The recent interview Warren Throckmorton had with Sutton Turner and Dave Bruskas featured, among other things, mention that there was some tension between Mark wanting his products promoted and the nascent would-be Mars Hill Music getting off the ground. That reminded me that I got word of a project by Maren Haynes through the University of Washington. The PhD dissertation ...
Showing posts with label resound and other MH music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label resound and other MH music. Show all posts
Thursday, July 30, 2020
Saturday, August 23, 2014
a history of MH attempts at record labels 2009-2013 postlude: the problem in Driscoll saying "not even close" in his March 2014 statement on The City, the music label was part of the vision at the beginning
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/warrenthrockmorton/2014/03/14/mark-driscoll-addresses-mars-hill-church-about-best-seller-issue-church-discord/
On (or maybe before?)March 14, 2014 one Mark Driscoll posted a letter on The City to Mars Hill Church, which Warren Throckmorton has linked to via two different avenues.
http://wp.patheos.com.s3.amazonaws.com/blogs/warrenthrockmorton/files/2014/03/MHCletterMD.png
For those of you who have been around for a while, it is amazing for us to see all that Jesus has done. People often ask if our church today resembles what I had originally planned. Not even close. The smallest location of a Mars Hill Church is bigger than what my total vision was for the whole church when we started.
In the second paragraph of that letter posted to The City (which has been widely and erroneously interpreted as and presented as a public apology of any kind for anything), Mark Driscoll stated that people had often asked if Mars Hill today resembles what Mark Driscoll had originally planned. There's a problem with "Not even close." The problem is that in both Confessions of a Reformission Rev from 2006 and the fundraising film God's Work, Our Witness from 2011 Mark Driscoll explicitly said he had dreams of starting a school and a music label from the earliest stages of planting Mars Hill. You might have to hunt a bit to find the pertinent clip. A chapter or heading "Launching Mars Hill Church" may be of help.
http://marshill.com/media/gods-work-our-witness/gods-work-our-witness
God's Work, Our Witness Part 1
Pastor Mark Driscoll
about 12:30 in
You know, and I thought, for sure, we’d probably tap out at two hundred. I thought if we can get this
thing to two hundred, that would be amazing.
And I had big vision for more. I put together a forty-page vision statement. I said, “We’re going to
start a school. We’re going to plant churches. We’re going to do a record label.” I had this whole vision, and I handed it out to, like, fifteen people, and they’re like, “Are you kidding me?”
So I had big dreams. But to be honest with you, man, if we could just get up to two hundred, I thought that would be amazing.
About 200? http://web.archive.org/web/20010305230251/http://www.marshill.fm/who/our_history.htm
From "Seasons of Grace" by Mark Driscoll
In the fourth season, we launched the church in October 1996 at 6pm with an attendance around 200, which included many friends and supporters. The attendance leveled off shortly thereafter, somewhere around 100 adults, and we continued meeting until the Christmas season.
So at the launch of Mars Hill Church, according to Mark Driscoll's "Seasons of Grace" they had already launched at the number that Driscoll was saying in the 2011 film would be "amazing".
With that in mind, let's revisit the 2006 book
Confessions of a Reformission Rev
Mark Driscoll
Copyright (c) 2006 by Mark Driscoll
Zondervan
ISBN-13: 978-0-310-27016-4
ISBN-10: 0-310-27016-2CHAPTER ONE: Jesus, Our Offering was $137 and I Want to Use it to Buy Bullets
0-45 people
from pages 53-54
So in an effort to clarify our mission, I wrote down on paper the first of what would eventually be many strategic plans. I shot for the moon rather foolishly and decided that our church that was not big enough to fill a bus would plant multiple churches, run a concert venue, start a Bible institute, write books, host conferences, and change the city for Jesus. I started handing out these goals printed on boring white paper without any graphics, colors, or cool fonts, naively assuming that it would all happen eventually just because it was what Jesus wanted.
To get leaders in place for world domination, I also spent time trying to articulate the vision in my head to good men who would be qualified to rise up as fellow elders-pastors. So, as Jesus did, I spent time in prayer asking the Father which of his sons should be trained for leadership. The church started as an idea I shared with Lief Moi and Mike Gunn. Lief is a descendant of Genghis Khan and his dad was a murderer, and Mike is a former football player. They proved to be invaluable, except for the occasional moments when they would stand toe-to-toe in a leadership meeting, threatening to beat the Holy Spirit out of each other. Both men were older than I and had years of ministry experience, and they were good fathers, loving husbands, and tough. ...
