September is the month in which the biggest event in Southern Gospel music is held – The National Quartet Convention. The biggest event that is, if you take out Mr. Gaither and the Homecoming Tour. Remember Rolling Stone Magazine reported that he came in at #49 on the moneymaker list for 2003 at a mere $11.4 million and Pollstar reported that he landed the #16 spot in 2004 with a total of 541,890 tickets sold. I’m just guessing but I bet that beats the $11.4 million from 2003. I’m also guessing but am pretty sure that no other SG act even came close. Then again, with no official way to track ticket sales, product sales, or accurate radio play; how would we ever know? But I digress.
The NQC came and went as it does each September and in talking with people you always get a mixed bag of reactions most of which end up centered around the Singing News Fan Awards. I’m sure by now that you’ve seen the list of winners. If not, you can find it here on this site. Now, I’m not going to bore you with my comments on any of the award winners or losers other than to say just being nominated by the fans should be considered an honor. Plus, to be honest, I didn’t vote so I don’t really feel I have the right to say anything about who won and didn’t. Kinda makes me wonder how many people doing all this complaining about who won didn’t even vote.
The point I want to make though is this. The Singing News Fan Awards are just that – SINGING NEWS FAN AWARDS. People who subscribe to the magazine get to vote – period. Does that limit some of the fan base from voting? Probably, but if you want the right to vote, pay your $20. Different artists are popular with fans for different reasons. Maybe someone took a few minutes to talk with you before or after a concert, maybe they listened to your CD and gave you some feedback, maybe you just like what you hear from the stage, maybe you like their longevity in the business. Whatever it is that attracts people to certain artists is usually different from person to person. We all have our individual tastes and that will determine our favorites and, hence, our votes. Who are we to tell people what they should and shouldn’t like? The reality is this. As long as the awards are based on the number of Singing News subscribers that vote, this is how it will be. Deal with it!
Do we need a system that bases awards on ticket sales, products sales, accurate radio play or maybe even a system like the Grammy’s that is awarded by the industry? Maybe, but that would mean revamping a whole lot of things in our industry. Besides, considering all the “we’re in this for ministry” rhetoric, the whole concept of awards in Southern Gospel music is, to me anyway, just oxymoronic.
Author: AGM
| Author's Website: http://absolutelygospel.com/
Written: 09/30/2005
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Category: Monthly ArticlesJim's Perspective
Comments: 5
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Gentlemen:
well said its about what the subscribing fans vote for ,.,if you dont subscribe dont complain
Come on!! Let's be frank here. I still believe as I always have that there is something fishy about these awards. For example, David Phelps spent almost a decade with GVB and is arguably one of the greatest singers walking the planet barr none!! He has been nominated more than once for a Dove award for best male vocalist and he's not even NOMINATED for the SGN fan awards? Give me a break. I know people always give the argument about he is too progressive or his appearance is not formal enough. But even the people I know who give those arguments will still agree that he is probably one of the greatest singers walking the planet. Hmm, Makes you wander why he's not on the ballott. Maybe there is some correlation as to why you don't see the GVB on the mainstage anymore! Now there's some food for thought!! Anyway just thought I had the right to say how I feel considering that I DO vote every year, however useless that is. Well I know that there are many of you who feel the same way that I do. If this were not the case this article would not even be posted. And I know that there are also many who feel that my opinion is about as worthless as a SGN Fan Award vote. But you may take it for what it is worth...an OPINION!!
Hey, Dan did you ever stop to think about the fact that maybe GVB didn't want or just flat out DIDN'T dress formally for the NQC? I can't say for sure because I'm a relatively newcomer to SG music, but there has to be a reason that Gaither and Phelps aren't there OR on the ballots. Does anybody know the REAL reason SN voters have rejected the Band?
I read the comments about David Phelps being left out of a nomination for an award with great interest. The reason is simple. He looks different than the "Official look" of a Southern Gospel Singer. I once heard a famous Southern Gospel Singer announce to a crowd that his group had short hair because we think a Christian should look like a Christian. I instinctively began brushing my hair back over my ears for fear of not being perceive as being a Christian. As soon as I got home I was so convicted that I immediately went and got my Christian hair cut. The only problem I had was knowing full well that the "Fact Sharing Individual" was carrying a can of "Old Red" in his back pocket for chewing after the concert. Hmmn. Now I an not certain that Old Red will send you straight to hell without passing go, but it certainly is not a good example to young people who could contract cancer of the mouth from such a filthy habit. On the other hand I have smelled some Gospel Singers that smelled like the flames of you know where, but I guess you can smell that way and still be a Christian and part of the establishment in Southern Gospel Music.
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