What I am about to write here is directed most specifically to groups and individuals who are active in Southern Gospel music. However … for the rest of you … providing wise counsel, encouragement and prayer support … will be highly beneficial to any you may know or come in contact with. Some are simply misguided as to what their mission or ministry should be, believing that getting “on the charts” or – nowadays – played on enLighten34is the key to success in Southern Gospel … or, like many Americans, are led to seek their “five minutes of fame.”
Before I go any further, let me make it clear … I am not anti-chart. They certainly serve a purpose. I count the folks at Singing News as friends and I believe the monthly charts serve a beneficial purpose and have a place within this genre and its media … finding a way to make them more accurate will help everyone. As for “playing the hits” as listed on the Singing News Top 80 … we consider it a valuable resource and use it as a guide as to what’s “popular” at the moment, but appearing on this list – to the chagrin of at least a couple of artists – does not guarantee being heard on enLighten34. At the same time, we are playing songs by a fair number of groups who may never appear on any so-called popularity chart. Why do we play them? We’ve found the particular selections we are playing to be sung and produced in a highly professional manner and effectively communicate the only message which matters … the power of the Lord and the love of Jesus!
For the record, we at enLighten have never been asked to become a “charting” station for any Southern Gospel chart … nor do we have a great desire to be one, as to do it properly would require the commitment of time that we can ill afford at this juncture.
I pray that any group reading this who’s in the struggle to see their name on a chart will prayerfully re-consider their motive. In Proverbs 3:31, the NIV version says “my son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight.” And, the Apostle James, in 1:5 wrote, “if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God …” Based on my defining of the enLighten34 criteria, is your recording ready for “prime time” to the extent that you should be paying a promoter to “get you on the charts,” when those dollars would better be spent on glorifying the Lord with a better musical performance?
In response to my previous commentary on this subject, I received this note:
We have had promoters call us and want anything between $650.00 – $1200.00 a month saying, “They would have to have that in order to get us on the charts”. As a small family group, we can’t afford this. We have to depend on the Lord and people like you who like our music enough to play it. Our main goal is and always will be to be a blessing to someone.
These folks have their priorities in the right order – yes, they are heard on enLighten34 … and one day may well appear on a hit chart, with or without the help of a promoter!
Nick Bruno
For quite some time now … Nick Bruno, former “major group” Southern Gospel pianist, and more recently a producer, has been very vocal on this subject of groups spending their limited funds on sending singles and promoting to radio, when those dollars would be better spent on improving the quality of their “sound.” Read Nick’s latest commentary, titled I’ve Got Answers as it appears in SoGospelNews. And, it won’t hurt anyone to go back in the Archives to read Nick’s previous commentaries on this subject, which appear most every month in SoGospelNews’ Monthly Articles section.
At least a couple of times each week, we receive an E-mail with the basic query, “what do we need to do to get our recording played on enLighten34” … intimating – at least to my mind – that a payment of some sort to someone may be necessary. My friends, let me make that clear … this is not even a consideration. As I’ve responded time after time, in E-mails and at the NQC, the only way to get played on this XM channel is for Dan Dixon and yours truly to feel that the particular selection/track is appropriate and right for national exposure … that it will be uplifting to our listeners and, hopefully, touch a few hearts. In plain words, we gotta like it to play it!
David Murray
Let me mention David Murray at www.musicscribe.com. If you are presently a local or regional group and feel the Lord saying that you are ready for “bigger things,” I suggest that, as a first step, you contact David and pay his small fee to give you an honest appraisal of your latest recording. Of course, not all persons judge the same … the “ear of the beholder” varies from person to person. However, I trust David’s opinions. As an example, he just published reviews on his website for two groups which I would classify as “regional” at most … Southern Sound and Rejoice! A top-notch group who produces an extraordinary project will occasionally receive his top rating, five stars. These two groups were just awarded “4-1/2 Stars” and “4 Stars” respectively. Based on David’s opinion of these two CD’s, you’ll likely hear several selections from each on enLighten34in the near future.
In closing … let me say, it’s not easy at any level in Southern Gospel music. Just watch the industry news – even groups with well-known names are disbanding or struggling to stay on the road. Every group and artist who travels to sing for the Lord deserves and needs our on-going prayers.
Thank you for reading. I’d love to have your thoughts and comments, so please send me an E-mail.
Marlin Taylor
