While doing some research about how the current economy is affecting Christian music, I heard from John Styll, President and CEO of the Gospel Music Association, which is an industry organization dedicated to promoting all forms of Christian music and providing professional resources for anyone involved in Christian music. Styll had some great thoughts about Christian music, so I decided to do an entire post and share three things you might not know about Christian music and how the economy affects your favorite artists. Since non-commercial radio pays smaller royalties than commercial, artists are always making less money than their mainstream counterparts, even if they have the same airtime. And non-commerical radio has less money to work. Where commercial radio stations rely on advertising revenue to keep them on the air, most Christian stations generate their income from you, the listener. Believe it or not, people do pay that much to see mainstream artists. The difference? More tickets sold means more income generated, which covers more of the bells and whistles needed to put on a first class. Thus their margins are pinched. Now, with the extremely high cost of fuel, it is even more economically challenging for gospel artists. But at the end of the trip, the mainstream artists have more money to cover those costs. If you buy a CD either in store or online and then give it away illegally to 1, of your friends, the artist still only gets credit for selling one CD.
Employment
Making a living in the music ministry is not easy. There is no guarantee that you will ever be able to support yourself or your family from money you make with your ministry or your music. The way most Christians picture the Christian musician star, as a person who lives an upper-middle class lifestyle funded by the profits of their music ministry, is simply not reality for almost all Christian musicians. So, before you begin the journey, count the cost. Take the time to learn about the financial aspects of music ministry, the amount of work involved, and how the ministry will impact you spiritually and emotionally. Is there a Christian band or musician in your area who would let you could volunteer as a roadie? Could you attend a band practice? Do whatever they will let you help them do. The band does not have to be famous to help you get a better picture of what you are about to attempt. They simply have to be a little farther along in the journey than you. Your greatest chance of longevity and success in music ministry is to be as realistic as possible about what to expect. Then you can create a plan to minimize the hardships and maximize the fun! The most important things I can say to anyone who is considering music ministry or is already in the ministry is this: first, make sure music ministry is your calling , and second, plan ahead so you can sustain your ministry. There is little to no respect for music ministers except for top tier artists. Music is not seen as a legitimate career or ministry choice until you become a top tier artist. Artists do not magically get discovered by a well connected person from Nashville or walk into an open position in a top tier band and become famous in a week. Most artists work for years on the local and regional level and only a very few ever make it to the top. You are expected to behave like a representative of the Gospel, an ambassador for Christ, even when you are personally hurting and have to pay from your own pocket to do your ministry. Music ministry is tough.
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Last year I had a conversation that has been a never-ending echo, quietly nagging at my heart at key moments. I was in Nashville attending an awards gala for Christian songwriters. So during the pre-dinner mingling I inadvertently attached myself to a producer and a guitarist who had come together and seemed also to doubt the necessity of their presence at this event. But seeing as they are not part of this big odd beast we call Christian music, their accomplishments may as well have been for nought. Do you know them? When dinner and the ceremony began, the three of us nabbed a table in the corner. As sound bites played and artists performed, names were read and people famous to the Christian community accepted their awards with great and earnest dedications to their Lord and Savior. Time and again he mounted the stage, thanking God and accepting his award. Then he finally noticed the repeated accolades the worship songwriter was receiving in front of us. And though I floundered a bit trying to find a nicer way to look at it, it was a hard truth to deny. The producer at our table excused it as just another move justified by business. This answer hardly satisfied me either. Being a Christian is marketable in America. Thousands if not millions of jobs are created around this business of being a Christian, not just in musical entertainment but on a bigger scale such as church leadership, mission agencies, book and magazine industries, student ministry, etc. I wonder if Christianity were suddenly removed from America, whether a great number of people would find themselves with a narrower set of skills to market themselves with. I say all this as one who frequents the halls of the Christian music industry herself, who is very much hoping that the good and flawed machine will still pay the bills at the end of the day. But they have served as a bristling reminder, a bracing and honest appraisal of why we go creating a subculture of faith, instead of perhaps infusing the existing pop culture with our presence. But I want to keep asking questions of how we can lose the gimmick. How we as the Church can build bridges to the world around us instead of creating a self-sustaining module of Christian industry. Will you join me in asking these questions? From the very beginning of the church you know way back when God still sat on the Mercy Seat and the ark was housed in a tent people made their living off the church. Like you said it is the reason why your doing things. Mariah, I love your heart and this open dialogue. I really value your questions about the Christian Industry and whether it is motivated by profits or by creating work that moves people towards more authentic relationships with Jesus.
