There is good stuff out there. And then there are the party songs. Used to be you only got a few of those, "All my rowdy friends are coming over tonight". But now it seems everybody wants the party song. And the music business is powerful. You do what they say or you end up like Rhett Akins...
Yep.
There's a local music minister who was working at a fairly large church in the B'ham area. He could sing well, could write his own songs, and could adequately manage his worship team. His ticket to fame? His looks. Guy was in his late 20s and was a Mr. GQ.
He was approached by a major Christian record label who pitched the idea that he could become the next Michael W Smith. With Smith getting older, they were looking for the next Christian artist that could fill his niche.
Naturally, he was stoked. They
must have really liked the way he sang, the songs he wrote, and the manner he conducted his band. They must have wanted to pay for advertisements for him and get his name out there.
Then he met with them at their company office where they told him what he would be doing. None of his songs would be used. They had songwriters that would write his songs for him. He would be required to participate in an exercise regime with a professional fitness trainer and his diet would be monitored. Gaining weight or refusing to take care of his physical features would violate the stipulations of the contract. He would be given studio musicians that he most likely would never meet and various musicians would rotate with him as he toured.
He would write books with the help of a featured author or a ghost writer. He would be given talking points at various times to construct his character. He would have zero say in where and when he performed as a manager would conduct all of the business for him.
But he would be paid well. Millions most likely. They would promote him and if his brand took off, he would join the ranks of megastars Chris Tomlin and David Crowder. He could play to thousands of people, be featured on numerous albums, and experience the lavish lifestyle of the rich and famous.
And he turned them down. I don't know how he did it. I would have at least played the role for five years, but he said no thanks. Didn't want to accept that his songs weren't good enough, that his musicianship wasn't valued, and that money and fame was the end goal. Didn't want to sell his soul I guess.
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