Beware of the Industry

It’s funny how often I’ve been cautioned about “The Industry.” “It’s so hard to break into the industry”…”These days, it’s about who you know”…”The Christian music industry is corrupt”…”Do you know what you’re getting into?”…”Record companies won’t even look at you if you don’t already have a following”…so let me ask all the lawyers, politicians, construction guys/gals, business men, and may I even say it, “ministry folk” out there…were you ever warned about the field you were going to? Were you continually discouraged to drop what you loved because other people had given your “calling” a bad name?

Let me start by saying this…I do know and have noticed that the entertainment industry is pretty twisted…I noticed that a long time ago. It’s often all about competition…even among Christian musicians…C.S. Lewis says it quite rightly that “pride is not about being good; it’s about being better.” (Mere Christianity) Believe me, the whole “Rock Star” attitude totally annoys me, and I pray I will never be so full of myself that I think I’m any better or any higher than anyone else. We’re all parts of the body of Christ, and every part is equally important. “Making of a Rock Star” is not about me…it’s about a concept/idea that I don’t want to be a part of. Anything we have is from God, so why play arrogant? Read this verse: “For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” I Corinthians 4:7. I am a fool if I start putting people on pedestals, or sub-labeling them for what “type of gift” they’ve been given. Aren’t we all guilty of doing this? The silly thing about the music industry is how people are often either considered “gods” or “morons.” I’ve never heard of a kid being mocked for going to school to be an accountant…however, a kid going into music fulltime…especially as an entertainer…you’d better believe it. Let me explain.

Gods: (little g) Anyone who is afforded the opportunity of mass advertising (MTV, CCM magazine, etc.) is easily labeled as “successful”…yet the guy/gal who is just starting off in music is more often than not told to turn around and “go back to his/her day job.” I’m all about encouraging young Christian musicians because unfortunately, music is one of the highest accessed sources of theology these days. It seems like a lot of kids are quicker to believe what comes out of their mp3 player than what their parents or even youth pastor has to say. Sad, I know. Go to any high school and hang out for week. Tell me if you don’t catch that impression.

Morons: Now this is an extremely touchy subject. I think we all have to be wise with our resources, and I’m not going to tell any kid that he should drop college and go try to get on tour with Aerosmith. I personally went to college for communications, so that I can always have something to fall back on, if I just “can’t make a living” doing music. I think the “cast your bread on many waters” is a great illustration (Ecclesiastes 11:1)…talk to any investment counselor, and he will tell you the same thing…”don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” I often come back to this verse: “A man's mind plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9. There is nothing wrong with lots of planning and dreaming, if you constantly remember that God is the one directing your steps. That can also be an encouragement when people around you tell you you’re a “moron” for trying. There are many days when I feel that weight. Sometimes, I feel like people are looking down on me for not having a better car, or a better paying job…and this is the reality I stick to: God is my strength and my source of confidence. When people label me as a “starving musician,” I again look to Christ, my source of meaning and value.

For the aspiring musician, I don’t know that there is much of an in between. When you’re “low” (poor but trying), you may get ridiculed…and if you’re ever “high” (famous on MTV), you’ll have to battle away the thought that you’re above everyone else, as people will more than likely pour undue praise upon you.

In conclusion, I would agree, the music industry is an incredibly tough one. I live it every day. You’re talking to a guy who laid down a $30,000+ job for what some would call a “pipe dream.” Am I financially poor? Absolutely. Am I famous? Not that I know of. Am I loved and secure? Yes. Beyond a doubt.

We all seek after security…whether that means a steady job, a beautiful wife, a healthy 401K…but here’s the reality: any of those things can be pulled out from us at any given moment. The tragedies of our world are a testament. There is a bigger, more dangerous industry than the music industry…above all else, my friend, let’s remain cautious of the industry we’re all a victim of…materialism.