The Music Gardener – Artist Manager, Music Marketer

Playing to capacity audiences totaling more than half a million people during Winter Jam—the #1 tour in the world for the first quarter—OBB introduced selections from their critically-acclaimed debut EP. The eponymous project features the first single, “Come On Home,” which will be launched to Christian radio formats nationwide next month. Penned by OBB and Justin Ebach, the hopeful anthem encourages all who are lost, searching and desperate to “come on home” to Christ.

Following its January release, OBB landed at #23 on Billboard’s HeatSeekers chart, as the group quickly became fan favorites during Winter Jam’s 44-city run. Crosswalk.com says, “With a major label deal, top-notch production, and a radio-friendly sound, Atlanta-based trio OBB seems to be positioning itself as a fresh face to watch within the world of Christian music.”

OBB will appear at several top festivals this year, including Atlanta Fest and Alive Festival. The group will also perform at Universal Studios’ Rock The Universe, playing the “FanZone” on Friday, September 6 and Saturday, September 7. This year’s Rock The Universe will feature such headliners as Switchfoot, Chris Tomlin, Casting Crowns and Lecrae, among others.

Comprised of 22-year-old Zach Oswald (lead vocals, guitar), 20-year-old Jacob Oswald (lead guitar) and 18-year-old Nich Oswald (drums), the Atlanta-based brothers gained national notoriety in 2009 as finalists on the CBS Early Show’s “Singing Family Face-Off.” In addition to Winter Jam, OBB has shared the stage with such artists as Switchfoot, Natalie Grant and Big Daddy Weave, among others. The siblings also regularly lead children’s worship at Atlanta’s Passion City Church.

For further information visit www.obbmusic.com, www.curb.com or www.turningpointpr.com. Follow OBB on Twitter @OBB_Music.

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I often ponder the phrase “Christian Music Marketing” wondering what God really thinks about the music we pedal. Sure, most of it begins in a good place with the intention of spreading a message of hope, but at some point much of Christian music transforms into a business. A business where profitability, bottom-line and big production overtake ministry efforts in an attempt to compete for big entertainment dollars spent by humans for pleasure. Occasionally, a project comes along that isn’t tainted by desires of the world but instead is created to bring God’s love in a tangible way directly to humans in need. Fortunately, I was introduced to Courage Worldwide and their music project that is doing exactly that.

Courage Worldwide is a non-profit organization that builds homes for young girls rescued from sex trade. With homes in Sacramento, Tanzania and soon to open in Hawaii, Courage Worldwide provides a safe environment for these children while helping them through the healing process. I personally visited one of the homes and have seen first hand what this incredible organization is doing.

Several artists recently joined together to make a beautiful record solely for the purpose of raising funds to build more homes for these girls rescued from sex trade. Come Back Home was produced by Phillip Larue and it contains exclusive new songs written, recorded and donated by Jars of Clay, Tenth Avenue North’s Mike Donehey, Us & Our Daughters and The Reel. The record also contains cuts from Sara Groves, Jonny Diaz and Jeff Deyo.

I would like to personally invite you to check out & purchase Come Back Home which is now available on iTunes.

http://artistgardenentertainment.com 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I am the President of Artist Garden Entertainment, an artist management and marketing company that was engaged to market this record. Regardless of that fact, I only recommend music that I personally believe is exceptional and would be enjoyed by my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Artist Garden Entertainment is excited to announce the new booking partnership between Holly Starr and Converge Music (home to Pillar, Grits, Future of Forestry, Project 86, Carlos Whittaker) Converge Music will now represent Holly Starr as her exclusive booking agent.

Starr recently logged in at #29 on Billboard’s Christian Hot AC chart with her new single “Through My Father’s Eyes” which was co-written & produced by Chuck Butler (Royal Tailor, Audio Adrenaline, Kari Jobe) Holly Star’s’ video for “Don’t Have Love” is closing in on 500,000 views on YouTube. Both songs are from her recent album release, Focus.

