Indieheaven Blog

Over the past 16 years of interacting with independent Christian artists, I hear from many who lament that they ‘can not’ do what they want to do. Well, welcome to the real world, where most of us are not doing or getting what we want:) For some odd reason, it appears that Christians think that because they believe in Christ, that they should get everything they want, and that to them, Jesus is their magic genie inside a bottle ready to grant whatever 3 wishes they come up with. Ummm.. newsflash.. It doesn’t work that way. Sorry to be so harsh, but that’s me:)
 
For example, I had a very interesting convo with an artist who emailed me and many other “industry” people CC (never CC a group of people an email because they can all see who you emailed and it looks very unprofessional) their mp3 unsolicited (never do this btw, as it will do more harm than good for you) looking for a “show.” (hate the word “show”) We knew right away this artist was throwing his bait out into the deep abyss looking to land a big one.  So of course, I had to reply to point out the error of his ways and show him the light. (I know, it’s a bad habit I have:)
 
Here’s how it went… oh, and the good news is that we both learned a few things about one another in the process and what God wants for our lives.
 
Keith: It is not wise to send an mp3 file unless first requested. Many people check email on their phone and if they have a data plan, it could cause them to be charged for the data transfer. Just a word of advice to you.
 
Artist: You are off our list; indie bands never get help by the way
 
Keith: We help indie bands all time. What kind of help do you need? My note was to help you not irritate industry people, so I’ve already helped you.
 
Artist: Been doing the band thing for 12 years, played many large shows with many touring bands, it’s all about the money. Exposure for the band, get our stuff our there, get connections is all we need.
 
Keith: So, why do you pursue Christian music?
 
Artist: Its a tough market, you have to be just about in the top 40 to make any money in Christian, that’s why our friends from *** went country. **** is touring with *** right now, not sure what they got planned now with that going on. Anyhow I do Christian because I am a Christian, we do write a lot of relationship songs not really Christian now, I guess we are positive alternative rock. Not sure where this is going? If u can get us in some killer venues is what I’m currently pursuing.
 
Keith: So why are you emailing 82 people in the Christian music industry?
 
Artist: just trying to get us out there man take care
 
Keith: I get that. But to me, you appear to be confused as to the who, what, where, when, why and how concerning your band and the purpose. What criteria make for a “killer venue”? Hope you don’t mind me asking questions. I’m trying to figure out how to help you.
 
Artist: I appreciate the help, I’ve just been screwed over by so many indie folk in the so-called music biz, and in the long run they want a dollar from a sucker indie band. So I have my guard up, it was a generic email from my personal email contacts you where in my contacts from years ago I’m sure. The vocalist and me have been in this band for 6 years together he used to be the drummer. I’m the guitarist, we went thru many vocalists some awesome singers couldn’t find that good singer to stay or work out. So the former drummer took up the front man spot he is a killer front man he is a so so vocalist. We have awesome musicians in the group now, the band has went thru many changes over the years, but we still feel this is a calling to reach people for Jesus, at the same time we write stuff about everyday life. It has always been our dream to play, music for a living, always, my whole 33 years of life; I’m married with 2 kids and work in a factory that I hate. We all dislike our jobs we know we could really do something in this world if given a opportunity, I’m just tired of trying, book good shows have fun and make the most of it, is my attitude now.
 
Keith: Ahh, thanks for sharing that with me. Helps me to see where the issues are with your band.
 
Artist: I think this conversation is a waste of time. Take care
 
Keith: Really nice. I think I see why your band doesn’t have opportunities. What I have found is that when things are not happening the way we want them to happen, it could be for a variety of reasons, it’s not God’s will, or the timing is not right, to even having sin in your camp.
 
Artist: dude I never asked for advice, your giving it to me, I’m not 18 I’ve been doing music many years recorded many albums, came very close to several record deals, and shared the stage with many “A” level acts. I don’t know who you are and why you would remotely take interest in guiding us. I thought for a moment you wanted to somehow help. My advice to you know whom you are giving advice to and make sure they want it. No hard feelings, I will take in account after this not to send out random emails, and check your camp for sin, we have all fallen and none are perfect. 
 
Keith: So sorry for sharing my thoughts with you to help in any way, and taking my time to encourage you. Sounds like to me you are burnt out and a bit angry. I totally get where you are coming from. I’ve been there myself. 
 
You are looking for paying gigs to make enough money to go at this full time. You told me your band needed $250,000 per year to keep their current standard of living, right? Yet, you have an issue with people who work with Indies making money from their time. Do you see the inconsistency in this mindset? Industry people need money just like you do. Imagine working at your job for a possible percentage of income you may make, when its not 100% dependent upon you to deliver the goods. I’ve done artist management that way and spent tons of hours with indie bands getting them ready, for them to flake out on me and quit because they needed to drive 6 hours to a show. So I don’t do artist management anymore.
 