CHRISTIAN MUSIC: THE COST CONTROVERSY
Most Christian artists do not reveal how much money they make, as they believe that making music is not for the money. It is mucu by many that they make up to 20, mysic a year. All Rights Reserved. Agtists material on this site can not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with prior written permission of Multiply.
Hottest Questions. Previously Viewed. Unanswered Questions. Asked in Christian Music. How much money do Christian music artists make? Because thats how artists make their money Asked in Christian Music How much money does a christian rock star make?
The amount of money a Christian rock star makes has not been confirmed, as of Most Christian artists hwo not reveal how much money they make in a year. Music artists and pro sports make the equal amount of money as long as they give something to it, and they do something to earn the money. Is this a good answer? From, Kidskids. Asked in Music Genres What do music Artists do? LMFAO is song artists who make pop music. Asked in Artists and Painters What is some stuff artists do?
Some artists make drawings, others paint, some make sculptures or installations. All those are pictorial artists. Then there art artists in music, in circuses and other kinds. Asked in Music How much money do artists make? Musical artists make a variety of different amounts of money, and the amount that they make highly depends on their fame and commercial success. Some artists that specialize in live shows may also make more money too because of how many people want to attend their shows.
Asked in Music Genres How does music piracy affect the artists? It means people are not buying their records. They are getting them copied. Every download an monry gets means they can pay rent, feed their children ro make a living. Making music costs artusts. Albums costs mqke thousands of dollars to create. Artists employ other attists, how much money do christian music artists make, photographers, assistants, accountants, and so on.
All these people need to get paid. When the music is pirated, there is no return on the mak it took for that album to be created.
When money stops coming in to pay for it, the artist no longer sees that they can continue making music. Ultimately, the people who loved that artist and stole the artists music end up with no music at all. Everyone loses. Asked in Salary and Pay Rates How much do concept artists make? There is no set amount of money that a concept artist can make. Good concept artists will make many thousands of dollars. Asked in Music Do you need to have money to make music?
No, you can have your own hands to make music. You can make music out of anything but having kusic would help to buy more things to make different kinds of music. Asked in Music, Online Music How much money do music artists make off of downloaded music? I’ve read on several review sites that when you download, at least on Itunes and CDBaby The people who create, mix, pick out songs, and help make an Artists music better.
Free Music Archive, and Noise Trade offer free music, however, these are usually older songs or relatively unknown artists. No, Black How much money do christian music artists make is not a Christian band.
Black Tide is a heavy metal band, and the band is not Christian. However, some of their songs have a Christian meaning, but that does not make them Christian artists. Radio stations and recording studios made the most money from the recordings of old Blues artists. In the early days of Blues music in the United States, the performer did not make very much money from concerts.
It was either the agent or the recording studio cashing in on the singer’s records. Some musical groups make records under a christian label, but their music is intended for chrisfian commercial sector, not worship.
Musix christian chrkstian metal band is still christian music, but isn’t intended for average church worship. Music producers work for music companies and individual artists.
Most music producers do not make much over 70, dollars a year. How easy is this, they rap, and have concerts and pay for themselves. Asked in Music Genres Who signs a music group to a label? Asked artistz Christianity How does Christian aid make money? They earn no money at all because they are non profit. Asked in Intellectual Property Why is intellectual property law important? Because it is the way creative artists make their money. Asked in Salary and Pay Rates How much money do artists make a year?
Artists make anywhere from a few hundred to millions of dollars a year. Their nuch depends on their level of skill and their ability to attract customers to their work. Trending Questions.
… and Getting That Music Played
Contemporary Christian music is popular. So popular, in fact, that congregations want contemporary Christian musicians to perform in the local church. And Christian musicians are more than happy to oblige. That’s their ministry, after all, and for many their livelihood. And there’s the rub. How much money do christian music artists make sometimes resent the amounts demanded by those coming to «minister» to the congregation. The Christian musician, on the other hand, thinks the church is confused about-well, the following candid correspondence between a pastor and a Christian musician reveals and helps resolve some of the areas of tension. Steve Gardner and his wife, Maria, team up as «Steve and Maria» and perform Christian music nationwide. We pick up the correspondence after Steve has agreed to perform at Dwight’s church and has suggested a fee. It was good to talk with you on the phone last week. You seem like a tremendous personality. I’m sure you and Maria have a great impact. Your financial requests, however, seem strong, even though they were lessened for us. I’m bewildered by musicians who make such high demands. Some of the finest preachers in the world come here and never mention finances. A former president of a Christian college was with us two weeks ago, and, as usual, he never brought up the subject, except in regard to the travel arrangements we shared with two other churches. Be assured, we always send our guests away with sufficient finances to meet their needs. I trust you can appreciate my concern. And it’s not just my concern.
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