Every Mark Bishop Fan that goes to his concerts that would normally by his newest Cd they will buy this one and if curiosity kills the cat I expect this may be one of Marks best seller’s. As a fellow songwriter and friend let me say Mark I’m proud of you and I love the CD, Steve Perkins great post. Your the Best.

For those who may not know, I am a former bass guitarist for The Bishops. While with the group, I slept very well knowing the not every Southern Gospel fan liked the Bishops. I sleep equally as well knowing that Mark’s voice, style, writing, hairstyle, or cologne is not everyone’s cup of tea either. Baskin-Robbins has 32 flavors and Heinz had at least 57 varieties at one time, so to each their own. I don’t see eye-to-eye with my wife and son on all things, so I certainly don’t expect to persuade the blogosphere to see things my way. When I was younger, I had more of an aptitude to push the rock uphill. Not anymore…

What I would like to do is let you in on some of the thought process, conversations, and decisions that led to what you hear on “The Fields of Love.” Maybe this will address some of those more “nuts and bolts” questions that are in some of your posts. And no, this isn’t my “official” role or duty. Neither Mark nor Crossroads has dispatched me to put a spin on this. I’ve read your comments and your questions. Mark is more of the creative, conceptual type, and his post shows that. I’m not. I’m more of the logistical type. So, I’m going to try to address some of those logistics questions that have arisen. Also, I like the “behind-the-scenes” stuff and thought that you might too.

But first, one of Doug’s observations totally cracked me up. He wrote, “The spoken word portions of the story between the father and son are excruciatingly stilted and hopelessly amateurish…” You think? Anyone who has ever heard a Mark Bishop radio liner (“Hi. This is Mark Bishop and you’re listening to WXYZ for the best in Southern Gospel) would not be surprised that Mark’s “acting” isn’t going to win an Oscar. So, that observation was particularly funny to me, because I have an extensive background with Mark and his radio liners and our many years of re-takes.

But, I’ve gotta give Mark “Daniel Boone” Bishop some major props for stepping WAY outside of his comfort zone! Even though he had a ton of help and input from lots of folks, it’s his name on the CD, so the target is squarely on his back for the response this recording elicits. You have to admire Mark’s willingness to take this creative risk, and Crossroads for their enthusiastic support.

Those scripted bits between the farmer and the son deserve a closer look. I clearly remember the conversation Mark and I had on his porch about the dialogue between the farmer and his son that follows the Kingdom-Heirs’ song. Of course, the primary motivation for the dialogue was the bigger picture that this “music” album suddenly becomes a drama. There was also another layer to this. Mark was concerned about the son’s voice just popping up as his duet partner in that big song, “What’s So Bad About Believing?” That may have caused some cases of “musical whiplash.” It seemed better to us to have this new voice introduced through the dialogue with the farmer, than just drop him into the song cold, especially since Dennis Kuzmich isn’t a “name.” You can drop a Lauren Talley in on her song (“Every Memory”) seamlessly because of: 1.) Who she is, and 2.) The song itself. Dennis needed to be eased into the soundscape. So, in addition to the dialogue transforming this CD into something more than just the typical collection of songs, the dialogue also served as a courtesy to the listener to introduce young Mr. Kuzmich.

One day, Mark came over with some rough tracks, sat down on my sofa and sang this album to me. “Take Another Step” absolutely blew me away for the many reasons that Doug and others have mentioned. It’s a solid song on so many levels. Gold stars to those of you that got it!

The marketing questions are rather compelling. You folks are sharp, but honestly, “marketing plans” in SG? How are most SG “major label” projects marketed? Singing News ad and/or feature; two singles to radio; spotlight on “The Gospel Greats”; a package on Solid Gospel (spots, contests, listening party, etc.); hyped up press releases; the artists’ websites/e-news/newsletters. Maybe…maybe… Family or LifeWay gives it a decent spot on their websites or catalogs. And you can supplement any or all of this with artist phone calls, radio liners, postcards, promotional trinkets, and a contest of some sort. But I’ve only seen two prepared marketing plans for a recording in my 20+ years in SG. Remember, we’ve been with Eddie Crook, Homeland, Cathedral Records, and Crossroads. And I work with other artists that have called HeartWarming, RiverSong, Canaan, and Daywind home, too. I’ve seen two marketing plans. That’s not a slam on any company. It is what it is. Southern Gospel labels do what they’ve basically been doing since Jerrell McCracken and Marvin Norcross launched Canaan Records. And one of the best things they do is to provide a home base and support team for their artists so that the artists don’t feel like the Lone Ranger. We’re a small industry folks, and each group and soloist is an independent contractor trying to make a living. And while their business functions are foremost, you still can’t underestimate that feeling of “belonging somewhere” that a record company and booking agency provides to these groups and soloists.