What I find in the indie scene is the majority of acts are nowhere near ready for the big stage. Or for that matter any stage.  But they all have a sincere desire to go out there as fast as possible and with little practice and do it. But they go at it not with the intention of serving people and ministering and getting better at their craft. They go at it with hopes someone from the industry will discover them and save them from Indie hell. Most cases, it doesn’t work that way. The payoff just isn’t there like it used to be.  They get focused on the industry behind the stage and neglect those in front of the stage. The people. They look at people like fishermen look at fish. Something to be caught and sold. Not good. It’s not about what you get.
 
Artist: I took offense to the sin in the camp thing, I’m sorry for that. Really really bad night at work. I was ticked off before I even read the email. I’ve been doing the band thing since 1999, toured up and down the east, lived in the van done all those things you talked about. Music is a business; I try to take a business approach to it now. Bands make’s money off of merch, I have a vision to take it much farther and give back to the homeless and the in need. It is next to impossible for an indie band to get on stages such as creation fest PA Atlanta Fest, Cornerstone, to ever get real exposure. Sure some places offer Indie competitions for a spot on a side stage, usually have to pay $100 of more to even enter these things. Nothing but a money racket. So if you can advise me on this would be awesome. I need help booking us, I’m out of contacts and resources, I really wish we had a booking agency that would work with our work schedule and help us get some decent gigs. For now I am working 2nd shift 3:00pm to 11:30pm so weekdays would not work, hope to be back on dayshift soon, we would be good for just about any Saturday and Sunday. Who should I contact that you may know? 
 
Keith: Sounds like you are pretty restricted when and where you can conduct concerts. Hard to go full time with those limitations. Here’s the deal about booking agencies. You probably know this… they seldom make cold outbound calls. They take hot incoming calls from churches and promoters who know about the act and who want to book them. The booking agent coordinates the acts schedule with the act manager and they route tours. The problem for your band is since you do not have hot incoming calls, a professional agent wont be able to book you, since most do not know about you guys. You are your best booking agent. Every member of your band should be sniffing out opportunities that are within a day drive from your base. How do you find opportunities? Easy… look at other band calendars. Most have their shows on their profiles along with contact info. 
 
I know you have been pursuing your music for years. And it may seem like you may not realize your dream. I think the Lord wants to know if you are OK if you don’t ever get on the big stage. If you don’t ever have thousands of eyeballs on your at shows, and millions of ears on the radio. The Lord simply wants to know are we OK with His portion for our life? Remember what He did to the Israelites after he freed them from slavery in Egypt and led them into the desert on the way to their promised land?? The people started complaining about the portion of manna he was providing them, and the Lord did not like that. They were not humble, they were not grateful. They were not OK with the portion.
 
So, the Lord turned their 40-day hike into a 40-year journey. They went around and around in that hot, dry desert. They finally made it. But their leader, Moses never did. Why? Because He did not obey the Lord.  Even after all Moses did for the Lord. Oh, that was another issue, you see, Moses and us as believers, we do not do anything FOR the Lord. The Lord doesn’t need us to do anything FOR Him. The Lord does His thing through us, and we become a part of His- Story. History. This life is not our story. We are a chapter of His Story.
 
Artist: Seems like you and Jesus have been hanging out lately.  Thanks for the encouragement. I feel like I have learned a few things.
 
Keith: Same here, God bless you!
<--- End of discussion --->
 
Such an interesting exchange, I can totally see this artist’s points and concerns. It’s not easy to be a full time Christian band. Not easy at all. I say you must be 100% ready, 100% willing, and most importantly 100% able to really make a go of it if you want to be a full time touring artist. Even though we may want to be full time, tour the country, and play “shows” it may not be the Lord’s portion for your life. There is nothing wrong with a “want” in your life, as long as it does not consume you. Unbridled wants give way to all sorts of sin, which as I stated above can stop you dead in your tracks.
 
I asked a few of my Facebook friends what came to mind concerning the first line of the chorus to that Stone’s song, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”
 
Brandon Bee wrote: Your dreams and God’s dream for your life are different. The trick is to pray that God will be in your dreams so that they are one in the same. Laying down your desires for God’s perfect desire.
 
Sam Bowen shared: Whoever said you were supposed to get what you want?
 
Diana Stimmler Winkler penned: Be careful what you wish for. Many times there is a steep price for what you “want”.
 
Chris Sandoval wrote: Sometimes I think the problem is we do get what we want, not necessarily what we need. And since sometimes what we want is self-serving, it leads a lot of the time to an unfruitful endeavor. The trick is recognizing this:-)
 
Mike Westendorf: Recognizing the difference between a need and a want is important though.
 
Michael Muilenberg summed it up with this provoking thought:  God promises eternal life in heaven to those who surrender to Christ, he does not guarantee happiness while living on earth.
 
To sum up this article:

…But if you try sometimes… well you just might find… you get what you need.
 
