Whatever Happened to the “New Artist”?
First, I want to apologize for my lack of updates. July is typically my busiest month (along with September and April of every year), and updating my blog this month has been the least of my worries. For that, please accept my apologies.
My mother and I were discussing something the other day on our way to dinner. (We love to have dinner in our family. It's the best thing we know of.) We started talking about record labels, their responsibilities, and how they differ so much between SG and virtually everywhere else.
I posed the question: "What ever happened to new artist development?" I mean really, when is the last time that you can think of where a record label takes a chance on a virtually unknown artist who has the talent and the appeal and develops them into a full fledged fulltime recording artist? The only time, today, that a label will sign a new artist is if they already had established industry veterans as a part of the group (i.e. Ernie Haase & Signature Sound or Mercy's Mark), or the artist already has a booked concert schedule and sells 20K units a year on their own.
NEWS FLASH - that's not developing new talent. That's signing artists who already have a proven track record. I want labels to take chances on new artists like they did just a few short years ago. The two best examples that I can think of are CrossWay (Spring Hill) and LordSong (Daywind). Both artists were very new when the label scooped them up - helped them develop their career - and now both are extremely successful artists in today's Southern Gospel market.
Granted, some will say that the market just can't support labels developing new talent like that. Perhaps, but why not take the chance? I hear groups all the time that I think, "Man, if I were a record label, I would grab them up now and really develop them, throw them on a tour with Gold City and Karen Peck & New River, and make them a household name."
But alas, it doesn't happen anymore. Come on record labels - stand up and start taking more control of this industry like you should. Let's not make the news artist go extinct.
Posted on Aug 24, 2006 - 03:51 PM | [9]
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When you guys want to pony up the cash to fund this so called "Southern Spin Records" - just let me know and I'll be the first in line. 
It wasn't always this way. Back during my first go-round with SG, back in the 70's, Word Records' Canaan label signed several part-time groups who were on the verge of breaking out and that major label affiliation gave them the push they needed to break out nationally. This included groups like the Inspirations.
Chris,
I agree Chris, we need more backers or new talent that what we are now having. I wish some lable would take the time to get out of the office and go to some of the local churches and scope out th "Great Talent" that is out there weekend after weekend doing what Christ has called them to do and that is carry His message in song. Then and only then, will they be able to see just how good some of the (no names as we get called some times)are. And that's all I have to say about that.
So, Chris and Amy, when are we gonna see "Southern Spin Records?" LOL.
Chris J. Becker
Cedar Rapids, IA