May Newsletter - digital music online, the artists' perspective

Things are cruising really nicely at ShareSong.org this month. 

Another 63 songs have been added to the database this month, and we’re just about to crack the milestone of 500 songs. 

We’re averaging over 500 visitors a day, and now looking seriously at ways that we can make all this great praise and worship music freely available to more people with some serious promotion initiatives. 

Overview

1.   New Stuff

2.   Radio Sampler CD

3.   Donations

4.   Digital music online, the artists perspective by Alanis Morrisette

5.   Press release and promotion

1. New Stuff

Jim Hronchek, Music for the Christian Warrior (MCW), has uploaded several songs from his “Prophet's Call” album.  MCW uses various styles of music to present the gospel as a one-to-one relationship; you with your Creator. All of the songs have been used in worship services and conferences with immediate response from the people; as if they had heard the songs before. As Jim puts it, "The Lord has given me the ability to reach into the heart of man and write music that is close to us all."

I recently caught up with an old friend who used to mentor and disciple me a few years back.  Cedric Taylor has as real passion for the Word of God and believes that the Bible is filled with promises that we can claim every day, if we only have them in our heads.  For the last four years, he’s been working with a team to put EVERY key verse in the bible into song.  It’s quite an undertaking.  Cedric’s hope is that these songs will be played in people’s homes where kids (little and big) can listen to them, and memorise God’s promises and put them into action in their daily living.  So far we’ve uploaded the sheet music, digital audio (including backing tracks) and lyric sheets for 20 songs of the first album, “In The Beginning”, which is a general selection of key verses.  Stay posted for a massive collection of songs to follow. 

The Scooter Two also have uploaded songs from their album 'Don't Be A Chicken' to ShareSong.org.  Don't Be a Chicken features songs that teach kids about the gospel and encourages them to be bold in living for Jesus.  Wade Iedema from Scooter Two is currently studying theology at Moore College in Sydney.  You can tell his passion for solid biblical teaching from the lyrics.  Anyone who listens to this album is going to quickly get a great grounding in evangelical theology.  Check out “Mum and Dad” for a great kids songs song about appreciating your mum on Mothers’ Day this Sunday.  

o2 worship, from British Columbia have submitted songs off their contemporary "Worship in Stereo" album.  The band aims "to play quality music, so that Christians can have a dynamic, free and inspiring worship experience, but also so that if people aren't interested in God yet, they'll stay for the music".  See if you can spot the Delirious, U2 and even Third Day influences. 

2. Radio Sampler

We’re working on a ShareSong.org Sampler CD that we plan to mail to Christian radio stations worldwide to help promote both the artists and ShareSong.org itself. 

If you know of a Christian radio station that might like to receive a Sampler CD to play on air please let us know. 

3. Donations

Obviously, manufacturing CDs costs money.  If you would help financially by ‘sponsoring’ your local Christian radio station to receive a CD then check out http://sharesong.org/donations.htm. 

Running a site like ShareSong.org also costs money.  There is no patron or commercial sponsor who funds this project, just volunteer time and resources.  We are currently saving up for a dedicated server for when the database of songs grows too large for the current system. 

If you are a songwriter who has benefited from hosting your songs, you might consider donating your CCLI income to ShareSong.org.  If you are a church or an individual who is saving money because you don’t have to buy songbooks and CDs you might also consider donating something ShareSong.org to help us keep going and growing (http://sharesong.org/donations.htm).

4. Digital music from the artists perspective

Digital music online seems to be continually a hot topic in the media.  There are always articles hypothesising what the future of digital music online might look like. 

MP3.com recently posted a number of speeches from US Congressional hearings that were facilitated to aid the formulation of future US legislation in the area of digital music online. 

Of particular interest was one speech from Alanis Morrisette, speaking on behalf of the artists who have been caught in middle of the battle between the record companies who fear that they will loose their market and the listeners who just want to access great music.

“Artists have a passionate desire for a direct voice,” says Alanis.  “Record companies have built businesses that connect musicians and artists.

“As an artist I have one goal - to continue to create and share my creations with as many people, and as directly as possible.  If the intermediaries can help facilitate that connection, I welcome their involvement.  Where they impede that connection, I question it, and I assume I am not alone in that concern. 

“It’s artists and artists alone who can best represent artists.  Artists want to continue to share their music with as many people as they possibly can.  Up until recently, their only way of doing this was through traditional means.  Without any other true option that would allow them to pursue their goals, they would understandably, if not reticently accept the status quo. 