But formal, prepared “marketing plans” in SG may not matter much because for all but a handful of artists, the artist themselves are the number one sales outlet for their product. More than retail, direct sales, downloads, music clubs or any other outlet other than bootlegged product at flea markets. So, until there is some revolutionary breakthrough, as a Southern Gospel artist your best “marketing plan” is a strong radio single, exposure in Singing News, decent concert and church dates, a solid stand when it’s your turn to sing, and an effective product pitch right before intermission, because as an artist, you are your top sales agent.

So, for The Fields of Love, you’ll see print ads, hear radio interviews, and yes, there are at least two songs that stand alone just fine. If I asked Mark while he was in the writing phase of this about radio singles once, I asked two dozen times. In fact, that day he came over to the house and sang the album to me, I listened more for the radio singles than to his epic saga, dialogue, plot development, etc. I confessed to him that I was listening primarily for radio singles when he had finished his performance in my living room and asked me what I thought about it. Concerts and radio are our bread and butter. For better or worse, our industry is more airplay driven than sales driven. So while Mark was being Daniel Boone and Jerome Kern rolled into one, I was still being me thinking about what two songs Mark will make a living off of next year. I’m confident we’ll be just fine as far as radio is concerned because there are songs that stand alone outside the context of the recording. Most Music Directors don’t get to hear full projects anyway, so I don’t foresee airplay decisions influenced by the fact the CD is a concept album if they have a strong Mark Bishop song that is suited for airplay. Songs from this album will be sent to radio just like any other radio single, and they’ll compete for airplay with all the others, just like always. And just like always, they might hit, or they might miss. Jim Stover at Crossroads is an excellent radio promoter, but so much of having a hit song is out of his and his artists’ hands once it’s gone to radio. When I was with The Bishops, we had some songs sent to radio that we “worked” (calls, postcards, give-a-ways, etc.) pretty hard, and the songs didn’t do much. But then we had songs like “He’s In The Midst” (which was Number One for three months) that we as a group didn’t do anything extra to promote it. So, you send your songs out, do what you think is best needed to support those songs, and then wait to see where the chips fall. That’s how it will work for radio singles from The Fields of Love, too.

Yes, it’s a concept album, but that won’t affect the marketing to our primary audience - SG fans, and specifically Mark Bishop fans. There are the tried and true methods of reaching them, and this album fits that template well. You can put it in an ad (print or online), and you can send songs to radio. But, we are launching a new website just for this recording. If it weren’t a concept album, I can’t say that we would be doing that. So, we’re giving that a shot, and we’ll see if it generates additional sales. Crossroads has a brief video of Mark introducing viewers to the album. It’s on their website and YouTube. We’ll see if that has any impact too.

What’s funny is when my 80 year old Dad (who went to Vaughn Singing Schools and can remember seeing thousands of people gather in a field to hear the Chuck Wagon Gang when he was younger) heard this project, his first question was, “They don’t make videos in Southern Gospel, do they?” So there you go. Even he was thinking about marketing. And yes, I had this same conversation with him. I guess the initial reaction to hearing this type of production is you automatically think it’s so different it possesses a unique set of logistical issues for the SG marketplace. But if you back off from it a bit and not be overwhelmed by its “largeness” (for lack of a better word), you can see the forest for the trees and see that this recording fits into the SG landscape just fine. It just distinguishes itself from other recordings out there by giving you a different type of listening experience.

Staging this CD in concert isn’t an issue either. When you do an album, you typically only inject your radio songs and maybe two other new ones into your set. Why? Because the vast majority of people who buy a ticket to see you perform want to hear songs they know – your hits. You only get 40 minutes the first round and 20 after intermission to sing on most concerts, so you can’t lay 10 or 13 new songs on an audience. It won’t fly. So, Mark will work some of the Fields of Love songs into his set with “Can I Pray For You” and his other standards. If people connect with him and/or the songs, they’ll buy the CD, if they have the money. They always do, without hearing him perform the other 8 songs on a typical CD before they buy it. I can’t see why this would be any different with The Fields of Love.

