Contemporary Christian Solo Act?

[ratthedd]

I already asked this question in Open Jam--although I should know better than to ask them a serious question...

 

 

I'm seriously thinking about doing some solo work singing and playing at local churches. I was in a band back in highschool that did this and recently the church my family attends has had a few musical acts stop by.

 

If I do decide to follow through with this, realistically how long should my set be? Is one hour long enough or do most church groups prefer something in the 90 minute range?

 

Besides starting with my own church where else do I advertise to get gigs?

 

How much do I charge? Will playing for the offering plate get me anywhere? Do I split the offering with the church?

 

I know I'm at least as good as the two acts that I've seen come through so far, and I want in on the $ in order to help fund my other musical projects (real Christian of me, hunh? )

 

Any advice?

[elbow]

There is a large ratio of musicians per church members.. probably greater than any other group. Many a star will tell you that they learned to play or sing in a church.

 

We tried this about 5 years ago and we got out after about 6 months.. it was tough. We would travel places, set up expecting to play an hour, and get 3 songs out before being told that plans had changed and so and so's daughter wanted to sing some christian karaoke for a while, "brother so and so was gonna do some songs, etc.... on your PA... they were the most political places I have ever seen.

 

You will probably do a lot of free gigs, maybe some for the offering plate, and will raise suspicion of your motivations for even asking about money.

 

Most churches have a "house band" or whatever they call it. These folks are very protective and defensive. This is usually the only outlet they have or could have, and they will protect it any way they can.

 

Maybe others have had better experiences in this.

[JLo]

I too am a church musician. I can say a lot of it depends on your location, your "draw appeal", denomination and unfortunately - politcal type contacts.

 

I'll give my example. I am currently the music director at my church of about 175-200 people. I play keyboards and was hired by the pastor about 9 months ago to make their band and praise team "better". Prior to this I was MD at a MUCH smaller church across the state.

 

Before I became an MD i was in a worship band that got gigs. most of them youth rallies and things of that nature, with my youth pastor as leader, while the rest of us played. We, as teens, were obviously volunteer, just happy to land a gig in front of a few hundred people. I know he got paid for most of those same gigs. I also know that our band was very good compared to the competion in the area (which eventually included some of metro Detroit). We would do camps and lockouts and things. I know that my youth pastor had a "price" in mind to cover expenses, mainly food and travel, but also so he could make it all worth the while. I know he had to bargain sometimes, but the QUALITY of his work with us showed, and it payed off.

 

Currently I could call a couple of my contacts and say I was looking to do a gig and that I wished to get paid $XXX and they would probably do it, as long as it wasn't completely outrageous. I would bring the 3-4 pc band and do a worship set, and could probably get $150-200 for it, depending on drive time etc. These would be rally types, so there would be some element of preaching and altar work (post service). The latter of which would also involve the band in a non rehearsed setting (off the cuff song selection etc)

 

In my area and denomination, there really isnt a huge "audience" for the one man band types, unless you are a really great worship leader. It's possible, but in those cases of going from church to church, it would be for an offering a lot of the time and that can translate into not a lot. OR, the senior pastor may be very generous and pay you a preset amount despite what comes in the offering, but that is not the 100% norm.

 

 

It takes time. You need to contact pastors and youth pastors in your area and simply let them know. Don't stick to your own denomination either - think outside the box. If there is a denominational state or regional office, contact them and get on some sort of contact list so if some church needs a musician, you are listed as a recommendation. Have a demo CD. Make contacts with a local college's campus ministry. Make contacts with an orginaization like Youth for Christ (or something similar) Don't be afraid to play small gigs for little to no money (It's all about God's glory anyway, right?). Realize that a lot of your gigs will be of the church service type, with preaching and things and that you probably won't be the only thing going on. Quality is key- all to often churches hear of "musicians" and know that their local breed is nothing spectacular, so they are hesitant of hiring someone. Be flexible. Bring extra gear to the gigs and BE PREPARED for anything - we're talkin a 40 yr old Peavey with 9 blown channels on the stage floor connected to something worse that a home stereo... but dont expect to always be allowed to set up your own 5000 W PA rig either. Usually (for guitarists) your amp, a mic, effects, and a DI box and plenty of cables is a good start.

