successful magazine, transitioning to a digital-only format?

Yeah, nevermind that.  LOL

Word has it that you rabble-rousers kicked up so much dirt that Gospel Today is returning to print AND maintaining its online presence with a more user-friendly digital format.

Win-win situation.  Take THAT recession!

Word has it that, despite several inaccurate reports that Rev. Timothy Wright recently suffered a heart attack, he is off of life support and the family hopes his condition will continue to improve.

Apparently, his heart DID stop beating mid-January and he was placed on life support for several weeks.  According to a statement issued by the family to Gospel Today, however, he now opens his eyes when spoken to, though his response time is a bit slowed.

We are asked to continue to pray for Rev. Wright’s recovery.  Amen?

Gospel Today, arguably the most popular gospel music & Christian lifestyle magazines in the industry, has announced plans to “go digital,” providing only electronic content.  The magazine will suspend printing immediately and will offer only online subscriptions.

The new format will feature a more comprehensive website, including a social network (gospeltoday.ning.com), video of the week, downloadable articles and more.  Plus, instead of only six annual issues, subscribers will receive a whopping 50 issues per year.  That’s cool.

I’m a little saddened by the news, cuz I remember reading Gospel Today since waaaay back in the day.  I don’t want no new format.

It’ll be a good look, though, and it prolly makes a lot of sense.

What do you think???

Is it just me, or aren’t you longing for the day when we can find a Gospel Today magazine as easily as we can find a People magazine?