Psalm 23: The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
 
Creatively His,
Keith Mohr
President
www.indieheaven.com

Advantages to selling your music on Indieheaven are:

1- You get all 100% of your sales income!
For our Sold-Out Arenas and Touring Pro tier members…
Sell a song for 99 cents, and get all 99 cents! Sell a digital album for $9.99 and get all $9.99. We eat the transaction fee! (that’s the fee the credit card companies charge for an online transaction.. its about 30 cents per item, plus 3%!)

Here’s how it works!
As a Touring Pro member, We first apply sales income to your membership support, which as a Touring Pro tier member, is $19.95 per 30 day period from the day you signed up. So, if you have more than $19.95 in sales during your first 30 day period, your card is not charged for membership! If you sell more than $19.95, but less than $44.95 in a 30 day billing cycle, we roll over the balance to the next month, which will also decrease the out of pocket membership support. If you have a good sales period, and you have more than $25 in sales in your account (over $44.95 in sales), we send you money via PayPal! Make sure we have your PayPal account email so we can send your funds to you!

If you are a Weekend Warrior tier member, there is no monthly support fee, and we split sales income 50/50 with you. We’ll send your sales income to you when it hits $25

If you are a Sold-Out Arenas tier member, you prepaid your membership for a year you get all 100% and we send your funds to you when you hit $25! You also get lots of other perks!!!

Learn about Indieheaven membership tiers HERE.

2- You can run special deals at any time!
Just like Walmart, you can lower your price for your music at any time, let your friends, fans and followers know about your special offer, which will spur more sales! It doesn’t have to be much.. maybe from 99 cents to 75 cents.. then.. after the sale ends, you can raise the price back up.. You cannot do this on i-tunes or anywhere else! We can even do a special code for you to give a % discount.. let your people know to enter the code at checkout, and they get the deal!

3- You know who your customer is!
The bummer about i-tunes and the other digital stores is they do not tell you who purchased your music. A buying customer is a hot lead, that can lead to other things like a concert, or a funder for your music mission or who knows what. It all starts with the purchase! We provide you your customer name, city/state/zip, and email address! This way, you can reach out to them to say thanks, and do some suggestive selling.. ask them if they would like to sponsor a concert with you, or ask them for leads in their area for concerts. Don’t stop at the sale! Turn a single sale into much more by cultivating a relationship with your customer! A simple email thank you to your customer may turn into a life long fan, concert sponsor, donor, or more! Capitalize on these relationships!

4- Music Player/Sales Widget
Also, our new Music Sales widget is NOW AVAILABLE! You can copy and paste the widget code found in your artist admin, in the MY PROFILE section, click on MY WIDGETS. Copy and paste the code to your personal website, and other profiles you may have on the www. The more places you get this widget out on, the more possibility of selling your music! People will be able to listen and BUY your songs right from the widget! And.. your friends and fans can also copy the widget code right from the widget and paste it on their social network profiles to help you spread your excellent music! See how our Widget looks on a member personal site: HERE

5- Top Songs Chart
We Also have on Indieheaven our TOP SONGS CHART, where people can listen to and BUY songs from many members. It’s a fantastic way to get your music in front of people who may have never heard of you before! Chart position is determined by the number of song plays on your Indieheaven profile. The more listens, the better chance of getting on these popular charts!

So, you can see why selling music on Indieheaven makes good sense. Right?

The Key to selling your music:
The biggest mistake indie artists make is producing their music, but not promoting it. Most think God will do that for them, but folks.. God is not in the music business. And if you are selling or receiving money for services, you are a business. Treat it like a business and God will be there to help you. To sit and wait for something to happens, means you are a waiter. Miracles happen by works and faith.. not just faith!

It’s your job as the CEO of your record label to make sure your friends, fans and followers know your music is available! What we have found is that members who sell the most music on Indieheaven tell their friends, fans, and followers to come to Indieheaven to buy their music. So, let them know you are here and watch sales start happening! We’ll also do our part to drive people into Indieheaven to learn about our members. Together, we can do it, with God’s help!

EXTRA PROMOTION
I can help promote your music and increase your exposure!
Here’s How: (Pick any or all promo opportunities!)
1- Email blast press release to our lists, including radio stations, venues, industry, and over 60,000 fans of new Christian music!- $150
2- A week as our main featured artist on the front page of Indieheaven, and an interview on our New Indie Tuesday — $100
3- Posting about you on our social networks, reaching over 5,000 fans and followers of Indieheaven. When we promote, people respond!- Included w/ any promo service!

Let me know if interested and we’ll get to work, together!

If you are NOT a member or Indieheaven yet, learn about joining and being a part of the new music indie-stry HERE.

If you ARE a member of Indieheaven and are not offering your music for sale.. let’s get going with that so we can send YOU money!

Check out “The Indie Mechanics Show,” with hosts Keith Mohr (president of Indieheaven) and Susan Ross (president of The Inner Vizion.) Keith and Sue have years of experience in the trenches in the Christian Music Industry, working with many indie artists and serving them in their music missions!

