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Contents Fall Series 2015
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Music Marketing
How Artists Can Better Manage Life’s TOUGH Storms
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Artist Tips 2
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South Africa
COVER STORY Pastor & Recording Artist Charles Jenkins AIRPLAY 360 Fall Series 2015 - Vol. 6 No. 5 PUBLISHER Ace Alexander
EDITOR Louise Moore
ASST. TO PUBLISHER Michelle Slater
Copyright Š 2008-2015 Airplay 360 Digital Magazine, an Ace Alexander Company publication. Reproduction, in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited. Readers are free to forward this web magazine to friends and colleagues. DISCLAIMER: The articles and resources in AIRPLAY360 are not intended to be a substitute for professional consultations. While all attempts have been made to verify information provided in this web magazine, neither the author nor the publisher assumes any responsibility for errors, omissions or contrary interpretation of the subject matter herein.
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MUSIC MARKETING How to Build a STRONG Street Team to Promote Your Music BY ANGELA M. CARTER
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street team can help you market and promote your music for little to no money, bring more people to your shows and sell more music. There are three keys to building a strong street team. Recruit the Right People. It is important that you recruit the right people for your team. You must mobilize and recruit the right people for your street team for your marketing plans and promotional efforts to be successful. If you don't have the right people passing out your flyers and any other promotional items that you have, you will waste your money and time. Your street team should be full of people who have the skills to complete your team tasks. There are some general skills and traits that you want all of the members of your team to possess. The best people to have on your team are people who are self-starters and self-finishers. You will not be around your team to micro-manage them and to make sure they are doing their job. So you need members who can finish their tasks on their own. Establish an Organized Structure. Your team needs a management structure that includes a leader. A well-managed team provides more organization and structure. You should also provide training for your team that will help them do their work. Motivate Your Members. If you want a street team that will be excited to promote for you, who will work hard, who will be energized and motivated, you have to give them a mission. You should let your airplay360.com
members know how their work supports a broader mission that you are trying to accomplish. You should also provide rewards and incentives to further motivate your team. Develop a reward system that encourages and motivates excellent performance and hard work (and you’ll see results.) Angela M. Carter is a Music Marketing Strategist and Music Marketing Coach for Campaign You Strategy Group. Based in Austin, Texas, she is also a music attorney. She helps artists and music entrepreneurs develop and brand their music careers on their own terms through strategic planning.
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ARTIST TIPS How to Better Manage Life’s TOUGH Storms
BY DIANNA SANDERSON, MS LMFT
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s a musician, promoting your talent can be a full-time job, but do not be sidetracked. Who you are is infinitely more important than what you do. If performing and singing overshadows deeper issues that warrant your attention, it’s time to switch focus. I have come across eight artists in the past six months who are phenomenal singing powerhouses battling emotional issues such as body dysmorphism (negative distortion of your body image), food addiction, domestic violence, extreme poverty, divorce and death that threatens their talent, yet some kept going 6
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until faced with actual life or death situations. Remember prevention is often the best cure. How does your vocal health and mental health stay intact when you are weathering the toughest storms? The answer lies in the question, in what or in who is your identity grounded? We don’t control what happens to us but we can refine how we mature in the face of life. When facing a major life disruption or crisis, ask yourself:
What is the habit/circumstance I am struggling with?
Have others ever had or come out of this situation before?
What were they doing to accomplish that?
What lies do I believe about myself that is supporting or reinforcing a bad habit or just making my situation worse by how I am engaging with others or relating to myself?
From there, look at how those lies influence your daily living and identify your solution to fix or calm the stress. Are your solutions becoming a new layer of problems?
For instance, if I am obese and I am receiving pressure from an agent to lose weight. The pressure from the agent is a major stressor. My weight is the problem and I may believe the lie that I am not loved so I have to eat food to comfort me. If you address the weight but do not address the lie and its aftermath you can reinforce solutions (eating more and becoming more stressed as your agent pressures you more) that actually trigger you to run to your gift of singing as a fixer for your stress to get praise and applause or away from your gift shutting your talent down from the world. This job of being a vocalist has so many moving parts it is easy to be distracted. Do not neglect professional help or routine surveillance and self-care of the thoughts you think, the lies you believe and the solutions you use to change your circumstances. Your voice, performance, and brand eventually will reveal a cycle of freedom and victory or “stuckness” and defeat. Dianna Sanderson, is a studio session singer, live performer and licensed marriage and family therapist located in Florida. She currently works as a Director at community health agency and centers her therapy practice around healing the divisions we have that hinder fulfillment of our life goals. Through solo projects and tours in USA, Europe, Africa and Central America she is also keenly aware of the personal victories and challenges faced by vocalists in today's market.
