Record Label, Music Ministry, or Both?
Dear Hip-Hoppers,
As a music ministry, have you or your team ever wrestled with the decision to sale your music or to provide free music? Have you as a record label struggled with the issue of charging for booking events or have you just caved into the “love offering”, “honorarium,” and “donation” trap of music ministries and start-up local Christian record labels?
You’re not alone.
NO MAN Can Serve Two Masters
Serve two Masters?
As a Christian Hip-Hop artist and founder of the former Seed of Faith Tour 2007, MIC Assembly Davidical Arts Network and artist, promoter, producer of Dead To Flesh Records, I know plenty of artists who have asked themselves the question, “God how can I keep doing this music thing; meeting all these needs and my needs are not being met? My kids are at home starving while I am out doing these free shows; even after I have to take days off from work to do this.”
Does this sound all too familiar? Of course it does. I hear it all the time. And I know you hear it all the time with your peers. This is not new, nor is it just a struggle with the music ministry and the group trying to form a Christian record label. This is a struggle all through the Church among ministers. The cry is the same even back in the Old Testament where the Scriptures say,
“And then he prayed, ‘God, I’m asking for two things before I die; don’t refuse me—banish lies from my lips and liars from my presence. Give me enough food to live on, neither too much nor too little. If I’m too full, I might get independent, saying, ‘God? Who needs him?’ If I’m poor, I might steal and dishonor the name of my God.’” (Proverbs 10:7-9, The Message).
We want to do what God has called us to do, but we don’t want to have to worry about our family having enough to eat while we are out on the road.
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