 

 

I would say your set should probably be less than an hour with an encore/ contigency plan. If you are sharing a service with a preacher or drama group, or Bro. Bob who is going to sing hymn # 452, then maybe even shorter. Often times it works well if you plan your "intermission" to coincide with the offertory.

 

 

What type of music are you planning? These days one cannot do anything without some form of worship element.... Matt Redman, Chris Tomlin, Michael W smith, Delirious, Passion, Darrell Evens, Hillsongs, Israel Houghton - these are names you should be familiar with and their songs. Learn the CCLI top 25 worship songs - everyone expects them these days. Expect to lead worship in some cases too. DO NOT expect that 100% of your gigs will be as a solo singer/ songwriter type. If you do soloistic stuff in a service, you may get a bad rep as the type who doesn't do worship - hate to say it, but thatwill lead to a loss of gigs.

 

Expect to have local church members ask to sit in on occasion and find a VERY tactful way to say no. Expect that you WILL offend someone along the way. Expect that someone will think they are better than you because they have been playing in the same church for 20 years, and they are the best thing that "The first church of God and the Bible" had ever seen. expect that you will be asked to turn down and turn up all in the same gig. Expect more of the turning the volume down though. Expect that you will be given scowled looks when you touch the sacred piano, or step behind the puplit at the wrong time. Expect the unexpected.

 

Church people are weird by the way.

 

Churches are policial and you MUST play to that. Unfortunatley you need to make deacons, elders and especially Pastors happy. The pastors can make or break you - they talk. They will be your main contacts for the future too.

 

 

I know its long, and I hope it helps

 

 

Justin in Grand Rapids

 

 

 

BTW - what denom are you?

[elbow]

zackly! You have never seen politics like this ever!

 

I think Justin here has had some of the same experiences I had. Bottom line is it has to be a "labor of love" or you will quickly get the hell out.. pun intended..

[tjortman]

It's great to se another Brother answering the call of God!!!

 

I've been involved w/ a few CCM groups, and from what I've done/seen is that in the beginning you will be playing free, or for the Love offering. (By the way you are not obligated to split it w/ the Church) Only if you want to though.

 

 

Get in touch w/ all the Local Pastors and Youth Pastors. All demominations is the key. Make sure that you have a Tape/CD also. JLo pretty much hit it on the head about some Church's & the "sacred piano" thing. Just remember that it is all for God's glory and just keep pressing on!!!!

[ratthedd]

 

Originally posted by JLo I know its long, and I hope it helps

 

Absolutely! That's exactly the kind of information I was looking for.

 

 

Justin in Grand Rapids BTW - what denom are you?

 

My early background is with the SDA church.

[ratthedd]

Originally posted by elbow zackly! You have never seen politics like this ever! I think Justin here has had some of the same experiences I had. Bottom line is it has to be a "labor of love" or you will quickly get the hell out.. pun intended..

 

I'm intimately familiar with church politics--thanks for the "heads up" though.

 

So what are some of the specifics to your own good and bad experiences while you were doing this?

[ratthedd]

 

Originally posted by elbow Most churches have a "house band" or whatever they call it. These folks are very protective and defensive. This is usually the only outlet they have or could have, and they will protect it any way they can. Maybe others have had better experiences in this.

 

 

Apparently I need to get out to more different churches. I don't think I've ever been in a church around here that had a "house band".

 

Way back when (20+ years ago) when I did this in highschool and 1 or 2 years following, we had to plead with some of the churches to allow us to bring in an electric guitar and bass. We didn't have drums, which is just as well as I doubt any of them would have allowed a tambourine in their sanctuaries, let alone a full drum kit.

 

Do you have any specific experiences, good or bad, you can share?

[Inazone]

Some churches (meaning the pastor, music director or other decision-makers) will seem very open to having guest musicians come in to play, but see if you can find some information on the congregation's make-up, especially if a large percentage of the members have young children. I used to run sound for a church, and once they started shifting from the traditional choir music to more of a band arrangement, many of the older members would stop attending the services that would have more contemporary music. Eventually they switched to having traditional and contemporary services on Sunday mornings, as opposed to previously just "early" and "late" services using the same musical format.

