Overwhelming? Yes.
But not when you think about creating a fan base by simply making great music and doing shows.
Also remember – it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert at something. Yes, I typed the correct number of zeroes there. This is the real overwhelming piece of the equation. Becoming good at what you do.
What do you think of the future of the music industry? Do artists need to continue to pursue most of these marketing strategies (in the video) in order to be successful?
TO BE ENTERED TO WIN A FREE COPY OF GUNGOR’S NEW ALBUM, SIMPLY WRITE YOUR FAVORITE WORSHIP ARTIST/GROUP AND A BRIEF EXPLANATION OF WHY IN THE COMMENTS BELOW. FOR A SECOND CHANCE TO WIN, RT ON TWITTER OR RE-POST WITH A LINK TO JONATHAN SIGMON ON FACEBOOK. WINNERS WILL BE SELECTED AT RANDOM. CONTEST ENDS THURSDAY, MAY 20TH AT MIDNIGHT.
Maybe you have never heard of Gungor, but my advice to you is to take a listen! I got the privilege of doing a phone interview with Michael Gungor, the lead singer of the band, and got to ask him a bunch of questions. Some of them were serious and some were just for fun. I hope you will enjoy this podcast-style interview, which I’ve posted below (no visuals, really). I’ve also posted the questions and a few highlights of Michael’s answers below.
Gungor Interview with Jonathan Sigmon from Jonathan Sigmon
Tell us a little bit about your faith journey and your music.
I’ve grown up in the church and following Christ, but what that means has definitely changed…
What is your favorite t-shirt?
V-necks.
What’s it like to work with your wife? Is it hard to transition between work and fun?
“We both have the musician temperament and so sometimes the ordinary life skills come more difficult.” Yep.
Your album is called Beautiful things. What would you plant in your garden if you were growing something?
“I would plant peace in my garden.” 
What’s the goal of your music?
The content and the message are important, but the artwork was just as important as that artwork.
Interesting quote: “If music is just about the lyrics, then the music is basically just propoganda.”
What would you say is the purpose of a corporate worship gathering? (9 minute mark)
To gather to remind ourselves what we are supposed to be doing.
“WWJD?”
How do you respond to criticism, whether it be to your music, what you stand for, etc. What do you do with that?
“We should be willing to say ‘I disagree with you.’ It’s sad to see people who argue for a God that doesn’t love everyone.
Sometimes worship music is criticized for being overly simplistic. On a whole, do you think it should be more musical or more simple? (14:30 mark)
“Be diligent with your craft and be who you are and called to be. Don’t try to fit some other sort of mold.”
What if God was one of us? Just a stranger on a bus? Trying to make his way home?
What advice would you give to local worship leaders?
I would encourage local worship leaders to remind yourself of the heart of what you are trying to do. Remember the big story we are a part of.
Describe your concerts that you do outside of the church. (18:30 mark)
The “Beautiful Things Events” have a different kind of worship…
What’s the most challenging thing about leading worship on a regular basis?
The most challenging thing is that you are constantly pouring out. Worship leaders need to have times where they are filled up too, to avoid becoming jaded, dry, or cynical.
I hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know Michael better. Pick up Gungor’s music from iTunes here. You’ll be happy with your decision.
WANT A CHANCE AT WINNING GUNGOR’S NEW ALBUM FOR FREE? COMMENT WITH YOUR FAVORITE WORSHIP ARTIST AND WHY BELOW. IF YOU HAVE NEVER LISTENED TO WORSHIP MUSIC, JUST WRITE YOUR FAVORITE BAND. OR…JUST SAY “GIMME A CD FO’ FREE! AND SOME WAFFLE FRIES!”
If you go into music looking to make money off of a recorded album, it is difficult to be able to break even, let alone make a sustainable living. And music is only going to get cheaper. Check out this interesting graph to see how much artists earn online:
(via informationisbeautiful)
Nearly every time I am driving through a new city, I check out the different radio stations. Of course it is all the same (and usually about the same place on the dial). You have the rap station up in the 106 frequency, country at 105/103, top 40’s music around 101/96, Christian around 90, and indie or jazz at 88/89 on the FM dial. I throw that out there just as information for the next time you go to the next major city as a general guide, but it also serves my first point: radio is so predictable.
MTV killed the art of music. It took what used to have to be pictured and turned it into a visual platform. It is like when a children’s book, such as Chronicles of Narnia, gets turned into a movie and a child no longer has to make up a picture of Aslan (not that I did not enjoy the movies, just saying…). The imagination and open-ended side to the songs is now gone. That is what makes music good though! That ambiguity that allows you to identify with the song with where you are at and how you are feeling makes for a beautiful interpretation. Since every teenager has raging hormones that they do not know what to do with, MTV plays videos that play to their desires (well…they used to play music videos anyways). Don’t worry, I’m not insulting your intelligence by stating we live in a culture plagued by sex, it is just that when I went to MTV.com earlier today, I found this on the side panel: Read More
