Click here to listen to the mp3 of the seminar.

A few weeks ago, I travelled to Redmond, WA to teach a few classes at a The CMS worship music conference. ( http://www.christianmusiciansummit.com) Here are my notes from my first class. Enjoy!

So, you want to be the next Chris Tomlin…
In this session, I will discuss the realities of the Christian Music business and what it takes to “make it”


Psalm 51:16-17
Going through the motions doesn’t please you, a flawless performance is nothing to you. 
I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered. 
Heart-shattered lives ready for love don’t for a moment escape God’s notice.



It’s all about Art and Heart. God doesn’t need our art, He wants our heart!

This session isn’t about being the next Chris Tomlin. It could be any known worship leader on the scene these days. The issue I see with some independent artists I run into is that they want to start off their music mission where Chris, or Paul Baloche, or Lincoln Brewster is at today. It just doesn’t work that way. If you sat down and interviewed these guys, they would tell you many stories about their journey, how difficult it has been, and that what people see on stage represents just a fraction of the time they spend in their missions.

All of these guys started their music mission serving the church, and guess what, they still serve their church even today. Chris started out leading worship at countless youth camps, driving many thousands of miles, grunting it out in the trenches. Chris had no idea what God was going to do in his music mission. He just did it.

Paul still leads worship at a small rural church in Lindale, TX. I remember when I lived in Lindale going over to his church a few times and checking out his new songs. He has no idea what God was going to do in his music mission. He just did it.

Lincoln came out of the rock and roll scene, playing guitars for some well known mainstream artists. I remember running sound for Lincoln at Creation Festival east. He wasn’t on the main stage, he played in the hot and dusty worship tent. Lincoln had no idea what God was going to do in his music mission. He just did it.

Do you see a pattern here? There were some character traits all of these artists had happening in their music mission:
Integrity- Personal and artistic, these are good people creating great art.

Perseverance- They stuck to it even in the days of little things, they didn’t quit when rejected.

Honesty- they kept their word, they took care of business.

Humility- It seems like the more gifted an artist is, the more humble they are.

Relationships- They were God ordained, the more they did, the more they made. 

Passion- they loved what they were doing and did it well.

Sacrifice- they were giving it everything they had to fulfill their mission.

Service- first and foremost, these guys are all about serving others.

CALLING

Let’s talk calling, who believes God has called you to music ministry?
 I used to think a calling was “what we are to do.” 
However, after hearing an excellent teaching by my friend, Byron Spradlin, president of Artists in Christian Testimony Intl, I now believe the term “calling” is about “whose we are to be.” God calls us to Himself. That is it. 
What we think is a calling is really a desire. There is nothing wrong with having ambition.

I heard Dave Ramsey recently state that ambition gone bad is jealousy. That is where you want what someone else has. Jealousy gone bad is envy. That is where you want what someone else has, PLUS you don’t want them to have it anymore. I see some of this in the Christian music scene, and it is quite disheartening.

I do not care for the term “wanna-be.” I encourage you to be a “wanna-do”. There is a difference. What it boils down to is momentum. 

A wanna-be rarely creates momentum. As a child, I loved railroading. You have a caboose and an engine. The caboose sits and waits for something to back up to it and drags it to a destination that the caboose has no control over. A caboose is at the mercy of the engine. I see some indie artists who think like a caboose. They are waiting for something, anything to “discover them” sitting idle, hook them up, and take them somewhere. That is a “wanna-be.”

A “wanna-do” is an engine. It creates and sustains momentum. God can then take that momentum and do His promotion. Think about in the Word, God did miracles after He first asked people to create momentum. 
Water to Wine, Peter walking on water, Fed the multitudes, Raising Lazarus, and many others. What God was after was obedience. Imagine if those he told to act sat and waited? Would God have done the miracle?

I have a favorite saying, “Those who wait for something to happen are not artists/writers/musicians, they are waiters.”

I want to encourage you to get focused on what you want to do. I see many who are not focused and try too many things with little effectiveness.

Before you get started:

Define and Refine your mission. Who are you? What makes you unique? What attributes do you have and how can you take them and multiply them? What do you bring to the table?

Count the Costs:
Expense- It is expensive to be a serious music ministry
You will face lots of rejection.
Credibility- It will take a lot longer than you think to establish credibility. It is a slow burn. One relationship at a time.
Income:
Just making your music does not mean people will like it enough to buy it.
You will make less money than you think.
Don’t quit your day job.

Getting Started:
Rings of Influence: Don’t start at the outside of your rings. Start in the bulls-eye.
Look for opportunities to serve, use music if you must. 

Serve your church.

Take every opportunity.

Cultivate relationships.

Network online, but don’t waste a ton of time social networking. There is a difference.



Growing Your Mission:

Get letters of recommendation from places you have shared your music at.

Ask for referral contacts.

Always thank those who bring you in to minister.

Always give back 10% of your income to those who bring you in. 

Continually seek out opportunities.

Build your contact list and communicate regularly.
Have people sign up for a Prayer Calendar.

Revenue Sources:

Music Sales: people buy music at concerts to show support.

Honorarium/Offerings

Affiliate programs: ie: World Vision, Compassion, Covenant Eyes.

Donations: Christian Independent Alliance- Your friends and fans will support you if you ask them!
Endorsements: Wrap a bus, trailer stickers, drum sticks..etc.

Professional Vision = Provision: 
Everything you do must be professional. If you can’t afford it, wait until you can do it right.
One Shot at people, don’t blow it!

FAITH and WORKS: 
Both need to be at 100%.
God does not make up for our mediocrity or slothfulness.

Creativity:
Create because you love to create, not for what you think you might get out of it.
Creativity is like playing catch with God. God doesn’t just give us songs, he throws inspiration to us. We are to catch it and throw back worship. That is playing catch with God. It is a partnership, just like our faith walk.

WRAPUP:

If you believe pursuing music ministry is what God wants you to do, by all means, do it. Procrastination is the enemy of progress.
Don’t sit around thinking about doing it, don’t sit and wait to be discovered.
 Create your Momentum, be an engine. Rev it up and go down the track!

Above all else, I encourage you to include Christ in your music mission!

Articles

Attendee comments

CIA Summit 2009 Recap

press release

Uncategorized

• 2009 MOMENTUM AWARDS ANNOUNCED AT 6TH ANNUAL CIA SUMMIT
• Performance Videos From CIA Summit 2009
• 2009 Summit Comments
• 2009 MOMENTUM AWARDS WINNERS ANNOUNCED
• The Future of CCM
• So, You Wanna Be The Next Chris Tomlin
• Wisdom from an ex-CCM industry artist
• IT’S TIME TO BREAK OUT!
• It’s Independents Day!
• The Call of God Video Teaching
• The Need For Speed
• Embrace Your Independence
• All Or Nothing
• The Creative Indie