 

Visit a few churches during regular worship services to get some perspective. Two churches of the same denomination in the same general area may have drastically different ways of doing things, not the least of which could be paying unknown musicians to perform.

[ratthedd]

Here's another question:

 

Copyright law allows musicians to perform songs written by others and to be paid for playing without paying the copyright holder for those performances.

 

After reading some of the license information on the CCLI site, they sound worse than the Fox Agency did 10 years ago when they shut down olga.net.

 

Am I right in assuming that federal copyright law would allow me to cover CCLI music in a live setting as long as I don't record those perfomances for anything other than my own personal citical listening? What about demos--am I allowed to have copyrighted music on demo CDs as long as I don't charge for them?

[elbow]

 

Originally posted by ratthedd I'm intimately familiar with church politics--thanks for the "heads up" though. So what are some of the specifics to your own good and bad experiences while you were doing this?

 

 

 

A good example may be.... remember a previous post on learning the "top 25" CCLI songs. That is a must. Noone ever tires of them and everyone has their faves. Many times we've shown up and had a music director or worship team leader want to change our set lists because they already do this song or that song. Of course they did.. everyone does them. In their own interpretation of them anyways

 

We've shown up and told we couldn't play at all because someone's daughter was gonna do karaoke. But since you're here, can you set up and run the sound.. politics kick in because if you say no and leave, you are hosed in that area forever in getting to play. You play ball if you want to continue playing.

[ratthedd]

So for payment, would you suggest something like $50 plus half the offering? That way you're getting gas and misc expenses covered for sure and anything above that is a bonus.

 

I hear what you are all saying about requiring the CCLI top 25 in the set list--I'm currently in a cover band and we cover most of the top 25 most hated songs frequently discussed in these various forums, but, coming from a blues / spritual / gospel background I'm really hoping to expand in those areas. My own praise songs are done with a heavy influence from those areas.

 

I'm frequently disappointed by the funeral dirges that pass for praise or worship songs. I want my own church experience to be happy and upbeat. Certainly there is a place for solemness, but how many weeks do we have to endure one minor key after another? I also find much of the music played on the Christian Hits radio stations to be derivative of current pop / R&B tunes only lacking in any real soul (soul used in a musical sense, not religious sense.)

 

Maybe I'm just wishing for something that cannot come to pass.

[JLo]

Hey Ratthead -

 

no time now - but I have lots of answers to your questions. I will get back to you ASAP (probably late tomorrow)

 

 

But I think you may be on the right track, especially with some of the other info given so far

 

 

Talk soon

[EugeneBr]

ratthedd, first of all, this solo act is a great idea, keep pushing regardless of possible problems in the beginning. Maybe when church politics gives you a hard time, think of those 'simple' people who know very little of it, but benefit a lot from your music. Not necessarily they will come up front to express their gratitude, but they will certainly enjoy it.

As for an advice, I know one is not supposed to talk like this about churches, but ... start building your fan base. You are to become recognizable as that 'guy with a guitar' or whatever instrument you play, by teens and their parents. From my experience (yours may be totally different) church service is the toughest part to get invited to, and the least profitable. Youth camps, church conferences, prayer events all have some time 'allocated' for praise and worship both in schedule and budget, so it's easier to get invited, and get paid, at least something. Hope this helps.

[d. gauss]

i used to do a solo original thing that was just ok, but now me and jesus do a duo cover thing and it's all cool. i mostly play guitar while jesus works the bar, turning sports bottles of water into wine. we pack the places! lemme tell ya, spirit in the sky always kills 'em!

 

-d. gauss

[Greg Bogoshian]

When I saw this thread title, I was expecting more of a "Do you know of any solo Christian players who are successful? My first thought, of course, was Phil Keaggy...