New shows debut on IndieMechanics.com each Monday!

Check out “The Indie Mechanics Show,” with hosts Keith Mohr (president of Indieheaven) and Susan Ross (president of The Inner Vizion.) Keith and Sue have years of experience in the trenches in the Christian Music Industry, working with many indie artists and serving them in their music missions!

New shows debut on IndieMechanics.com each Monday!

Folks,
I wanted to share with you a wonderful story about how Indieheaven members donated $1000 to another member in need.

Here’s the story!

Russell Martin joined Indieheaven February 2009.
Russell released a new CD, “Hopes, Prayers, and Lullabies” and made the CD, digital album and songs available for sale on Indieheaven November, 2010.

As president of Indieheaven, I watch all of our members and I notice members who are “working it.” I noticed right away people were ordering physical CDs and digital album downloads at a rapid and consistent pace, which told me Russell did a great job communicating to his friends, fans and followers about his new music, and the purpose behind it. I was very impressed!

I then did more investigation into Russell’s music mission and read about his story and purpose behind his music and new CD project. I learned Russell and his wife, Meagan were in the process of adoption.
Read about their decision to adopt Here.
Read about Russell’s new music project Here.

After I learned more about the reason for Russell’s new CD, I prayed how Indieheaven could be of help to them, and I sensed God leading me to donate a portion of the income received from our wonderful Indieheaven members support in December. I notified Russell about the donation, and they were very grateful for the donation.

I thought it would be encouraging to share this with you, and say thank you to our Indieheaven members for making this donation possible. So, from myself, Russell and Meagan, thank you!

Learn more about Russell on his Indieheaven Profile

Folks! thought you might like to read the notes and watch a video of a keynote speech Indieheaven and Indie University president, Keith Mohr gave at The Karitos Conference in Chicago, July 17, 2010.

SHARE MY STORY: To learn about Keith, read his bio

SURVEY:
How many here are musicians, songwriters, singers?
How many have websites or social networking profiles?
It safe to say that most if not all musicians, and artistic creatives have websites and profiles to get better know, and show others who they are and what they are doing. And thats OK! That’s why it is the BEST time in history to be an artist!

OVERVIEW:
Technology and Networking- Its like the New Reformation! I’ll explain why….

Who here knows about Martin Luther?? Not Martin Luther King (He was all about reformation!!), but the old Martin Luther!


BACK ROUND:
Martin Luther was born on 10 November 1483 in Germany, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire. He was baptized as a Catholic. His family moved to Mansfeld, Germany in 1484. Martin’s father wanted him to become a lawyer. He sent Martin to Latin schools where he learned grammar, rhetoric, and logic. Luther later compared his education to purgatory and hell. In 1501, at the age of nineteen, he entered University and received his master’s degree in 1505.

Luther enrolled in law school that year but dropped out almost immediately, believing that law represented uncertainty. Luther sought assurances about life and was drawn to theology and philosophy. He was deeply influenced by two tutors who taught him to be suspicious of even the greatest thinkers and to test everything himself by experience. Philosophy proved to be unsatisfying, offering assurance about the use of reason but none about loving God, which to Luther was more important. Reason could not lead men to God, he felt, and he thereafter developed a love-hate relationship with Aristotle over the latter’s emphasis on reason. For Luther, reason could be used to question men and institutions, but not God. Human beings could learn about God only through divine revelation, he believed, and Scripture therefore became increasingly important to him.

Martin received a dramatic call on his life on 2 July 1505. He was on horseback during a thunderstorm and a lightning bolt struck near him as he was returning to university after a trip home. Later telling his father he was terrified of death and divine judgment, he cried out, “Help! I will become a monk!” He came to view his cry for help as a vow he could never break. He left law school, sold his books, and entered a closed Augustinian friary on 17 July 1505. His father was furious over what he saw as a waste of Luther’s education. Nothing like Daddy issues!

REFORMATION
In 1516-17, Johann Tetzel, a Dominican friar and papal commissioner for indulgences, was sent to Germany by the Roman Catholic Church to sell indulgences to raise money to rebuild St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Roman Catholic theology stated that faith alone, whether fiduciary or dogmatic, cannot justify man and that only such faith as is active in charity and good works can justify man. The benefits of good works could be obtained by donating money to the church.

Strongly disputing the claim that freedom from God’s punishment of sin could be purchased with money, Martin Luther penned his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517 and posted them on the door of All Saints Church. His refusal to retract all of his writings at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 resulted in his excommunication by the pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the emperor.

Luther taught that salvation is not from good works, but a free gift of God, received only by grace through faith in Jesus as redeemer from sin. His theology challenged the authority of the pope of the Roman Catholic Church by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge and considered all baptised Christians to be a holy priesthood. Those who identify with Luther’s teachings are called Lutherans.