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COVERSTORY 8
Music, Ministry & Giving Back
BY LOUISE MOORE
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tellar Award winning gospel artist, songwriter and pastor Charles Jenkins is a true visionary. We know him best for his two back to back #1 albums (“Best of Both Worlds” and “Any Given Sunday”) and chart-topping
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singles, “Awesome” and most recently “War” but in Chicago where he serves as senior pastor of the historic New Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, founded by gospel legend and civil rights pioneer Rev. Clay Evans, Jenkins is known, not only for his musical success but also for his philanthropy. He is
founding president of Fellowship Educational and Economic Development Corporation (FEED), a 501c3 that focuses on education, community development, job creation, public safety and urban renewal in Chicago inner-city neighborhoods. Having a heart for youth, he also founded Gladiators, a mentoring program that focuses on teaching young African-American men how to fight to win in life. Additionally, Jenkins is CEO of Inspired People LLC, a music company conglomerate committed to globally inspiring people through music, fashion, resources, and enriching events. Recently, Jenkins took time to chat with Airplay 360 about his music success, his ministry and his passion for youth and giving back to his community.
“Awesome” was your first #1 and now you have a second #1 with War, back to back. How does that feel? PASTOR JENKINS: It feels awesome. People don’t know how hard it is to accomplish. Everybody’s like do you think you can do it again? Can y’all do it again? To come behind a #1 album, #1 single is always really hard and to do it again with both the album and the single this go around with “Any Given Sunday” and “War”, and to hear all the amazing testimonies and stories of how people are being impacted, it can’t get any better.
Can you give us just one of those testimonies that you received? PASTOR JENKINS: One that sticks out was a lady who shared that she went through chemotherapy and used “War” as a theme song through her cancer battle. And her last chemotherapy session, she posted on Twitter that she was cancer free and “War” was her theme song and she hashtagged #ThisMeansWar.
You have done so much in the community. How important is it to you and how important is it to your ministry to give back? PASTOR JENKINS: You know we’re blessed to be a blessing and as God gives us favor and blesses us with his grace, it’s not just for us but he blesses us with it to use it for his glory and for the good of others. Whether it’s working with the ministry called Breakthrough—I was able to direct almost $40,000 toward them—or whether it’s working with organizations like World Vision and Charity Water, our huge focus these days is around young AfricanAmerican youth and the city of Chicago. We’re in airplay360.com
the process of working on some programs to further empower that demographic and try to continue our work to combat violence and create opportunity for our kids. We have ongoing programs but we’re in the process of launching a tech lab and tech camp and we’re in the process of launching some youth entrepreneurship programming. We’re also launching a basketball program to capture some of our young men. If we can get you to see beyond what you see, we can get you to believe beyond what you’ve seen, we can get you to accomplish what can be deemed the impossible. We’re excited!
Rev. Clay Evans passed the torch to you. Tell me about the impact he’s had on your life and ministry? PASTOR JENKINS: Rev. Evans couldn’t be any closer if he was my biological father. We’re airtight. He is just a genius of a giant. You name it from what it means to serve with humility, servant leadership, what it means to be strong in leadership. He is the master of what I would call holistic ministry. He served 50 years and still serves in so many ways behind the scenes in so many places. He always had his finger on so many tenets of culture whether it’s faith, politics, education, civic or business. He has taught me what it is to have that approach.
Tell me about the Any Given Sunday Tour. How has that been? PASTOR JENKINS: We’ve done about 50 events Continued PASTOR JENKINS on Page 10 AIRPLAY 360
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Continued PASTOR JENKINS from Page 9 since the album was released this past Spring. We did 30 cities in a row straight, no break. And it was unbelievable—thousands and thousands of people all across the country (showed up). And my wife and I along with a couple of our team members were able to hit the road and just kind of share God’s love through the music and be with people and hear stories and testimonies. And for the record to debut at #1, it’s really God’s glory. But also the songs that are on the record are songs of healing, songs of strength, songs of peace, songs of power that we’re excited are connecting with people all across the country. It was rigorous but it was a blessing.
What do you have coming up for the rest of this year? PASTOR JENKINS: I’m leading a project called the Legacy Project in the city of Chicago. It’s a mixed unit community development project on track to create 400 new jobs, educate 1,500 students and create commerce for urban inner city community on the south side of Chicago, increase property values
and improve the quality of life for citizens on the south side where the unemployment rate is high. We look to break ground on the school this fall. My wife and I have a syndicated radio show scheduled to start this fall. I have a brand new artist Donishisa Ballard who I signed to my Inspired People record label which will be distributed through Motown Gospel. I’m working on a Charles Jenkins record. I want to put some music in the space to speak to this generation and this culture. This record will be released some time third quarter 2016.
With such a busy schedule and so much going on, how do you manage all of this? PASTOR JENKINS: I’m surrounded by great teams, amazing people, everybody driving well in their lanes. I’m just a passenger in a lot of great cars with a bunch of great drivers. With all of his current and upcoming projects, there is so much more to come from Pastor Charles Jenkins. If you would like to connect with him, follow him on Twitter @CharlesJenkins7.
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MUSIC RELEASES Kim Burrell A Different Place September 4 Shanachie
Jonathan McReynolds Life Music: Stage Two September 18 eOne
John P Kee Level Next September 25 Motown Gospel
Richard Smallwood 20th Century Masters September 25 Motown Gospel
Troy Sneed Awesome God October 23 Emtro Gospel
Jonathan Butler FREE October 30 Rendezvous
Travis Green The Hill October 30 RCA Inspiration
James Hall WAP New Era October 30 eOne
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Airplay 360 founder Ace Alexander and South African music promoter Thabang Mnisi have formed an alliance to spotlight the best in independent gospel music artists in South Africa. Beginning this series, we shine the spotlight on Pastor Benjamin Dube.