We’re airplay driven, so you’ve got to have strong radio songs on each CD. After that, if you are in a group, your other songs on the CD serve to feature the various vocalists. And whether you are a group or a soloist, the remaining songs also serve to pace the recording, or fill a particular slot, much like a baseball lineup. I think it’s pretty impressive that Mark said, “I’ve got the radio songs, now here is what I’d like to do with the others.” It’s equally impressive that Mickey Gamble and Chris White said, “Okay.”

What I get from Doug’s review and the comments are questions that I too have pondered: “Is there a secondary market for this since it is a concept album? Is there something inherent in this story that will open up other doors? Can it be performed as a whole in some fashion? It’s a different animal, so what does it or can it do outside of our fan base?” I honestly don’t know those answers. I guess I could speculate on it, but someone with more expertise in that arena would be much better qualified to address these “secondary” market questions. The first step was producing a quality recording. Our focus now shifts to getting this project to do well in our primary marketplace. After that, who knows what will happen with this recording or these songs?

I also don’t know where this experiment of putting it out there for the readers of this blog will lead. But, I’ve got to tip my hat to Mickey Gamble. He’s been giving a lot of thought and effort to this idea of effectively harnessing the power of the internet to sell Southern Gospel CDs. He’s done a lot of research trying to read the tea leaves. This was Mickey’s idea and at least he is trying something different. And since it takes two to tango, thanks to Doug Harrison. He took a risk of being perceived as selling out, or scrutinized more ways than I can imagine for doing this. But he stayed the course and gave the project his usual treatment. And since he isn’t really a Mark Bishop fan, I appreciate that he took the time to listen to an artist that he normally wouldn’t have. And, I’m married to a teacher. I don’t see how Doug, being a teacher, finds time to do this blog. My wife’s job doesn’t end when she gets home – there are always papers to grade, tests and lessons to prepare, school functions to attend, etc. Whether you are into blogs or not (like I’m not), you still have to appreciate his commitment to the blog.

Lastly, I hope we learn some things. Foremost for Mark and the team at Crossroads, will this “experiment” create a “buzz” about this CD and produce a spike in sales and possibly generate new Mark Bishop fans and sales? After that, I wonder: Is SG ready to be a strong player in the cyber-age and be “viral”? Can we sustain our music as long as we are makers of albums when the music consumer is moving toward downloading single songs, or cherry picking songs from CDs? To what extent is the SG internet community a viable and influential segment of our market? Are there really thousands of viewers of these sites, or the same hundreds of people visiting thousands of times? Either way, what can we (artists and record companies) do to better serve this SG internet community and translate their passion for SG into revenue? Do reviews from anyone (no offense to Doug, SN, or other print and online outlets) really have any influence one way or the other on your music purchases? What would you say is your main reason for purchasing a SG CD? Is it your conection as a fan to particular artists? Hearing a song on radio? Hearing it in concert? Word of mouth? What about this specific experiment of getting a reduced price CD download, just by reading about it on this blog? Did the fact that it’s a concept recording influence you in any way, pro or con, to take advantage of the special pricing and purchase this CD?

I look forward to seeing how this all plays out. Thanks to everyone for jumping in with us.

Can’t say I was hugely impressed. There were a few songs I enjoyed and will listen to again, though, and for 6 bucks I don’t really feel ripped off.

Mark Bishop’s vocal styling I find unique and enjoyable actually - my issue was somewhat unimaginative melodic stylings on a couple songs. Considering how hard it is for an SG soloist to get the attention they deserve, I have to wish Mark Bishop all the best as he fights the good fight.

The album is very moving and powerful when taken as a whole, and the guest vocalists add a lot to the project as a whole. I especially enjoyed the Kingdom Heirs participation. Other highlights to me were “Blue Skies” and “Take Another Step”.

While this project may not have made me Mark Bishop’s #1 fan, it has given me a new measure of respect for his abilities as both singer and writer. This is a very creative project, and I’m glad I have it. It is very moving and enjoyable.