So now this year Driscoll has said, "The smallest location of a Mars Hill Church is bigger than what my total vision was for the whole church when we started." For Driscoll to have made that statement in March 2014 is to say something that flies in the face of things he's said on record in print and in film over a period ranging from 2006-2011. There was a vision of starting a music label since either the launch of Mars Hill Church or to go by the numbers and the timeline laid out in Confessions of a Reformission Rev to a period even before the official launch of Mars Hill Church.
"Not even close" is hard to sustain based on Mark Driscoll's own testimony. If anything it is only right now that Mars Hill Music has been in partnership with Tooth & Nail (after Re:Sound failed and after Mars Hill Music was announced) and on the eve of Mars Hill Schools launching (after the disappearance of the 2005 Capstone Institute and the dormancy of the Resurgence Training Center) that Mars Hill is on the cusp of things Mark Driscoll envisioned since the dawn of Mars Hill Church.
On (or maybe before?)March 14, 2014 one Mark Driscoll posted a letter on The City to Mars Hill Church, which Warren Throckmorton has linked to via two different avenues.
http://wp.patheos.com.s3.amazonaws.com/blogs/warrenthrockmorton/files/2014/03/MHCletterMD.png
For those of you who have been around for a while, it is amazing for us to see all that Jesus has done. People often ask if our church today resembles what I had originally planned. Not even close. The smallest location of a Mars Hill Church is bigger than what my total vision was for the whole church when we started.
http://marshill.com/media/gods-work-our-witness/gods-work-our-witness
God's Work, Our Witness Part 1
Pastor Mark Driscoll
about 12:30 in
You know, and I thought, for sure, we’d probably tap out at two hundred. I thought if we can get this
thing to two hundred, that would be amazing.
And I had big vision for more. I put together a forty-page vision statement. I said, “We’re going to
start a school. We’re going to plant churches. We’re going to do a record label.” I had this whole vision, and I handed it out to, like, fifteen people, and they’re like, “Are you kidding me?”
So I had big dreams. But to be honest with you, man, if we could just get up to two hundred, I thought that would be amazing.
About 200? http://web.archive.org/web/20010305230251/http://www.marshill.fm/who/our_history.htm
From "Seasons of Grace" by Mark Driscoll
In the fourth season, we launched the church in October 1996 at 6pm with an attendance around 200, which included many friends and supporters. The attendance leveled off shortly thereafter, somewhere around 100 adults, and we continued meeting until the Christmas season.
So at the launch of Mars Hill Church, according to Mark Driscoll's "Seasons of Grace" they had already launched at the number that Driscoll was saying in the 2011 film would be "amazing".
Confessions of a Reformission Rev
Mark Driscoll
Copyright (c) 2006 by Mark Driscoll
Zondervan
ISBN-13: 978-0-310-27016-4
ISBN-10: 0-310-27016-2CHAPTER ONE: Jesus, Our Offering was $137 and I Want to Use it to Buy Bullets
0-45 people
from pages 53-54
So in an effort to clarify our mission, I wrote down on paper the first of what would eventually be many strategic plans. I shot for the moon rather foolishly and decided that our church that was not big enough to fill a bus would plant multiple churches, run a concert venue, start a Bible institute, write books, host conferences, and change the city for Jesus. I started handing out these goals printed on boring white paper without any graphics, colors, or cool fonts, naively assuming that it would all happen eventually just because it was what Jesus wanted.
To get leaders in place for world domination, I also spent time trying to articulate the vision in my head to good men who would be qualified to rise up as fellow elders-pastors. So, as Jesus did, I spent time in prayer asking the Father which of his sons should be trained for leadership. The church started as an idea I shared with Lief Moi and Mike Gunn. Lief is a descendant of Genghis Khan and his dad was a murderer, and Mike is a former football player. They proved to be invaluable, except for the occasional moments when they would stand toe-to-toe in a leadership meeting, threatening to beat the Holy Spirit out of each other. Both men were older than I and had years of ministry experience, and they were good fathers, loving husbands, and tough. ...
So now this year Driscoll has said, "The smallest location of a Mars Hill Church is bigger than what my total vision was for the whole church when we started." For Driscoll to have made that statement in March 2014 is to say something that flies in the face of things he's said on record in print and in film over a period ranging from 2006-2011. There was a vision of starting a music label since either the launch of Mars Hill Church or to go by the numbers and the timeline laid out in Confessions of a Reformission Rev to a period even before the official launch of Mars Hill Church.