Martin’s 95 Theses were quickly translated from Latin into German, printed, and widely copied, making the controversy one of the first in history to be aided by the printing press.Within two weeks, copies of the theses had spread throughout Germany; within two months throughout Europe.

Luther’s writings circulated widely, reaching France, England, and Italy as early as 1519. Students thronged to Wittenberg to hear Luther speak. He translated the bible from Latin to German in 1522, and the Word of God spread like wildfire.

Martin Luther was also a prolific songwriter, penning many hymns still sung in church today!
Talk about Viral spreading of a message. Think God had something to do with it? YES!

What can we learn from Martin Luther, other than he was a radical guy who disliked the system and set out to change it?? Martin was in the right place at the right time, and technology played a huge part in how God changed HIS-STORY!

Technology played a part in communicating to the masses, who came together, and changed the system. Same thing now. Just faster technology! Internet- provided a way for artists to skip the middle man, and go right to the people.

INTERNET

We all know about the Internet.. Al Gore invented it back in 1990:) 


The WWW stands for the Wild Wild West, it’s every cowboy artist for themselves, and it’s up to them to rope themselves some friends, fans, and followers.

The internet has opened up a pandora’s box of self publishing and mass communication. That is good and bad!

Good in that every artist has the same platform to share their talent.
Bad in that every artist has the same platform to share their talent, and the internet is glutted with content.

How do you stand out from the crowd? You have to be very good at what you do, and you need to get people excited about what you are doing to where they tell others about what you are doing. That is called VIRAL, like how a virus spreads from person to person.

Jesus was our first example of going viral! He attracted lots of curious people who were impacted by His content, and talked about him to others. This caused crowds to grow at his appearances and it eventually cost him his life.

Matthew 4:25
Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.

Matthew 7:28
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching,

Matthew 8:1
When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him.

What drew the crowds?
Jesus was passionate and excellent, and he came to serve the people. Jesus pointed OUTWARD, not INWARD. Who are you pointing towards? Are you doing what you do for selfish ambition, or to enrich humankind and increase the Kingdom of Heaven?
======================
Indie TIps

Part of my mission is to help artistic creatives think about their mission, and encourage them to grow and mature as believers. In a way, I am like Martin Luther, nailing my Thesis on the wall of the Internet.


HEART


INDIETIP: God wants your heart, not your art. How is your heart? Art is subjective to people, but God sees our heart just as it is.


Psalm 51:10

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Matthew 5:8

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Hebrews 10:22

let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water

ART



INDIETIP: Be Great at what you do! Practice, practice, practice! Constant and Never Ending Improvement



2 Chronicles 34:12

The men did the work faithfully. Over them to direct them were Jahath and Obadiah, Levites descended from Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, descended from Kohath. The Levites—all who were skilled in playing musical instruments

2 Chronicles 34 

Psalm 33:3

Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.


ADVANCEMENT



INDIETIP: Your big break comes when you are broken of self. As you decrease, He will increase and through doing this, He will open doors of opportunity that you have humbly knocked on.

Psalm 51:16-17

NIV
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; 
 you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; 
 a broken and contrite heart, 
O God, you will not despise.

MESSAGE BIBLE
16-17 Going through the motions doesn’t please you, a flawless performance is nothing to you. 
 I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered.
Heart-shattered lives ready for love don’t for a moment escape God’s notice.


HUMILITY

INDIETIP: The most important talent one can possess is humility. Humility unlocks creativity!


Philippians 2:3

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

CALLING



INDIETIP: We are called to one thing and that us to be a disciple of Christ. Everything else is a desire. In my opinion, we sling around the word “Calling” to validate our desire. A calling sounds more “serious” and official. Desires are wonderful! God wants to give us the desires of our heart.

Ephesians 4:1

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

WORKS AND FAITH



INDIETIP: Works and Faith are a great tag team!
One without the other is dead. I say 100% work plus 100% faith= 200% success or increase
Anything less is 100% mediocrity.
We must create the momentum, through obedience.
We roll the stone, He raises the dead! We gather the jugs and He makes wine.

James 2:14
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?

James 2:17
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
James 2:22
You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.

FOOLISHNESS



INDIETIP: The foolish try to figure out the path of lease resistance. The path of least resistance is often the most. Impatience, unbridled desire, unrealistic expectations and pride causes us to do foolish things.


Proverbs 8:5

You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, gain understanding. ANALOGY: Mississippi River- winds back and forth.FOCUS!!! Define what it is you want to do and then focus on that mission.

ASK, SEEK, KNOCK



INDIETIP: Doors do not open unless we first knock on them.
Don’t expect the door to fly open if you just walk up to the door and stare at the knob. You must ask, seek and knock.. and probably more than once. God may not open the door right away. He may not open the door at all. Do not make an idol out of your dreams and desires. Keep Christ in the center of your life. When you put your desires ahead of your relationship with God, expect hardship and frustration because of the misappropriation of priorities.