I think Trent actually has a point - believe it or not. Some guys (me included) like to buy an album, pop it into the player, and “jam.” A few more “Cloud Nine Headed For Ten” songs really would’ve helped the “instant-hit” factor.

I found there to be too many slow, seemingly incomplete, and/or melancholy ballads on the way to the conclusion. That said, was it a very well-done, interesting drama with a powerful ending? Absolutely. Was it an album I edited after the first listen to cut out all the talking, and to just get to the music? Well, yes, actually.

If she gets to hear it, I trust Edith.

That said, this record definitely stands a chance of being critically acclaimed in the SG world among bloggers like Avery, DBM or even over at sogospelnews.com. Perhaps (probably) it will get a great deal of attention at Singing News magazine. For what that’s worth.

However, how will Edith of Hickory, NC interface with the record when she pops it into her boom box at the house after buying it at Lifeway? That’s really the question at hand. A record (or movie or play) can receive rave reviews from an intellectual who likes something new and fresh, but how will John T. Consumer respond? That’s the question that Mark and Crossroads have to be asking themselves as the project hits Christian bookstores across the South.

I have to agree with John at #9 in that you can’t listen to this as ‘background music’. I think most of us listen to music in the car, working out, or at work. It takes an especially catchy tune to make one listen more intently to the lyrics of a typical song. I’ve sung in Christmas and Easter musicals for several years now, and for each one listened to the rehearsal CD’s in the car on the commute. For me, it’s hard to put a series of story songs together into a bigger picture until you sit and concentrate on them in a run-through or dress rehearsal.

That being said - I applaud Mark on this project. This is a perfect answer for those who would bemoan the lack of imaginative or creativity in Southern Gospel. I’d also like to see Fields of Love expanded into a dramatic musical for use in a special service.

This is something CCM has seen from time to time—for example, some of Michael Card’s projects and the 2nd Chapter of Acts’ Roar of Love comes to mind. But Southern Gospel hasn’t seen it.

If anyone in Southern Gospel is in a good position to give a concept album a try, it would be Mark Bishop. He writes story-songs, and here he extends the effort to tell a story over an entire project.

The album has to be listened to as a whole. That is the only way in which it can be fully appreciated. Few if any of the songs grab my attention individually, but after listening to the album a few times the overall storyline does catch my attention. And that, one could say, was the purpose.

That said, if you just use this CD as background noise while you’re driving to work, you’re going to miss the important pieces of the story and find yourself scratching your head. You have to invest some time to get to know the characters and to follow the storyline or you will be confused later on. If you didn’t hear the last two lines of Big, Big World, you wouldn’t know that the boy had wandered into a tent revival and Reggie Saddler’s and the Kingdom Heirs’ sudden guest vocals would be confusing to say the least.

As for the “theological purity” concerns, I can’t think of a time Mark has ever flown in the face of the bible. He takes some liberties to create some “what if” scenerios. The best example is Son of a Carpenter. What if a child who grew up around Jesus was also there when Lazarus was raised from the tomb, was the same man who lived with the Samaratin woman, and finally was the theif on the cross. Yes, you could argue that is scriptually unsound. It didn’t happen and it wouldn’t have because yes, a boy who grew up with Jesus would’ve been a Jew and wouldn’t have had anything to do with the Samaratin woman but…what if? It is an extremely powerful song so don’t over think it. If we’re going to be THAT picky about being theologically correct, then we would have to remove every song from the hymn books that references “crossing Jordan” as a reference for death. Where in the Bible does it declare that we’re going to cross Jordan on our way to Heaven?

I think the Fields of Love is an album that everyone should add to their collection. Mark, the musicians, the guest vocalists (Reggie Saddler, Kingdom Heirs, Debra and Lauren Talley to name a few) and everyone else who had a hand in it all did fantastic job.

As far as radio airplay is concerned, unless there’s a standout (and standalone) song that can work for radio, a single from that type of project usually doesn’t get much airplay, if the company even releases one. As Jim2 mentioned, Nicole C. Mullen’s last project did nothing at AC or INSPO radio, although it was a decent project overall. The songs from concept albums that have gotten radio airplay were usually from a project that was comprised of ‘individual’ songs that were woven together for the project, rather than working organically from the inside out.

Anonymity is correct - Crossroads, on their June comp CD, released “I Can Think of One” from ‘Abundant Sunshine’ just last week. No word yet on anything from the new project.