"Not even close" is hard to sustain based on Mark Driscoll's own testimony. If anything it is only right now that Mars Hill Music has been in partnership with Tooth & Nail (after Re:Sound failed and after Mars Hill Music was announced) and on the eve of Mars Hill Schools launching (after the disappearance of the 2005 Capstone Institute and the dormancy of the Resurgence Training Center) that Mars Hill is on the cusp of things Mark Driscoll envisioned since the dawn of Mars Hill Church.
a history of MH attempts at record labels 2009-2013 part 3: "Mars Hill Music is partnering with Tooth & Nail"
http://www.becrecordings.com/news/4370/Mars_Hill_Music_Partners_with_Tooth_Nail_Records_BEC_Recordings/
POSTED: 01/15/13
Mars Hill Music has entered a partnership with Tooth & Nail Records / BEC Recordings to share the variety of worship bands coming from Mars Hill Church. Located in Seattle, WA, Mars Hill Church is home to 35 worship bands such as Citizens, Kings Kaleidoscope, Ghost Ship, and The Modern Post. On February 12, Tooth & Nail Records / BEC Recordings will release the Mars Hill Music Worship Sampler, a compilation of worship songs as an introduction to bands featured at the church. Click here or below to see an intro video on Mars Hill Music.
...
About Mars Hill Music: Mars Hill Music is made up of a variety of musicians and worship leaders who serve throughout the various Mars Hill locations. Since its humble beginnings in 1996, Mars Hill has been committed to engaging the surrounding culture in order to point people to Jesus. Each Mars Hill band strives to do this with a natural expression and outgrowth of what God is doing in their cities.
This partnership was official and had press materials to go with it. Unlike the previous change in planes announced regarding Re:Sound, there was no indication there were any management or revenue issues. The partnership was announced not just at BEC Recordings but also by Mark Driscoll who, less than a year later, had announced, "Head’s up: we’re starting a record label, and we’re gunning to take over Christian radio."
But in any case, on January 15, 2013 Driscoll let the world know:
http://marshill.com/2013/01/15/mars-hill-music-is-partnering-with-tooth-nail
It’s official: Mars Hill Music has officially signed with Tooth & Nail Records!
We’re incredibly grateful for this partnership. Not only does T&N do amazing work, but many of the folks on staff are members, deacons, and band members at our church. This includes Deacon Jonathan Dunn, who oversees Mars Hill Music after working at T&N for years, and T&N founder/president Brandon Ebel, a personal friend and member of Mars Hill’s Ballard church.
Thank you to all who have supported, prayed for, and participated in this project—including the musicians (many volunteer) whose hard work has turned a big vision into reality. By God’s grace, we’re ready to get some top-notch, Jesus-centered, theologically sound, and artistically rich music into the hands of millions around the world. We have literally dozens of bands in the church and we've done a lot to prepare for this opportunity.
Citizens and Ghost Ship have their first full-length albums nearly done, and Deacon Dustin Kensrue is working on his first-ever worship album after years in the middle of the post-rock scene. Following that, expect to hear from Kings Kaleidoscope as well.
The first LP will be Citizens' self-titled release, due out March 12. Can’t wait? Here’s one of the new tracks, “Made Alive”:
So "We're starting a record label" turned into "We're partnering with Tooth & Nail". Precisely why was never announced and so it isn't a certainty that what were so directly described as management and revenue problems with Re:Sound applied with Mars Hill Music.
The history of Mars Hill attempts at starting music labels seems to be one of DIY initiative swiftly transforming into partnership. Re:Sound sputtered about a year after it was announced over both management and revenue issues, by its own account. Mars Hill Music got a bold announcement from Driscoll but inside of a year the nascent label was announced as a partnership with the already well-established Tooth & Nail/BEC Recordings.
In a history that seems to parallel Mars Hill attempts at starting a Bible college or seminar (Capstone vanished and the Resurgence Training Center only had what looks like one graduating class and is no more, to be replaced by the forthcoming Mars Hill Schools) Mars Hill seems to have set out to change things and shake things up by creating their own music label but at length has entered into a partnership with an existing entity that has the infrastructural and financial resources and competencies to take care of the business side while Mars Hill people focus on the marketable content.
