As I’ve been working towards the launch of Re:Sound, the future musical division of the Resurgence, I’ve looked at a lot of different ideas on how to put out music. At this stage in the game, the list of options reads more like a Chinese menu than Chipotle, and it’s more than a bit overwhelming. I recently came upon this interview with Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. While Trent is not a Christian in any way, shape, or form, he has had a solid 20-year run with his band. He has covered every end of the music industry from major label releases, to running his own label, to his current and very unique brand of independent distribution.

Trent has no love for the conventional music industry, and his view is that the old model is basically dead. However, no other unified model has risen up yet to take its place. He gives the following advice to artists on how to proceed in an industry in transition:

1. Identify What You Are Trying to Do

If you are working to be a pop superstar with the mass appeal of Justin Timberlake or the American Idol scene, then you need a major label with all their resources behind you. If you are trying to change the world, and you feel like your music is more unique and creative, then you might not want a major label. You need to find a way to connect directly with your audience.

2. Hone Your Craft

Content is king, and you want to put out the very best music you are capable of. You should also work to present your music in a way that exploits your strengths. Be creative.

3. Think of the Filters You Use to Find Your Music

Go to those filters (blogs, websites, and networks) and spread the word about your music. Use word of mouth to your advantage among the networks of people most likely to appreciate your work. Then work out from there.

Do Not Conform to the Pattern

Reznor is working towards a very different goal than the glory of God, but I think there is real wisdom in his words. We have a strong tendency to be passively conformed to the patterns, schemes, and business models of the world. While our music may (and rightly should) sound like the music of the world at times, we have a very different truth, purpose, and goal in mind. Why should we assume the same business and distribution models would be appropriate? We must instead be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:2). Then, through prayerful thought, research, and planning, we may discern how to proceed to the glory of Jesus.

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Recently Mars Hill Church in Seattle, in partnership of God’s Block Ministry, hosted Cross Movement HIStory Tour. Resurgence was able to grab some interviews with some of the artists. This interview is with the Ambassador who is also one of the pastors in Philadelphia at Epiphany Fellowship. Special thanks to Jason Wendorf, a deacon at Mars Hill Church, for conducting the interview.

In parts 4 & 5 of Mark Driscoll's Dick Staub interview listen to how he sees people are linking their identity to music and how music today really exposes the theme music of your life. In the same way we need to realize that even Christian music needs to connect to their story and not just be superficial. Does our music mimic the culture or does Christian music express the depths of God in relation to man?

You can run on for a long time, Run on for a long time
Run on for a long time...
Sooner or later God'll cut you down

Driving home from work last week, I couldn't find anything tolerable on the radio until I landed on Seattle's alleged "alternative" station 107.7 The End. Here I stumbled, quite surprisingly, on the familiar cadence of a dead man reminding listeners of God's inevitable justice. This new song caught my attention for two distinct reasons: one, the singer/songwriter Johnny Cash has been dead since 2003. Two, it strikes me as ironic that so many people in our city would be tapping their feet and resonating with a song that is simultaneously indicting them.

Last summer I got a call from a writer named Andrew Beaujon at Spin magazine. He wanted to interview me for a book he was writing on the history of Christian rock music. He was not a Christian but had made himself very knowledgeable of Christian-ese language and culture and seemed, in our brief conversation, to be a good enough guy. I recently received a copy of the new book, Body Piercing Saved My Life: Inside the Phenomenon of Christian Rock. It is a good book that follows Christian rock history up to the present, with the benefit of being evaluated through the eyes of a non-Christian. Beaujon reports that sales of Christian music totaled 47 million albums in 2003-outselling jazz, classical music, and New Age combined, with sales climbing 10% each year for the past five years. Obviously, this subject is important and intriguing.