I'm a big fan of Christian/Conservative comedian Brad Stine. Mainly
because, like it or not, he's real and in your face with his comedy,
his faith, and his points.

So, if this particular blog offends, please do as Brad says, and PUT A
HELMET ON! before you hurt yourself.

(Rant begins here...)

OK, it's time for us as artists to wake up a bit, people.

And I'm speaking directly to those of you with a music ministry, on
stage, on the road, and trying to do it right.

Were talking self-sustaining, 25 year, long term, music ministries.

If that's you, then here's some sobering news for most of you:

Radio, distribution, and publicity may never have much to do with
either your music, or your income.

(From here I can hear the collective crash of a thousand pipe dreams...)

No, this is not Scared Straight. But I do want to make a point.

The top 30 radio singles we have had, the national distribution to
stores, the videos played on national cable networks, the blurbs in
magazines and on the internet...these are all things we have been
blessed to have. These are the things we wonder and dream as we write
our songs, make our CDs, and send out our blogs.

But all those things are just icing on a much larger cake.

We need to put blinders on right now. Focusing on one thing:
Ministering to people in front of you.

Now this may seem kind of obvious, but you'd be surprised how many
times I get the questions of "So when will I get radio play?" or "How
do I get my CD in stores?" And these questions sometimes come from
people who have naver made a CD and barely even performed in front of
folks before.

That's not just putting the cart before the horse, that's building a
cart before there's even a road!

Our call is to get the word out. And yes, radio, video, stores, print,
is all ways to get the word out to a hungry world. But, at least at
first, you will not find those doors quite as open as you think, and
certainly not as rewarding as getting in front of real live, hurting
people. People who need to hear you speak, and share, and people who
need to take your CD home to further be blessed and grown.

Folks, we have to guard against the "Star" factor in this. We all get
giddy thinking of the thought of hearing our song on the radio, or
seeing our video on Gospel Music Channel, or walking in and seeing our
CD in stores.

But the reality of this is that even if everyone of those things came
true, most likely it would pale in comparison to the major income
streams of the ministry which will always be income from bookings and
CD/Merchandise sales. It takes monster big hits to make anything off
royalties, and tens of thousands of sales to make anything off
distribution. But you can consistently make hundreds to thousands per
appearance if you put your mind and heart to it.

Hebrews 12: 1
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,
let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily
entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for
us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our
faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its
shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider
him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not
grow weary and lose heart.

Not only will keeping your eyes fixed on the real stuff help you run
the race, it might just keep you sane. I can guide you to a few
artists who have been thrown for a loop and disheartened more than
once because of radio, distribution, royalties, and missed publicity
opps. And yes, there are some nights in front of audiences that just
don't quite go over that well. But in almost every situation, whether
you know it or not, someone is blessed by your being there.

So put those blinders on folks. Keep your focus, and keep running the
race.

EC