 

Seeing as it took a different route, I might suggest you look for churches or groups that put on coffee house concerts and start out that way. For playing church services, I could not see getting paid for it, myself, and I have done this as a guest player before. The collections generally go for church operating expenses, so I just couldn't see myself tapping into that. Doing a concert for half the gate or something like that where the hosting church benefits as well as I do, well, that I could see myself doing, but then I don't really consider myself worthy of paying good hard earned money to see... Never mind... Good luck though! Boggs

[ratthedd]

Maybe I've given the wrong impression. I'm not looking to get in on the regular church service, I'm looking more for the special event type thing--Friday or Saturday evenings, or Saturday or Sunday afternoons.

[JLo]

Ok Ratthead, here goes some more experiential reply -

 

RE: CCLI. You are very right, they can seem a bit like a dictator, but for a long time people were using the nonprofit status of the church to get away with not paying legitimate songwriters for songs they were doing in their services, and this included some VERY large churches. CCLI ensures that songwriters are getting paid the appropriate royalties, its really no different than an organization like ASCAP or something where you buy songs. Mbrship is only like $75 a year,and well worth it, especilly with the new online database of songs (very cool)

 

Eugenebr hit two thing dead on. 1) this is ministry regardless of what one may call it - concert, gig, worship set... whatever. Remember that God will bless your workings if everything is done in His glory, not based on our talent. you will reach people you never knew you did simply because of one lyric or one prayer.

2) there is nothing wrong with building a fan base. You will need some people to come to your gigs consistently. This also goes back to giong outside of your own denomination. You cannot expect to do well staying in one bubble.

 

 

You may actually do well in the Kzoo area doing things like this. I know of one youth pastor that may be interested (if you want to know - PM me), but you will probably find out that a lot of your coffee house type gigs may come from the Grand Rapids area. But check out the local "secular" coffeehouse scene. A lot of places like Bagel Beaneries or Panera Breads will allow one man bands to do an acoustic set (with PA if nec). Bring your friends to listen and make sure they bring their friends. These typically are 20-something hangouts though, so beware. There is a christian club here in GR on 28th street ran by Res Life that is great for stuff like this too.

 

I'm not 100% sure of the payrate, but $50 may actually be a bit of a lowball. Don't sell yourself short, but don't expect too much either. If you do a "concert" in one of these coffee type places, be it secular or church owned, there will not be an offering and it will probably be no more different than a regular gig, with 50% of the door plus tips or whatever. Some places just simply pay talent a flat rate.

If you do the youth rally/ special service thing, there may be, though not garaunteed, an offering. Again having a reaonable set rate is not uncommon and although you may have to negotiate, expecting all of the offering may not be the best expectation, but you should expect something, expecially if attendance is more than about 40 people. I know some preachers that get over $250 a service plus hotel a few meals and a piece of the offering (if not all)... and this includes at VERY small churches too!!!

 

If you are doing your own solo thing, then feel free do do your own sets and music, but as has been stated, anything done in a church basically means some sort of "worship" expectation. Feel free to interpret these songs... I do, and it's what people expect of my band at this point. Just don't change the melody, people want to be able to sing along. Change the progression, alter a harmony, change a rhythm or style, but keep the melody fairly close though not necessarily verbatim. If you want to do Shout to thr Lord reggae style, feel free to - have fun with it, but also expect that people will want something they can sing to and can worship to also. You can always do your own stuff too, but make sure to intermingle some praise and worship.

 

If you need help, let me recommend 88.3 WayFM as a radio station to check out, esecially on sunday mornings (for worship stuff). During the week they are a top 40 station that competes with anyother radio station out there, including something like 103.3. Check it out, I think your thought on "lack of soul" will be put to bed.

 

 

Go for it man!!! Advertise on local bulletin boards and at places like Family christian stores. MAybe even make a demo with a flyer and see if a local christian bookstore won't let you put it out for free distribution on the counter. Really, if you want to do this, you shouldn't treat this any different than a secular gig, you are just changing your fanbase and locale. Make your presenatation look good too, not cheesy or amature. Churches and christians in general can be very rewarding people if you don't allow a few bad apples to spoil the bunch.

 

Have fun and good luck!

 

 

 

Any other questions, let me know

 

Justin

[ratthedd]

Thanks, Justin. That was very helpful.