There is another detail that is worth noting about the repeated attempts to start a record label, which is to revisit Mark Driscoll's "public apology" that was posted to The City and then leaked to the public.
POSTED: 01/15/13
Mars Hill Music Partners with Tooth & Nail Records / BEC Recordings
...
About Mars Hill Music: Mars Hill Music is made up of a variety of musicians and worship leaders who serve throughout the various Mars Hill locations. Since its humble beginnings in 1996, Mars Hill has been committed to engaging the surrounding culture in order to point people to Jesus. Each Mars Hill band strives to do this with a natural expression and outgrowth of what God is doing in their cities.
This partnership was official and had press materials to go with it. Unlike the previous change in planes announced regarding Re:Sound, there was no indication there were any management or revenue issues. The partnership was announced not just at BEC Recordings but also by Mark Driscoll who, less than a year later, had announced, "Head’s up: we’re starting a record label, and we’re gunning to take over Christian radio."
But in any case, on January 15, 2013 Driscoll let the world know:
http://marshill.com/2013/01/15/mars-hill-music-is-partnering-with-tooth-nail
It’s official: Mars Hill Music has officially signed with Tooth & Nail Records!
We’re incredibly grateful for this partnership. Not only does T&N do amazing work, but many of the folks on staff are members, deacons, and band members at our church. This includes Deacon Jonathan Dunn, who oversees Mars Hill Music after working at T&N for years, and T&N founder/president Brandon Ebel, a personal friend and member of Mars Hill’s Ballard church.
Thank you to all who have supported, prayed for, and participated in this project—including the musicians (many volunteer) whose hard work has turned a big vision into reality. By God’s grace, we’re ready to get some top-notch, Jesus-centered, theologically sound, and artistically rich music into the hands of millions around the world. We have literally dozens of bands in the church and we've done a lot to prepare for this opportunity.
Citizens and Ghost Ship have their first full-length albums nearly done, and Deacon Dustin Kensrue is working on his first-ever worship album after years in the middle of the post-rock scene. Following that, expect to hear from Kings Kaleidoscope as well.
The first LP will be Citizens' self-titled release, due out March 12. Can’t wait? Here’s one of the new tracks, “Made Alive”:
So "We're starting a record label" turned into "We're partnering with Tooth & Nail". Precisely why was never announced and so it isn't a certainty that what were so directly described as management and revenue problems with Re:Sound applied with Mars Hill Music.
The history of Mars Hill attempts at starting music labels seems to be one of DIY initiative swiftly transforming into partnership. Re:Sound sputtered about a year after it was announced over both management and revenue issues, by its own account. Mars Hill Music got a bold announcement from Driscoll but inside of a year the nascent label was announced as a partnership with the already well-established Tooth & Nail/BEC Recordings.
In a history that seems to parallel Mars Hill attempts at starting a Bible college or seminar (Capstone vanished and the Resurgence Training Center only had what looks like one graduating class and is no more, to be replaced by the forthcoming Mars Hill Schools) Mars Hill seems to have set out to change things and shake things up by creating their own music label but at length has entered into a partnership with an existing entity that has the infrastructural and financial resources and competencies to take care of the business side while Mars Hill people focus on the marketable content.
There is another detail that is worth noting about the repeated attempts to start a record label, which is to revisit Mark Driscoll's "public apology" that was posted to The City and then leaked to the public.
a history of MH attempts at record labels 2009-2013 part 2: Mars Hill Music
On May 2, 2012, Mark Driscoll gave the world a head's up that Mars Hill Church was starting a record label.
http://marshill.com/2012/05/02/were-starting-a-record-label-pastor-mark-interviews-jon-dunn
Pastor Mark Driscoll
May 2, 2012
Head’s up: we’re starting a record label, and we’re gunning to take over Christian radio.
At the helm of the newly minted label, Mars Hill Music, is Deacon Jonathan Dunn, interviewed here by Pastor Mark. Dunn, a founding member of the heavy metal band Demon Hunter, spent a decade at Tooth & Nail/Solid State Records, and was the director of A&R when he felt God calling him to Mars Hill—"one of the top three things ever called to in my life," he says. And he’s got a big vision for Mars Hill Music and bands.
Bottom line, whatever you think has defined “Christian music” up til now, you can forget it: “We don’t limit our bands to the Christian cul-de-sac of U2 circa 1987,” says Dunn. [Editor’s note: Said with all due respect to Joshua Tree and U2, who have a solid contingent of fans at the church.] In short, it’s a label defined by Christ and culture and corporate worship.