For Holly Starr booking inquiries, please contact: Converge Music  615-369-7795 booking@convergemusic.com

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A few years back, when we launched Artist Garden Entertainment, I was surprised to find how many Christian artists & record labels were jumping at the chance to “buy on” tours. We naively began pitching artists for some of the bigger tours & festivals not realizing the big dollar “buy ons” we were competing against for those coveted opening slots. Through dialog with other Christian Artists Managers, I quickly found some who accepted the practice as normal and others who fight it and refuse to “buy on” That’s when I began to struggle with and develop my own view towards “buy ons” While my natural instinct doesn’t want to fuel the “buy on” monster, it became clear to me that the Tour “buy on” is another Christian music marketing vehicle that should be considered for the right opportunities.

While the internet has somewhat leveled the playing field by offering many free opportunities to new artists, any fully developed platform that guarantees exposure to a large number of people is going to carry a price tag in today’s world. With the squeeze applied to every dollar in the music industry, one can rest assured that any margin of space on a tour will be sold to the highest bidder. The opening slot for most concerts is now viewed more as advertising space as opposed to a performance slot that adds value to the show. The opener is a billboard that goes up for a few minutes in front of an audience who might be inclined to check out the artist if they aren’t too busy trying to find their seat & settling in. A wise opening artist will make it more than a fleeting glimpse by WOWing the audience & finding ways to engage them outside of the performance.

I wonder how the fans who pay good money to attend the show would feel if they knew as much as 40% of a concert is sometimes purchased space. Without the “buy ons”, 3 day Christian music festivals would quickly become one day festivals and four-hour concerts would be 2 hour shows. I can’t help but wonder if an enlightened audience would have sympathy for the openers and buy more t-shirts & cds to help support them?

What are your thoughts on Tour “Buy Ons?”

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Just as many speculated over the last few months, TobyMac announced the big news of the DC Talk reunion! The prayers of many Jesus Freaks have been answered as they will once again have the opportunity to hear & see new music from the ground breaking Christian super group. Fan’s hopes for a reunion were disappointed over the last couple of years by the surprise moves of Michael Tait taking over as front man for the Newsboys and Kevin Max doing the same with Audio Adrenaline. Tobymac, who found the most success of the trio as a solo artist, stated that he recently felt the desire to resurrect DC Talk. Feeling that his fans just aren’t buying tickets to his shows anymore, Tobymac thinks a DC Talk record is needed for a successful career move.  In an unexpected twist and as a precaution to ensure interest from Christian music fans, Toby tapped former Newsboys frontman Peter Furler and former Audio Adrenaline frontman Mark Stuart to create the newly reunited version of DC Talk. Plans for a 2013 co-headlining tour with Petra are being worked on and should be announced soon.

Hope this makes for a wonderful April 1 surprise!

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Last night a great friend, Kathryn Kimble, left this world to join Jesus in Heaven. She was the first person to befriend my wife, Diana, upon her move to Nashville eighteen years ago and remained a great friend to Diana for those 18 years. Kathryn was a wonderful woman, friend, wife and mother of three with her youngest son just 13 years old. Unfortunately, the evil disease we know as cancer took her life much earlier than any of us could ever have imagined.

Kathryn was an extremely kind and giving woman. Recognized as one of the top make-up artists in the Nashville entertainment & fashion industry, her work with top country music artists including Trace Atkins & Toby Keith has been enjoyed by millions. Kathryn’s beautiful work was also seen weekly during football season as she served as make-up artist to the Tennessee Titans Cheerleaders. Even though Kathryn was at the top in her field, I will always remember how quickly she would offer her services for gratis or discounted rates to help new unsigned artists.

While we are left with extreme sadness, our hearts are filled with great memories of a beautiful, kind and loving friend!

We love you & will miss you dearly Kathryn Kimble!

http://artistgardenentertainment.com

Branding plays a key role at Artist Garden Entertainment in both our music marketing and as artist managers. Building a devout tribal following is always our objective as it is the “Holy Grail” of great marketing. I believe two companies, Apple & Dyson, do it best.

