Thoughts of A Creative Leader

 Hey there! It's been a while since I posted, but not to worry, I'm back! And as always with a new train of thought.  Today we delve into the issue of cover songs and whether they should be front, and centre of an artist's strategy or not.  Firstly what are covers? Well a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. In the more recent times covers have been tools used by artists to launch their careers and to create some form of an audience ahead of the release of their upcoming original content. It's a really good strategy, don't get me wrong, however it's a strategy and a modus operandi that I believe has grown old.  Personally, I'm not in favour of artists who consistently do covers. I completely understand the possible impact and the reasons behind choosing such a route.  I really believe that now more than ever, artists need to pres...

Hey there, I'm back! It has been a long time. Life has been pretty hectic. Anyhow, I'm back with a train of thought; let's get into it.  Recently, I've been having a lot of conversations with people around the issues of piracy, paying for music, and concerts, centred around the importance of understanding the value of music as an asset. I then came to this realization. . . If we are going to build a sustainable and inclusive creative economy, there is a need to inform and educate people about the vitality of paying for art and events. There is a lack of understanding around these issues, some of it mostly fuelled by ignorance. There is an existing business side to art that can't be ignored.  It takes money to create and produce good music; it makes money to get books and artworks manufactured and designed; it takes money to put amazing concert experiences together. We also need to realise that many of the artists and players within the creative industries are full-t...

Hey there!! 😁 I am back again with another train of thought and hopefully some fresh insight as we aim to redefine the creative spaces centred around our Christian world.  Accolades! Well, everyone wants some kind of accolade and recognition of their hard work.  I will also admit that at times even I do too. I have always dreamt of winning a GRAMMY award and GMA Dove Award for best producer, songwriter or something along those lines. Something hit me! Have we become so fixated on accolades and metrics that we have forgotten that as gospel music creatives our first point of call is advancing the Kingdom through our art? Have we become so obsessed with competition and metrics (charts and sales positions) that we have forgotten the power and significance of unity? What happened to unity, collaboration, innovation and a desire to see Jesus glorified through our art? It's important now more than ever to redirect our focus to impacting lives with our music. It's important now more ...

 Hey there, I'm back with a brand new series entitled "Redefining The Creative Spaces" and we will be looking at ideas and methodologies we can use and explore in order to redefine our creative industries or as I prefer to call them the "Creative Spaces". Today we look at the Gospel Music Industry and how we can deconstruct and reconstruct it. The Gospel Music Industry has its merits and demerits. Some merits would include the space to launch new Christian artists who have a unique message to share, the ability to create room for networking and most importantly, the existence of medium that allows us to share music that impacts masses. However the downside to all of this is that the Christian/Gospel Music Space has been marred by alot of competition, a focus on things other than God, gatekeeping as well as filling up stages and pulpits with artists who aren't really ready for it. How then can we reconstruct the industry? Firstly we need to realise ...

Hey guys. I'm back again and today I'm gonna share a few things I've learnt from running a record label.  You may ask, “what is a Record Label?”  Well, record labels are companies that market recorded music and corresponding videos. They engage in a wide range of functions in the music industry, including new artist recruitment and development (known as A&R, which stands for artists and repertoire), music publishing, and copyright enforcement. So in simpler terms, a record label is a marketing agency for music. Yes? Yes. Let's go!  So I head up New Rivers Music , a different kind of record label that is artist & community centred as well as Kingdom Culture based. We specialise in Worship Music, Urban Contemporary Gospel and Christian Hip-hop.  So here are the 5 lessons I've learnt over the last few years: 1. Be open to learning, you don't know everything.  The music spectrum is very broad and it is also ever changing, new things emerge pretty much every ...

Hi there I'm back with a new post and today we are going to be looking at what support looks like for an artist and some of the effects of piracy.  There's been alot of theories and ideas into what supporting an artist looks like when they release new musical content and so forth. The theories range from encouraging purchase of music from credible digital stores or streaming platforms Some find it appropriate to obtain content from less reputable sources even sharing links to such sites, if you’ve downloaded music from sites like mp3juices you fall into the latter category. The bottom line is everyone needs to understand that recorded music is an asset, it is very valuable intellectual property. Alot of money, time and human resources go into producing music.  When we download or distribute music on sites that ensure the artists don’t receive royalties we aren’t only stealing intellectual property but we are emptying money straight out of their pockets. Not to mention its ille...

Hey guys! It's been a minute. I'm here with my first post of 2021. So let's dig in, shall we?  2020 was a very weird year for most of us. It changed life as we know it, shifted our entire work dynamic and ultimately changed the way we create. This ongoing pandemic has plagued us for close to a year.  You may be asking yourself: "How do I create through a pandemic?"; "How do I collaborate in such an environment?" Hmm....I have 3 steps that could help.  The first step is renewing your mindset and shifting your focus on God, who is the source of all creativity. Surrendering, reframing and grounding our hearts once again. Allowing God to reveal new ways to express our God-given creativity.  The second step is to be cognizant of the fact that God is doing something new (Isaiah 43:19). We need to be open to being in a place of humility, leaving behind that which no longer belongs in the present day. We need to be open to allowing God to birth God-ideas not goo...