By May 2013 the label Mars Hill Music would end up becoming part of a partnership, but a more formalized one than the partnership announced for Re:Sound about a year after it launched. The partnership was going to get coverage.
http://marshill.com/2012/05/02/were-starting-a-record-label-pastor-mark-interviews-jon-dunn
Pastor Mark Driscoll
May 2, 2012
Head’s up: we’re starting a record label, and we’re gunning to take over Christian radio.
At the helm of the newly minted label, Mars Hill Music, is Deacon Jonathan Dunn, interviewed here by Pastor Mark. Dunn, a founding member of the heavy metal band Demon Hunter, spent a decade at Tooth & Nail/Solid State Records, and was the director of A&R when he felt God calling him to Mars Hill—"one of the top three things ever called to in my life," he says. And he’s got a big vision for Mars Hill Music and bands.
Bottom line, whatever you think has defined “Christian music” up til now, you can forget it: “We don’t limit our bands to the Christian cul-de-sac of U2 circa 1987,” says Dunn. [Editor’s note: Said with all due respect to Joshua Tree and U2, who have a solid contingent of fans at the church.] In short, it’s a label defined by Christ and culture and corporate worship.
By May 2013 the label Mars Hill Music would end up becoming part of a partnership, but a more formalized one than the partnership announced for Re:Sound about a year after it launched. The partnership was going to get coverage.
a history of MH attempts at record labels 2009-2013 part 1: ReSound
We'll start by going back to 2009.
http://theresurgence.com/2009/05/20/re-sound-is-coming
[dead link, don't bother, and don't try The WayBack Machine as robots.txt precludes finding what the content was]
http://theresurgence.com/authors/tim-smith
Tim Smith came to Mars Hill Church in the summer of 1999, never having owned an electric guitar, been in a band, or written a song. Somehow, by God’s grace, he became the worship pastor there and has been able to hang on and give shape to a movement of well over 30 worship bands leading many campuses. Tim is the husband of Beth and the father of three daughters. He also leads Re:Sound, a missional network of music and artists here on the Resurgence.
https://chosenforgrace.wordpress.com/2009/06/04/resound-sampler-ep/
The guys over at the Resurgence are about to launch their music label, Re:Sound. Their website, resound.org is going live June 11th, but from today until then, they are giving away an 8-song EP sampler. Sounds great so far.
https://chosenforgrace.wordpress.com/2009/06/16/a-review-resounds-rain-city-hymnal-vol-1/
...
The need for deeper theology among young people can be seen in the success of websites like TheResurgence.com, a ministry of Mars Hill Church in Seattle and headed up by Mark Driscoll, a growing favorite among Christians in their 20s and 30s. The Resurgence has already branched out into publishing with Re:Lit, and now, with Re:Sound, Mars Hill worship pastor Tim Smith is taking them into the arena of music production. The first full-length album to be released is Rain City Hymnal, which takes 12 old hymns and transitions the songs into the 21st century beautifully. Producers Brian Eichelberger and Joel Brown bring together 5 different bands (The Northern Conspiracy, Ex Nihilo, Team Strike Force, E-pop, and The BCG) and create an album that has a palpable cohesiveness amidst the diversity. The album is available for a limited time for free (by giving them email addresses) or for whatever price you choose to pay at NoiseTrade.com. After that, it will be available for purchase through more “traditional” avenues.
So there were a few albums out and things went along with Re:Sound for a year years.
See that notice "Big Changes Coming For ReSound"? What was that? Don't try following it from The WayBack Machine ...
http://web.archive.org/web/20111116085023/http://theresurgence.com/big_changes_for_resound
You can't read that because of robots.txt. However, Mars Hill being Mars Hill ...
there's something up on Facebook. It was published April 1, 2010 ... not that long after Re:Sound was announced.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/the-resurgence/big-changes-for-resound/419351137845
For those who won't be able to read the text from the image ...
all bold emphasis is in the original statement:
Re:Sound was first an independent label. Management issues accompanying a label were terrible, and we realized it was not the right path. A label has to exist for its financial bottom line and must choose projects accordingly. At the end of the day, Mars Hill is a church and the Resurgence is a network of missional leaders on Godʼs mission. The heart behind Re:Sound has always been to showcase music we believe in from Godʼs people on Godʼs mission. So Re:Sound will be a relational network of missional musicians offering a consistent stream of music on a suggested-donation basis. At times we may sell special albums, but the vast majority of Re:Sound music will be available by suggested donation.