Matthew 7:7-8, Luke 11:9-10

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Jeremiah 16:19
O LORD, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in time of distress, to you the nations will come from the ends of the earth and say, “Our fathers possessed nothing but false gods, worthless idols that did them no good.


RUN THE RACE



INDIETIP: Those who run the race have the opportunity to get the prize, but those who sit and wait are waiters. We must continue on and push through.
Repetition>Resistance=Definition


1 Corinthians 9:24-25
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

Romans 5:3-4 
Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

TRUST



INDIETIP: There are situations and circumstances that we will not be able to figure out, that won’t make sense, that will cause us great concern. Lean on these scriptures, and by all means.. continue to create momentum so He will make your paths straight. Fear is temporary atheism. God always comes through if we trust in Him.

Psalm 28:7

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight


BELIEVE



INDIETIP: If you believe in your mission, regardless of what it may be, God will reward you!



Matthew 14:31

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”



Hebrews 11:6

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Keep up the excellent faith-work!
Keith Mohr

I came across these articles today, even though it is targeted for secular artists, much of the info can be adapted to Christians. The only thing I don’t like is they do not mention Indieheaven:) But thats OK.. they will soon! (working on that!)
Take a read, it’s really good stuff!

So you want to make it in the music business?

What you need to know about do it yourself music: part 1

20 questions every band should answer

Want the recipe for band magic?

What’s a band to do? advice from the other side.

Before you record your music: part 1

Choosing a music producer and recording studio (Before your record your music: part 2)

Making the most of your recording session (Before you record your music: part 3)

Choosing a music producer and recording studio (Before your record your music: part 2)

What you need to know about do it yourself music: part 1

Do it yourself music: part 2 — What not to do

Secrets of social networking for bands — Do it yourself music: part 3

Social media basics for bands — Do it yourself music: part 4

Social media strategies for bands — Do it yourself music: part 5

Check out an interview Indieheaven President Keith Mohr gave to “Voice Of Truth Radio” on Saturday, August 4, 2009. Keith shares his testimony, his thoughts on the CCM Industry, how to succeed as an independent artist, and much more!

You can also download it by right clicking this link and selecting “save as”.
http://www.indieheaven.com/mp3/votr_interview_080409.mp3

I’ve been busy lately writing a book called MISSION:POSSIBLE. It’s something I have been meaning to do for awhile, but just haven’t had enough time, or desire, or both to get a “roundtoit.” However, recently, I have a new sense of urgency to write my book and tell my story. I recently hired a publicist to help me communicate the mission and vision of my Indieheaven organization. I have received quite an education on the importance of telling the story of your mission.

For musicians and artists, telling your story can open doors of opportunity, draw new friends and fans your way, and connect with people in a more personable manner. As we all know by now, music is everywhere. There has never been a time in history where music has been more embedded into the fabric of culture. Music is like water, if you are thirsty, you find a water fountain, press the button, and out it comes. Same goes for the internet. Everywhere you go, there is music to check out. There are more artists than ever promoting their music online. Everyone wants to be the next big thing. So, how does an artist stand out among the rest?

The answer is by telling your story. We all have a story. We are all part of His-Story. I know what you are thinking, “so what about my story, there isn’t anything about my story that people would like.” Don’t sell yourself short. Our story is our testimony. It is a documentation of how God has worked in our lives. By telling your story, you are being vulnerable, transparent, and authentic. And this is what draws people to artistic creatives these days.

I believe people are drawn to artists who are creating compelling content that breaks industry rules and serves others by enriching their lives. Songs can certainly communicate vulnerability, transparency, and authenticity to a listener. A blog, a post on a social network, or even a “tweet” on Twitter can also attract people to you, who can then turn into a fan of your music and engage you on a personal level. And engagement is the name of the game for anyone on a mission to increase the scope and breadth of their influence online.

I have seen this firsthand in my experiments on Twitter and Facebook. What I have found is that people will engage me as I share thought provoking posts, blogs, and articles. And this is what draws artists to join my Indieheaven organization, or someone to Indieheaven to see what it’s all about. Now, I am not the most language savvy writer, I joke that I took English as a foreign language in high school. And that’s OK, you don’t have to be a brainiac in order to draw people your way. Simply let what’s on your mind or in your heart to flow out. Most times, what flows out spontaneously is the sweetest nectar. It’s after nitpicking yourself that “analysis paralysis” sets in, and the sweetness of what you shared is lost.

So, let’s get back to telling our story. I have found it to be a challenging exercise to write my story in as few words as possible, yet with enough content to communicate the most important parts of my story. When sharing your story, stick to important events, and life lessons you have learned. Be careful not to go off on bunny trails and tangents that will cause people to tune out and move onto something else. Make the ordinary, extraordinary by the word choices and the cadence of your sentences. Be artistic, be creative, and be compelling! Don’t allow “you know who” to tell you your story isn’t important, and that people won’t care. You know where you know who can go! I challenge you to take time to write out your life story and share it with people. You might be surprised by the response. You just might gain some new friends, fans, and followers! Have fun and keep up the excellent faith-work!

