Gospel music has lost sight of its calling

buzzz worthy. . .

In the 80s and 90s the gospel industry needed a transformation in order to attract younger consumers. In walks contemporary gospel. With the emergence of artists like The Winans, Yolanda Adams, John P. Kee and Kirk Franklin everyone thought they were the remedy to keeping you interest in the genre. Twenty years later, the gospel industry is tanking (in part for all the reasons the entire record biz is struggling). Ironically, the aforementioned artists took heat for being different and changing the expression of gospel music. Meanwhile, Shirley Caesar, who received a star of the Hollywood Walk of Fame this year, is a still slaying! There is something else contributing to this chasm and it is not sales and marketing related. Many younger gospel artists (and some veterans) have lost sight of their higher calling.

On the other hand, some younger artists are embracing quartet and traditional gospel music. The challenge is getting a label to take interest in music of the past. For instance, Dewayne Crocker, Jr., the Florida teen who won an appearance on Sunday Best, first gained attention online for his down home style, has release is a Contemporary Christian worship song. He has been groomed for his generation. This sort of tweaking by record labels is also a factor in artists delivering the art they desire to versus what sales.

In an effort to remain "relevant," which is a concept that changes with trends, Gospel artist must stay true to the call of ministry.