From publisher to partner
Our mindset was that to use our resources to distribute music we would have to own the rights to songs and albums. While this may be the default mode of the law, it would obligate us to control and administrate the rights to all this music—turning us into a publishing company. This is also a huge distraction from our core mission. Therefore Re:Sound will not own any songs or recordings, which will leave music in the hands of its creators and allow us to partner with a wide range of artists both inside and outside of Mars Hill Church. We have an exciting release schedule ahead, and look forward to telling you about it soon.
From control to influence
In an industry obsessed with grasping control over all musical rights, we realize that influence is much more important. Our heart is to show a stream of music that might never make the radar of the music industry. We believe that music should be more distinct, not less, as it represents Godʼs people on his mission to a particular people in a specific time and place. Our hope is that as we show more mission-driven, diverse music it would encourage others to not consume the foreign culture of music that is being marketed to them. Instead we would sing new songs as well as old songs in new ways, all for the glory of God.
So while Re:Sound started as an independent label management issues accompanying the label were terrible and they realized it was not the right path.
So Re:Sound transitioned from publisher to partner. The next officially announced effort toward a Mars Hill music label would have to wait until 2012.
http://theresurgence.com/2009/05/20/re-sound-is-coming
[dead link, don't bother, and don't try The WayBack Machine as robots.txt precludes finding what the content was]
http://theresurgence.com/authors/tim-smith
Tim Smith came to Mars Hill Church in the summer of 1999, never having owned an electric guitar, been in a band, or written a song. Somehow, by God’s grace, he became the worship pastor there and has been able to hang on and give shape to a movement of well over 30 worship bands leading many campuses. Tim is the husband of Beth and the father of three daughters. He also leads Re:Sound, a missional network of music and artists here on the Resurgence.
https://chosenforgrace.wordpress.com/2009/06/04/resound-sampler-ep/
The guys over at the Resurgence are about to launch their music label, Re:Sound. Their website, resound.org is going live June 11th, but from today until then, they are giving away an 8-song EP sampler. Sounds great so far.
https://chosenforgrace.wordpress.com/2009/06/16/a-review-resounds-rain-city-hymnal-vol-1/
...
The need for deeper theology among young people can be seen in the success of websites like TheResurgence.com, a ministry of Mars Hill Church in Seattle and headed up by Mark Driscoll, a growing favorite among Christians in their 20s and 30s. The Resurgence has already branched out into publishing with Re:Lit, and now, with Re:Sound, Mars Hill worship pastor Tim Smith is taking them into the arena of music production. The first full-length album to be released is Rain City Hymnal, which takes 12 old hymns and transitions the songs into the 21st century beautifully. Producers Brian Eichelberger and Joel Brown bring together 5 different bands (The Northern Conspiracy, Ex Nihilo, Team Strike Force, E-pop, and The BCG) and create an album that has a palpable cohesiveness amidst the diversity. The album is available for a limited time for free (by giving them email addresses) or for whatever price you choose to pay at NoiseTrade.com. After that, it will be available for purchase through more “traditional” avenues.
So there were a few albums out and things went along with Re:Sound for a year years.
See that notice "Big Changes Coming For ReSound"? What was that? Don't try following it from The WayBack Machine ...
http://web.archive.org/web/20111116085023/http://theresurgence.com/big_changes_for_resound
You can't read that because of robots.txt. However, Mars Hill being Mars Hill ...
there's something up on Facebook. It was published April 1, 2010 ... not that long after Re:Sound was announced.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/the-resurgence/big-changes-for-resound/419351137845
all bold emphasis is in the original statement:
Re:Sound was first an independent label. Management issues accompanying a label were terrible, and we realized it was not the right path. A label has to exist for its financial bottom line and must choose projects accordingly. At the end of the day, Mars Hill is a church and the Resurgence is a network of missional leaders on Godʼs mission. The heart behind Re:Sound has always been to showcase music we believe in from Godʼs people on Godʼs mission. So Re:Sound will be a relational network of missional musicians offering a consistent stream of music on a suggested-donation basis. At times we may sell special albums, but the vast majority of Re:Sound music will be available by suggested donation.