Keith Mohr

Keith is founder/president of Indieheaven.com, an organization for independent Christian musicians, song writers and artists.. For more info, visit: www.indieheaven.com. Keith also produces the Christian Independent Alliance Summit, a yearly seminar for independents to learn how to be better independents, together. For more info, visit: www.ciasummit.com. Keith also founded The Christian Independent Alliance, an organization who assists independent Christian musicians with fundraising for their music missions. For more info, visit, www.cialliance.org.
Follow Keith on Twitter: www.twitter.com/keithmohr

I had a great time this past weekend! I was invited to speak about the Future of the Music Industry at the Texas Christian Songwriter Association state conference. TXCSA founder, John Hershenberg contacted me on my FACEBOOK PROFILE. John and myself are like twins, we both enjoy networking and serving Christian musicians, performing artists and songwriters.

This was the first conference for John, and he did an excellent job putting together the event. The conference was held at the Texas Rangers Baseball Stadium in Arlington, TX. in an executive suite/skybox. When I learned where John was holding the event, I thought, wow.. very cool!

I love baseball and played through high school, some college, and was hoping to get drafted! In 1981, I pitched BP for the Baltimore Orioles after a long strike in the middle of the season. Check out a pic of me, when I was just 19.. Ahh yes.. the Glory Days!! Read a Blog about my baseball experience. I didn’t get drafted, I had hurt my arm and the powers that be were concerned I would not be able to keep throwing at 94mph.

Anyway, back to our story.. I flew from Nashvegas to Dallas on Friday, May 29 and John picked me up at the airport. What a great guy! Almost right away, he was telling me about an artist he is working with and a song I needed to hear. He let me take a listen to a new song he had produced for one of his artists, Stephanie on his indie label, FSH Records. I was very impressed with the song, the production, and Stephanie had an excellent voice.

John dropped me off at The Sheraton, which was right next to 6 Flags over Texas, and only a few blocks from the baseball stadium, and the new Cowboys stadium, which was very cool looking! After a quick check in, I walked over the the Rangers Stadium. Here’s a pic. What a cool stadium, and a gorgeous day!

I made my way up to the entrance to the executive offices and told the security guy my name and that I was on “the list.” Lo and behold, I was on “the list!” I thought, this guy John has it together, how refreshing! I took the elevator to level 3 and made my way to Suite 302. I walked in and, “WOW!” It was so cool. The suite was right behind the centerfield fence. The view of the field was INCREDIBLE! Check out a pic, this is NOT a postcard, this pic was right off my camera. You could not have asked for a more gorgeous day!

 

The Rangers were playing a doubleheader against the Oakland A’s, and watching the game from this vantage point was way cool! I loved the stadium, behind center field was a large open space, and they had a small baseball field where kids could hit wiffle balls and play a game. I thought wow, now THAT is a great way to create special moments for future season ticket holders. Very smart, those Texas Rangers! Check out a pic of what they have going on.

Rangers Stadium reminded me of “Oriole Park at Camden Yards,” I like the old style look of these stadiums. Oh, how I longed to run out on the pitchers mound and strike out some batters! I was thinking “what if..what if I were drafted back in 1981.. I wondered how different my life would have become. That’s for another blog! Check out the view of the right field stands.

Friday evening was meet and greet time, and I met about 50 attendees. Very nice folks, all of them. There were even a few of my Indieheaven members there! Here’s a pic of Jennifer Hildebrand, myself, and Debbie Rice of the group Faith:Refined.

After a wonderful mexican fiesta dinner, the meet and greet continued while the 2nd game of the doubleheader was played. The stadium was wonderful in the evening, after the sun set, the temperature went from about 100 to about 80 in 10 minutes! Here’s a pic of the stadium at night. Awesome!

And, since we were schmoozing and mingling, we grabbed a pic of myself and TXCSA founder, John Hershenberg.

The Rangers ended up winning both games, and after the game ended, they had an awesome fireworks show. They turned out the big lights and shot them off in a parking lot behind the stadium. We couldn’t see most of them because they were behind us, but every now and then, they would shoot some off on the other side of the stadium. I opened the shutter and took a few long exposure shots. Check these out!

Check out this pic, the stadium glowed RED from the huge fireworks that went off behind us. Very cool shot!

After the fireworks were over, John had 14 attendees share their songs in an open mic. I had a great time watching and listening to everyone share their talent. I could tell this was a special group of people who simply loved to write songs and share them with others. Very refreshing!! These folks “get it!”

About midnight, we walked back to the hotel and I stayed up half the night as usual, catching up on email and taking care of Indieheaven business.

