Crowdfunding Replacing Labels?

Many articles have been written on the impact of crowdfunding on entertainment.  Has crowdfunding begun to replace labels in the Christian market?  Below is a partial list of artists who've gone this route in recent years:

Artists who have been on labels fairly recently, but are now cutting out the middleman with crowdfunding:
Thousand Foot Krutch (Kickstarter)
Jars of Clay (PledgeMusic)
Disciple (Kickstarter)
Manafest (PledgeMusic)
Fireflight (PledgeMusic)
Jimmy Needham (Kickstarter)
Audrey Assad (Kickstarter)
Abandon (Kickstarter)
Hawk Nelson (Kickstarter)
Mike Farris (Kickstarter)
Seabird (Kickstarter)
33Miles (Kickstarter)
Beckah Shae (Kickstarter)
Anthem Lights (Kickstarter)
The Monks (Kickstarter)
Gungor  (Kickstarter)
The Vespers (Kickstarter)


John Elefante (Kickstarter)
Steve Taylor (Kickstarter)
Guardian (Kickstarter)
Bryan Duncan (Kickstarter)
The Choir (Kickstarter)
John Schlitt (Kickstarter)
Out of the Grey (Kickstarter)
Crystal Lewis (Kickstarter)
Bloodgood (Kickstarter)
Michael Roe (Kickstarter)
Big Tent Revival (Kickstarter)
Pillar (Kickstarter)
Carman (Kickstarter)
Daniel Amos  (Kickstarter)
Christafari (Kickstarter)
OC Supertones (Kickstarter)
Natalie LaRue (Kickstarter)
Cherri Keaggy (Kickstarter)

Fresh off labels:
Warren Barfield  (Kickstarter)
Scott MacIntyre (Kickstarter)
Chris Sligh (Kickstarter)
Robbie Seay Band (Kickstarter)
Children 18:3 (Kickstarter)
The Sonflowerz (Kickstarter)
Benjamin Dunn (Kickstarter)
Samestate (Kickstarter)
Sevenglory (Kickstarter)
Tal & Acacia (Kickstarter)
Above the Golden State (Kickstarter)
After Edmund (Kickstarter)

Did we forget anyone?

Legendary Vocalists John Schlitt of Petra and John Elefante of Kansas Announce Joint Tour

Grammy-winning vocalists John Schlitt and John Elefante have announced a tour in late 2014 that will bring together the two legendary singers for a one-of-a-kind music experience.

The tour, titled Voices of Rock, features Schlitt, lead singer of Petra and former lead singer with Head East, and Elefante, who is known for his work with Kansas, as well as Mastedon.

"John's career and my career cover many facets of music, in both the mainstream and Christian arenas. With the history of Kansas, Mastedon, Petra, Head East and our own solo projects, we can cover many subjects through a Christian perspective," Schlitt says.

"By diving into these histories--both musically and spiritually--our concerts will not only be enjoyable and entertaining, but a valuable teaching tool as well," says Schlitt. "It's always a privilege to share the stage with an A-class artist--and John Elefante certainly is one of them."

Elefante, along with his brother Dino, has worked with Schlitt for several decades, primarily as producer for a number of Petra albums. The Elefantes have produced or been involved with 11 of Petra's 27 album releases, including three Grammy winners and multiple Grammy nominees, two RIAA Certified Gold records, and nine Dove Award-winning projects.The upcoming tour, however, will mark the first time the John Schlitt and John Elefante will share a stage.

"John and I have a long and productive history together with Petra, but now we're teaming up as vocalists on the same stage," Elefante says. "You'll hear our own history of rock, with songs from Kansas, Head East, Petra, and our current solo music. It's a new adventure that I'm really looking forward to."

John Elefante of Kansas Fame Returns with New Album

John Elefante is back with a new solo album, "On My Way to the Sun" to be released May 7th.

The 4 time Grammy Award winner is best known for his time as the lead vocalist for the multi-platinum rock outfit Kansas. And fans will be delighted to find that the opening track, "This Is How The Story Goes," reunites Elefante with former Kansas bandmates Rich Williams and David Ragsdale.

"Lyrically, I have more inside me that I need to say, more I need to express and convey than ever before," says Elefante of what just may be the most personal project of his career. One of the album's highlights is the song, "This Time," which tells the story of a young teen's divine encounter at an abortion clinic that ultimately leads her to save her baby. The somewhat autobiographical song touches close to home for Elefante, whose adopted daughter was rescued from abortion.

"This is one the easiest songs I have ever written," says Elefante. "I was able to put myself in the place and time where my daughter was so close to being aborted. It was so divinely vivid to me because this story was meant to be told. I don't know all of the fine details but I do know that on that day God said, 'No! You're not taking this one - This Time.'"

In addition to Kansas and his solo work, Elefante's extensive resume includes writing and performance contributions on more than 100 albums that shaped popular American music. In 1993, Elefante and his brother Dino founded The Sound Kitchen in Franklin, Tennessee, which quickly became the largest recording studio in the southeast and an instant draw for such top acts as Bruce Springsteen, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Natalie Grant, Amy Grant, Keith Urban, Third Day, Jewel, Jimmy Buffett, Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley and many more.

Best Male Christian Vocalists of All Time

Below is our list for the best male Christian vocalists of all time.

This list is not just based on vocal prowess, criteria also include song quality, impact on industry, ability to play an instrument and/or craft a song, and of course my personal bias...

10.  Matthew West
9. Ken Tamplin
8. Michael Tait (also of dc Talk & Newsboys) & Kevin Max (also of dc Talk and Audio A)
7. John Elefante
6. Michael Sweet (also of Stryper fame)

5. Michael W. Smith

4. Jeremy Camp
3. Bryan Duncan

2. Steven Curtis Chapman

1. Russ Taff

Honorable Mentions:

Brandon Heath

Charlie Peacock

Chris Tomlin

Mark Schultz
Phil Keaggy
Todd Agnew
Warren Barfield

On the way to establishing post-band career:
Peter Furler (of Newsboys)
John Schlitt (of Petra fame)
Martin Smith (of delirious?)

To make the list manageable, we've also excluded vocalists who are primarily fronting a band without a body of solo work.  That list is here.

Thoughts?

John Elefante To Join Stryper on stage at BamaJam 2012

BamaJam 2012 announced today that Michael Sweet and John Elefante will be joining rock band Stryper on stage at BamaJam Farms Friday, June 15.  They join the previously-announced star studded lineup of Kid Rock, Tim McGraw, Zac Brown Band, Alan Jackson, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, NEEDTOBREATHE, Ronnie Milsap, Third Day and others, with more to be announced in the upcoming weeks. BamaJam 2012 will be held Thursday, June 14 through Saturday, June 16 in Enterprise, Alabama.

“When we said we were putting on a multi-genre event, we weren’t kidding,” said Rendy Lovelady, executive producer of BamaJam 2012. “We have more than 40 acts left to announce which will make this event one of the greatest collection of talent ever in this region.”