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astor Benjamin Dube is a music ministerial visionary, anointed songwriter and singer, music producer, mentor, father and pastor to many musicians and an inspiration to secular artists in South Africa. A Gospel legend of Africa, Dube began the journey of his calling in ministry in 1986. Thirteen years later, he cut a deal with Harmony Records in New York, USA, under Epic Record label and recorded his first live album "I Feel like Going On" which sold over platinum in RSA only. His music ministry has briskly grown internationally, in USA, Sweden, Netherlands, Paris, Australia, and Japan and has an office in London UK. With his musical background, he has 14
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fifteen albums to his credit— eight which are still in the market. His album “I Feel Like Going On” was certified platinum (Harmony Records/ Spirit Music). “Praise Explosion” released in 2002 went Gold (Spirit Music/Dube Connection). “For Every Mountain” on the “Thank You” album went platinum as well and High Praise Explosion "Oh Bless Our God" album went Gold, also on Sony/Dube Connection label. Pastor Dube was nominated three times as a finalist in the MTN-SAMA awards (2004 – 2006) under the Best Contemporary Gospel category and received an award for Best Praise and Worship Album in 2007 and also received a Crown Gospel Music award for Best Praise and Worship Artist 2008. One Gospel honored him with two awards including Gospel Legend Award and the
Contemporary Artist. Pastor Dube is the owner of a label called Dube Connection cc. licensing to Sony BMG and Spirit Music. Through the label he employs his other aptitudes as songwriter, author, and producer/ arranger, discovering and developing young talent. He has developed business partnership with Sony, Spirit Music, Gallo, EMI, BMG, SAMRO, SARRAL, and RISA.
Pastor Dube pictured with young recipient of food baskets distributed by the Benjamin Dube Children’s Foundation with support of the Foodbank.
He is the founder of Artist Hope Arise (AHA) in 2009 and also co-founded God's Worshipers Convocation (GWC) in 2009. The first Convocation was in September 2009 and is available on DVD. He has been a guest of several national television and radio programmes and has made news in every newspaper and magazine in South Africa. In December 2004, Sunday Sun Newspaper named him the most influential celebrity of the month with integrity. In addition to his music ministry, Pastor Dube is a sought after itinerary speaker. He spoke in former president Nelson Mandela’s “Freedom of the City” award presentation, sharing podiums on both Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki’s presidential inaugurations. He is a well traveled preacher, and has shared podiums with Bishop TD Jakes, Bishop
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John Francis, Bishop Tudor Bismark, Kirk Franklin, Andrae Crouch, Israel Houghton and many other renowned speakers and musicians. Both secular and gospel artists, and celebrities have frequently asked Pastor Dube for counseling and his wisdom. He has even delivered the eulogy at many of the musicians’ memorial services. His foundation, Benjamin Dube Children’s Foundation benefits many needy children and works with the South Africa Foodbank to distribute food parcels. Pastor Dube lives in Johannesburg, RSA with his wife Thabile and their four. He is one of the richest Gospel artists in South Africa with an estimated net worth of $110 Million (as of 2013). To connect with Pastor Dube follow him on Twitter @benjamindube.
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Gospel Goes Classical Reigns Triumphant in Johannesburg, South Africa
“Gospel Goes Classical – A Night of Classical Worship” made its triumphant return to Johannesburg, South Africa last month. The stellar performances featuring S’Fiso Ncwane, Rebecca Malope, Ntokozo Mbambo, Mahalia Buchanan and Benjamin Dube, captured the spirit, imagination and undivided attention of the audience in a full house at Carnival City in South Africa. Produced by Doctor Makubele, Dlophe Records. In a natural setting the concert opened with The Tshwane Gospel Choir, Nqubeko Mbatha and his amazing all star rhythm section with the 64-piece Johannesburg Music Initiative Orchestra, under the direction of Gospel Goes Classical Creative Director, Dr. Glenn Caldwell. Rebecca Malope put her body and soul into her performance; she was literally on her knees with
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tears rolling down her face. The audience went crazy and she was the first performer. Mahalia Buchanan was fantastic. She is not as “cultural” however her sound is amazing and more contemporary. The audience loved her as well. S’Fiso walked out on stage to screaming fans that stayed on their feet during his entire performance. Ntokozo Mbambo had the entire audience in the palm of her hands with a mix of cultural and contemporary gospel. The audience stood and sang with her on every song. As the show built to a climax, Benjamin Dube performance brought the house down. He invited all the other singers back on stage with an amazing finale of “Oh Give Thanks,” “Mana Njalo” and “Jehovah Is His Name.” All roads lead to the upcoming production of Gospel Goes Classical London. For more information contact Vernice Watson, theartistcompany@aol.com or visit www.gospelgoesclassical.com.
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