DAY 2- Saturday, May 31, 2009
Morning came too early for me, I like to get 8 hours of sleep a night, so my day usually runs from 11am until 3 am. This day, I only got about 4 1/2 hours of sleep. Arghhh!! And, I had to give a speech about the future of Christian music. I had not even started to put my thoughts down in writing. Oh my! It’s never good for me to “wing it.” I like to have at least an outline. My mind is like a speeding train, which eventually flies off the track, crashes and burns!

I walked back over to the stadium and grabbed a few cups of coffee and some doughnut holes and a little hotdog/wiener thingy. I grabbed my Macbook pro and want to a back room to start writing out my thoughts. As I listened to John start the day with worship, it was beautiful to hear attendees sing in perfect harmony. That always amazes me, even at my own CIA Summit Conferences, there is something extraordinary when God’s minstrels sing to Him. Powerful!!

After worship, John shared information about their organization, did some vision casting (which I love!) and whipped attendees into a frothy frenzy about his goal to have chapters all over the USA and world. I love world domination! Meanwhile, I am smoking up my keyboard as my outline was quickly becoming a book! I figured it’s better to have too much info than not enough and leave everyone in a daze after my sharing time:)

Which leads to my time to share. Before I started my talk, I grabbed my camera and took a picture of attendees. I told them to check out this blog to see my recap and their pic. Smart of me, huh? I have learned the ways of the force, Luke. Look at all these good looking folks, all eager to hear what yours truly had to impart. No pressure!

I asked John to put up a few pics from my thumb drive on the nice LCD Screen behind me. Never had that before, a Keith Mohr Multi-Media experience! Keith’s World, party time.. Keith’s World! (some of you reading this probably have no clue why I wrote that:) Here’s a pic of me in action! See that smile on my face? This pic is a miracle to me. I used to be PETRIFIED to speak in front of people. Nowadays, I LOVE to share what I have learned over the past 12 years as an “Independent Creative Entrepreneur.” I love how God calls the equipped and equips the called. You are seeing it in action!

Want to hear my talk in full? Here it is! Hope you like it. Let me know by leaving a comment!!!

You can also download it by right clicking this link and selecting “save as”.
http://www.indieheaven.com/mp3/keith_mohr_053009.mp3

The talk went well, attendees responding positively, and I felt I had shared the message they needed to hear, even though I only shared half of my teaching (hint to John, have me back next year to finish my message.) Actually, you can get my notes by clicking HERE. I started off my talk getting them to repeat after me, I – AM – GOOD- ENOUGH! I have found artistic creatives put a lot of pressure on themselves to be perfect, and base their self-worth on acceptance from others. That’s what makes them creative in the first place, but once they understand they are all good enough for God to use them for His purposes, the million pound weights they place on themselves are lifted off. Now, they are free to create simply because they love to create. How refreshing!

I also shared a lot of great info from the book “A Whole New Mind” by Daniel Q Pink. Daniel explains we are moving into a new era, the conceptual era, and that creatives who impact culture via High Concept-High Touch will be the most successful in business, and life. Check out the book and buy it On AMAZON.COM.

After my teaching time, my buddy, live performance coach and all around wise guy, (I mean that with mucho respecto) Tom Jackson shared his thoughts and worked with a band live, in a space that was about 8 foot by 5 foot. He still was able to make em better! Amazing. Here’s a pic of Tom in action. By the way, Tom recently worked with Taylor Swift on her live show for 5 weeks!

After Tom finished his teaching time, it was time for Tom and myself to head down to the the area behind the center field bleachers for a refreshment and a brat. Wow, was that ever good! We had a great conversation about many subjects, including plans to have Tom and myself put together my next CIA Summit conference, and some regional training events. Sounds like a God meeting to me! We live in the same area, near Nashville, TN but rarely connect because we are so busy all the time. So, to connect in Texas Ranger Stadium was a real treat. Tom is a great person!

Check out a few pics I took while down near the bleacher seats.

While we were watching the game, we found out that Mark Hall, from Casting Crowns stopped by the Skybox to say hi to attendees. Sorry I missed meeting him. The band held a concert outside the stadium before the game. It was Christian day at the ballpark. Rangers beat the tar outta Oakland, 14-1.. See, prayer works! God was on our side!

Here’s a pic of Mark meeting attendees:

After the game, John had about 20 attendees share their songs in another open mic. Wonderful time of hanging out, talking with people, hearing their stories, encouraging them to pursue their passions and create not for commerce, but for service. The lights were going on! I saw many smiles as the evening ended at about 12:30am. I walked back to the hotel and crashed.

I flew back to Nashville this afternoon, had a good flight, read more of the book I shared about above, pondered, thought, looked at God’s creation 39,000 feet below me, and wondered what He is going to do in my life next? I have no idea, but whatever it will be, I’m ready for it! Thanks Lord for providing this wonderful opportunity to go into the world, to meet new friends, see old friends, and get excited about the future!

I do hope you enjoyed this blog and that it has encouraged you and enriched your life in some small way. Be encouraged. Be a blessing. Be real. Be good. Repeat after me: I – AM – GOOD- ENOUGH!