A few weeks ago, I received the email below from Dyson. As an owner of the Dyson Ball vacuum cleaner & the Dyson Air Multiplier, I am a huge fan of their products and game changing technology. Fireworks of curiosity were exploding in my mind. There was so much anticipation that I began budgeting for this new product without knowing what it would be or what it would cost. A couple of weeks later I received a second email with a video revealing the Dyson Airblade Tap. While I’m not sure I will rush out and buy it just yet as it appears to be more for commercial use, I have proselytized to many.

Do You Own a Dyson Product?

The Teaser Video

The Airblade Tap Revealed

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K-LOVE, the leading Christian radio network with 14 million weekly listeners, announces the first ever Fan-Voted Awards Show In Christian music history. The K-LOVE Fan Awards will be held June 1 at the Ryman Auditorium and the show will be hosted by stars of A&E TV’s “Duck Dynasty;” The K-Love Fan Awards and Ultimate Fan Experience Weekend will kick off on May 31 and end with the Awards Show on Saturday June 2.

The voting process will be opened to the fans in May. Winners will be announced at the awards show on Saturday, June 1st at 7:30pm at the historic Ryman Auditorium. This inaugural event will bring together the biggest names in Christian music, sports, books and movies for its biggest night in Music City.

K-LOVE’s CCO David Pierce shares, “We appreciate our relationship with both listeners and Nashville’s music community. The K-LOVE Fan Awards is an opportunity for us to appreciate and encourage those who are making music and media that impacts our world for Christ.”

Top Industry artists TobyMac, Amy Grant, Jeremy Camp, Brandon Heath, Francesca Battistelli, Jamie Grace and Plumb were involved with the special announcement sharing details for this fan-based event. Other special appearances included Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and K-LOVE President and CEO Mike Novak and CCO David Pierce.

The K-LOVE Fan Awards mission is to create a fan experience that celebrates and promotes artists, athletes, authors and entertainers who, with excellence, engage and impact popular culture for Jesus Christ. With hosting duties going to stars from A&E TV’s popular show “Duck Dynasty,” Phil & Kay Robertson and Jase & Missy Robertson, they shared their excitement about hosting this inaugural event. ”We are thrilled to be a part of this fan-centered event for the Christian music industry,” the Robertson’s exclaimed in a joint statement. “With our own show, we know how important and vital the fans are to our success, and we understand why K-LOVE wants to host this event to give back to their listeners. As fans of Christian music, we are excited to host the awards and bring our own Duck Dynasty flare to the evening for a fun-filled, family friendly event.”

Categories for the Awards

• Female Vocalist of the Year
• Male Vocalist of the Year
• Duo/Group of the Year
• Breakthrough Artists of the Year
• Sports Impact
• Movie Impact
• Book of the Year
• “Unsung Hero” A K-LOVE listener recipient award
• Artists of the Year
• Song of the Year

While America’s top watched TV show of the year was the SuperBowl at the New Orleans Superdome on Sunday Night, the top social network and Monday morning water cooler conversations were centered around the Super Bowl commercials. As a music marketing professional, I am particularly interested in the ads that stir emotion as that is how we sell music. Dodge Ram & the Budweiser Clydesdale commercials did just that.  I personally liked the Dodge Ram ad with the deceased Paul Harvey commentating. It made the Ford truck owner, inside me, contemplate checking out a Dodge. While the ads were enjoyable and several that most definitely created action, there was one incredible ad that didn’t appear on TV. Nabisco’s marketing team rushed out the ad via social networks during the “blackout” situation. The Oreo “You Can Still Dunk In The Dark” ad gets my vote as the most effective ad of the night and it cost $0 to circulate vs $4-6 MIllion others paid to actually place the ads on TV.  Dynamic marketing at its best! The Oreos ad will be a game changer in the way advertisers approach major TV events in the future!