From publisher to partner
Our mindset was that to use our resources to distribute music we would have to own the rights to songs and albums. While this may be the default mode of the law, it would obligate us to control and administrate the rights to all this music—turning us into a publishing company. This is also a huge distraction from our core mission. Therefore Re:Sound will not own any songs or recordings, which will leave music in the hands of its creators and allow us to partner with a wide range of artists both inside and outside of Mars Hill Church. We have an exciting release schedule ahead, and look forward to telling you about it soon.
From control to influence
In an industry obsessed with grasping control over all musical rights, we realize that influence is much more important. Our heart is to show a stream of music that might never make the radar of the music industry. We believe that music should be more distinct, not less, as it represents Godʼs people on his mission to a particular people in a specific time and place. Our hope is that as we show more mission-driven, diverse music it would encourage others to not consume the foreign culture of music that is being marketed to them. Instead we would sing new songs as well as old songs in new ways, all for the glory of God.
So while Re:Sound started as an independent label management issues accompanying the label were terrible and they realized it was not the right path.
So Re:Sound transitioned from publisher to partner. The next officially announced effort toward a Mars Hill music label would have to wait until 2012.
reader Tim Worley has a question about Mars Hill Church, Tooth & Nail records, and BEC recordings ...
Earlier today reader Tim Worley asked a question in a comment box.
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=21320258&postID=5778334957387737637
Wenatchee, your blog is largely about MHC relationships and inter-relationships...with some of the MHC bands leaving the church, I'd be curious whether the Mars Hill/Tooth & Nail Records/BEC recordings link is being maintained, whether former Mars Hill bands can maintain the "record company" relationship apart from MHC, etc. On a practical level, I integrate some MHC musical material into what my church does on Sunday morning, but I'm getting increasingly nervous about potential negative connotations, even with some great material I find above reproach.
That's a good question. There's been some memorable and interesting music to come out of Mars Hill and it's starting to find its way into services at church that aren't affiliated with Mars Hill. Given the controversy surrounding Mars Hill recently are there reasons to worry about use of material that in many cases is copyrighted to Mars Hill, for instance?
In a larger historic sense it might not be a huge problem. It's not unheard of to hear the hymn "Nearer My God to Thee" sung in Trinitarian liturgical settings even though the hymn was written by a Unitarian. Lutherans can love Wesleyan hymns and vice versa. Presbyterians can like Catholic texts set to music by avant garde composers (Messiaen's glorious setting of "O sacrum convivium" is a personal favorite) But, uh ...
Anyway, that's a good question Tim. Would someone at Tooth & Nail/BEC recordings be willing to publicly field that question? And it provides an occasion to briefly review the history of Mars Hill public announcements about music labels and music partnership.
In fact we're about to do a little guided tour of the history of Mars Hill experiments at starting music labels since Tim Smith and company started Re:Sound back around 2009. Stay tuned.
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=21320258&postID=5778334957387737637
Wenatchee, your blog is largely about MHC relationships and inter-relationships...with some of the MHC bands leaving the church, I'd be curious whether the Mars Hill/Tooth & Nail Records/BEC recordings link is being maintained, whether former Mars Hill bands can maintain the "record company" relationship apart from MHC, etc. On a practical level, I integrate some MHC musical material into what my church does on Sunday morning, but I'm getting increasingly nervous about potential negative connotations, even with some great material I find above reproach.
That's a good question. There's been some memorable and interesting music to come out of Mars Hill and it's starting to find its way into services at church that aren't affiliated with Mars Hill. Given the controversy surrounding Mars Hill recently are there reasons to worry about use of material that in many cases is copyrighted to Mars Hill, for instance?
In a larger historic sense it might not be a huge problem. It's not unheard of to hear the hymn "Nearer My God to Thee" sung in Trinitarian liturgical settings even though the hymn was written by a Unitarian. Lutherans can love Wesleyan hymns and vice versa. Presbyterians can like Catholic texts set to music by avant garde composers (Messiaen's glorious setting of "O sacrum convivium" is a personal favorite) But, uh ...
Anyway, that's a good question Tim. Would someone at Tooth & Nail/BEC recordings be willing to publicly field that question? And it provides an occasion to briefly review the history of Mars Hill public announcements about music labels and music partnership.
In fact we're about to do a little guided tour of the history of Mars Hill experiments at starting music labels since Tim Smith and company started Re:Sound back around 2009. Stay tuned.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)