“We have now clearly evolved into a new and exciting digital era in which we are discovering new ways to share our music directly and interactively.  Though I cannot speak for every artist, my initial resistance to the new services created online was based on the debate having been framed in terms of piracy.  Being labelled as such by the record companies, it understandably sent a ripple effect of panic throughout the artistic community. 

“But what I have since come to realise is that for the majority of artists, this so called piracy may have been actually working in their favour. 

“Most recording artists never receive royalties past their initial advance due to the financial structure of most record company contracts.  From these artists’ viewpoints, their music is free seeing as they do not receive money from any of the sales. 

“That free Internet distribution allows the artists to aggregate an audience and create a direct relationship with that audience, as well as develop a community among those who love their music.  This, in turn, allows that artist to generate compensation through other outlets such as touring and merchandise.  For the majority of artists, this amounts to making enough money to be in survival mode. 

“I believe that most artist write with the goal of expressing themselves, and sharing their expression with as many people as possible and view the financial reward as a natural and welcome outcome as opposed to it being their singular motivation.”

To bring this back to a Christian perspective, I use the words of my friend Cedric Taylor: “When you manufacture a run of CDs and songbooks, it’s easy for your focus to shift from ministry to marketing and merchandising.  All of a sudden, you are asking yourself, “How am I going to recover all the money that I’ve put into this ‘product’?”  Internet distribution helps me to avoid making a massive financial outlay in order achieve my goal of getting the songs into people’s homes.  Then I can get on with the preaching, teaching, serving and relationships with the people who need it more than they need to pay for another CD and music book.”  

4. Press release & promotion

We’ve developed a Press Release (included below) to help communicate the ShareSong.org vision.  It would be greatly appreciated if you could please forward this on to anyone who you know who you think might be interested what ShareSong.org is trying to do (e.g. pastors, worship leaders, magazine/newsletter editors, songwriters etc).

ShareSong.org Press Release – May 2001

In the wake of the furore over the sharing of digital audio files via Napster, it seems inevitable to some people that the Internet will soon be the primary vehicle for the distribution of music, both secular and Christian. 

Amid the speculation, ShareSong.org is fast becoming established as the major vehicle for the distribution of praise and worship music freely on the Internet.   

“The Internet will act to help level the playing field.  Even though the large corporations will still maintain a large percentage of control, there will be lot more room for independent labels and individuals.  The Internet is an empowering medium above all else,” says Sam King, co-founder and vice president of mp3.com.au.

According to USA Today (“Faithful Believe in Net’s Power”, 12/22/00), 81% of churches are going online to find worship resources.  ShareSong.org aims to connect songwriters with the quickly expanding audience of Christians searching the Internet for praise and worship resources.  

For consumers of Christian music, ShareSong.org provides a dynamically expanding showcase of some of the best new praise and worship music available on the Web. Users can return regularly for an all you can eat feast of new praise and worship music.

For worship leaders, ShareSong.org provides a place where they can legally access the latest songs for use in their church.  Looking for a great new song to go with a particular sermon topic?  Just type in your keywords and search over 500 songs in the database, browse through the results of your search, and then download the mp3s, sheet music, chord charts, lyrics, midi files and OHTs of the songs you chose.

For songwriters, ShareSong.org gives access to a global audience.  Without the costs and complications of manufacturing CDs, distribution contracts, and marketing, songwriters can see their songs used for God’s glory internationally.

Since launching last September in partnership with freepraiseandworship.org, more than 60 songwriters from all over the world have submitted over 500 of their songs to the database!  

"This technology facilitates a new paradigm for sharing music in the church worldwide," says Russ Reese, founder of freepraiseandworship.org.  "There are a lot of great, inspired songs out there, and now we can share them as though we were all members of the same church.  Come to think of it, isn't that what we are?" 

The future looks bright, and the response so far has certainly been encouraging: 

“I have been hoping and praying that a third party would start such a site.  Worship Leaders need a reliable, unbiased source of praise and worship music without constantly having to pay for everything.”  Paul Borderkircher, RPJ Artists Group  

“Writing songs is the easy part. Getting them performed and promoted is the hard part. Keep up the good work!”  Ken Halverson, CA, USA

“I think this could be the beginning of the end of the strangle-hold that the establishment has on the supply routes to the church.  Wouldn't it be something if God has found a way to sidestep the people who require that we give them our copyrights before they will use our songs!  I am delighted to be a part of the revolution.”  Lenny Smith, Author of “Our God Reigns”

“This is THE most amazing site on the web for praise & worship music! Thank you Lord & to your team! Wow!”  Keith Berry, Cape Town, South Africa

ShareSong.org… empowering songwriters, worship leaders, churches, and individuals for God’s glory!

Until next month…

Marty Kendall

ShareSong.org Coordinator