Should we pay a musician?

Why musicians should be paid, especially in the church... and how to make it happen.Alright Stefanie, you’re writing and playing music.  Isn’t that SO FUN?!  Isn’t it worth it to just do it as a side hobby, after you get home from a long, exhausting day of overworked and underpaid social work?Well, I tried that, until I felt the calling of God on my life to move forward.  Honestly, it didn’t really work as just a hobby, either.  I could not put enough time or energy into my music to have it be worthwhile.  I had spend a decade in a band prior to this, developing as a songwriter and musician.  When I moved to Charleston in February 2014, I knew it was now or never.So I went all-in.  I took a leap of faith, and watched God open doors for me.  I entered into the world of earning a living making music.It’s an InvestmentMy passion for serving people has not gone away as I left the social work field; it has just taken on a different form – one that fits how God made me.  I write music to bring people hope, and to move people toward living out compassion.  This is my mission, and my calling.  It is not simply a nice hobby.  I will give it all I have to the glory of God.So when you book me (or any artist), you’re not just paying for a show to entertain people.  You’re paying for all of me: my work, my story, my passion, my ministry.Each musician you want to bring in also has a story, a passion, and a ministry.  By paying that person to come minister to people your church, you are making an investment for the Kingdom.  Just as speakers are invited in to share the Word of God with people, musicians are equipped to share the Word through song and creative story-telling.  This avenue of ministry can be so effective.  Just think of how much a song sticks with you, more so than any talk you have heard.  (I don’t say this to lessen the importance of talks, but rather to point out how helpful songs can be for remembering God’s perspective.)Songs also have a way of ministering to the heart of a person.  The life stories behind the songs that musicians bring to concerts do the same.  Songs and stories have a way of breaking down walls that sit just past the mind, and reaching the emotional side that will help get a real response from people.So please, don’t think of it as just another budget expense.  Think of the investment you can be making into your ministry, by bringing in a Spirit-filled musician who is ready to minister to your congregation.  Why not be ready to bless that musician in return for the blessing that he/she will be?What Scripture SaysWhen I think of Christians who play Christ-centered music in Churches or out in the community, I think of them as ministers and missionaries.  They use music to preach the gospel and expand the Kingdom.  Scripture has a lot to say about ensuring ministers and missionaries are being provided for.  It is a “partnership in the gospel” (Philippians 1:5) between the musician and the church.John wrote, “Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God. It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth.” (3 John 1:6b-8).The Levites were the people who ministered in the temple (or tent of meeting/tabernacle).  Many of them were musicians.  (I can relate to both of those descriptions!)  In Numbers 18, we are told that Israel brought their tithes to give to the Levites as their inheritance in return for the work they did in the tent of meeting.When Jesus appointed 72 people to go out as missionaries, he told them to rely on those he ministered to, for “the worker deserves his wages” (Luke 10:7).In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul asks: “If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? [… He states] the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel” (v 11 & 14).Fair PriceSo what is a fair price?  You want to come to an agreement with the musician that will serve both your church and the musician, without leaving any issues.  Sometimes they will come with a set price, which is an honest assessment of what they need to make it work.  Sometimes they may be willing to negotiate for various reasons, but please don’t sell them short!  At that point, the artist will weigh the opportunity and see if it will be worth their effort, or if they should wait for a better opportunity.A price for a musician will vary depending on multiple factors:

• Where you live (Big city? Small town?)
• Experience of the artist (a brand new artist may be willing to play for free or very cheap, but as with any field, you won’t get the same quality as one with a decade or two of experience in music ministry)
• Popularity of the artist (a well-known radio artist will cost more than a local one, and a well-known local one will usually cost more than someone who is just starting out in music)
• Travel expenses and other artist needs (bills need to be paid, and the show needs to be worth the effort!)
• Other factors (like how many people will come, and whether they’ll buy CDs from the artist)

In the next section, I will explain things from an artist’s perspective.My WorkYou can visit my website to hear more on my own story, passion, and ministry as an artist.  For sake of being succinct, this post will simply talk about the work I do, and why I believe it is essential for churches to value paying artists.If there’s one thing I’ve learned from going at this with all I have, is that it IS work.  It’s work that I enjoy, but it’s still work.  I enjoyed most of the jobs I’ve had (praise God), but at the end of the day, it is all work.  With all of the work that I do, I set at it wholeheartedly, as if working for my real Boss, the King of Kings.Some people think that offering experience or exposure is enough.  This just does not cut it.  (I have experience, and exposure does not pay the bills!)  Likewise, CD and other merchandise sales help keep us going and build our community of listeners, but there is no way that it could cover everything.  We would never ask a carpenter, teacher, hairdresser, or mechanic to work for free, so what makes musicians’ services any different?  Stick with me now…I refuse to complain; however, I do want to explain what it takes to get to the point of putting on an excellent concert.Here is some of what I do week to week:

• I seek the Lord. I read scripture, I pray, and I listen.  I find my identity, inspiration, and hope in Him.
• I write, and tweak, and re-write, and re-tweak my original songs. This takes time and the right mindset.
• I spend countless hours practicing my songs. This is fun, for about the first 5 songs, and then I get tired.  My body starts to ache, and my throat starts to get tired of singing.  It takes endurance, and hard, focused work.  But this is the dedication I need to memorize my songs, play them well, and perform an hour and half worth of material at a concert.
• I practice with any other musicians who are helping me out at the time.
• I engage with and minister to my listeners online. Without listeners, I have no ministry.  People are quick to forget about a musician if they haven’t heard from them in a while.  I do my best to keep them interested in what I‘m doing, so I can continue to speak into their lives.
• I practice my guitar. I try to learn more theory and skills to develop my playing.
• I learn about music business. The music business is one of the most difficult businesses to master, so I seek all the educational opportunities I can.  I learn all the steps I need to do to book a gig, promote my work, improve on songwriting, gain and keep a listener, create and protect my music, and ultimately earn a living.
• I implement all of those steps I learn about, and improve on things that I didn’t do quite as well the first time around.
• I contact venues that may want to book me (unless I have someone helping me at the time). I follow-up, plan, and communicate on all the details.
• I seek promotional opportunities for more people to learn about my music.
• I maintain all the documentation of running a small business.
• I update my copyrights and performance rights.
• Occasionally, I will be in a phase of actual creation of new songs, CDs, videos, photos, and web content.
• Then I do concerts.

I also invest in the music ministry, and all of these things are not cheap!

• I purchase instruments and equipment needed to make interesting music.
• I invest into lessons and coaching on anything related to my work.
• I initially record a CD on a faith budget, hoping that the investment will help me get a greater return (somehow with CDs just costing $5 - $10 a piece).
• Once the CD is out, I spend money to get the CD into the hands of listeners, including duplication services and internet distribution services.
• I spend to copyright the songs and register them with to ensure they aren’t stolen and I get my pennies worth of royalties for every time they’re played on the internet.
• I buy things to help me get the word out: website, email list, professional photographs and videos, etc.
• I spend on gas to get to gigs.
• I register my business and pay taxes like a good citizen.
• This is all just me as an independent local artist. Hiring professionals to help would be a whole other story!

I’m going to get a big personal (fair warning).  I do thank the Lord that my husband is employed at a “normal” job, but that is just enough to meet our needs (pending the explosion of our car).  It is not enough to cover these investments in the ministry that God has given me a vision for.  There is nothing extra to save, and nothing extra to cut down our loans, get a totally functioning car, visit family up north regularly, or think about the future at all.  I am totally relying on God to provide through His Church.How to Pay ArtistsAlthough I have the artist’s perspective, I also have the perspective of working in a church ministry for 3 ½ years.  I fully understand the limitations that can be in church budgets, and how we need to get creative to make great ministry events happen.  To help you out, I’ve included some options to consider in making sure ministerial artists get paid a fair price.

1. Budget: Set aside ministry event portion of your church budget. This allows you to do free or less-expensive events, which can help with outreach.
2. Partnering: Partner with another local church that may be able to complement your budget and help get the word out.
3. Tickets: Psychologically-speaking, it can actually be helpful to charge at least a small fee for an event. When you place a monetary value on the event, potential attendees will also value it more.  If it’s a free event, you may risk having people think they won’t get that great of entertainment or message out of it, and not come.  It cheapens the whole thing in their minds.  It can be helpful to pre-sell tickets, because you can get a better idea before the event of how much more promotion you need to do.
4. Sponsors: Contact local Christian business-owners who may be willing to sponsor the event as a ministry opportunity for your church and community. If you go this route, make sure you reward the business in return for their sponsorship: display their logo all over your promotional materials, tickets, and at the event.  You may even consider having a door-prize (like a gift certificate) promoting their company.
5. Love Offering: If you don’t have any money set aside in the budget for this type of ministry (and can’t get another in-house ministry to sponsor it), you can strongly encourage attendees to donate to the artists’ missions, in addition to supporting them by purchasing their merchandise. For this to work, you may need to promise a certain amount to the artist.  If that amount is not met by attendees giving, your church sponsors the rest of it in the budget.  That way you don’t end up sending the artist home discouraged and without a fair check to pay the bills.

I hope all of this helped you understand a new perspective on the work and ministry that artists do.  At the end of the day, we are people that just want to help minister to others.  But to do it well, we need ministries to partner with us.  It really is a full-time job that can’t be done well “on the side.”  Together, we can sow great seeds of the Kingdom, and reap when the harvest comes!