Moses.- Contributed
Andre Jebbinson, Staff Reporter
In many churches, before the offering plate is passed from hand to hand, someone 'boosts' the contribution. That person will sometimes quote the Bible, saying, "Give and it will come back to you pressed down, shaken together and running over".
The logic behind it is that when you give to the Lord, He will multiply the return. This is part of the reason some gospel concert promoters are having a problem with what they called exorbitant fees by the artistes. The promoters are saying while the artistes are not giving monetarily, they should lend their talent to the edifice of the Kingdom.
However, the very same Bible goes on to say, "Give then unto Caesar, that which belongeth to Caesar." The artistes are saying performing is their livelihood and, at the end of the day, they have bills to pay. In reality, it is not ideal to go to the bank or the grocery store in faith, because they will get kicked out.
"They don't think about it until you start to explain and then they realise. When you have to pay a bus driver $25,000 fi guh MoBay and plus back-up singers and the band, that is more than half the money gone," said Kasseem 'Moses' Grant, one of Jamaica's major gospel artistes.
Used to getting things free
"Christian people are used to getting things for free and that is what is causing the problem. It is unfair to us the artistes, because we put in as much work as the secular artistes," Moses said.
Clive Dunn, a gospel concert promoter, told The Sunday Gleaner he wanted to contract the service of three gospel artistes he did not consider A-listers. Their pricey tags caused him much discomfort, as he did not think it was worth it. The three artistes would have cost close to $500,000 combined.
"It is ridiculous. Here I am trying to put on a show. Not a cent will go back into my pocket, but I can't afford it. Why do they have to charge so much?" Dunn queried.
Dunn said he had discussed with other promoters how much artistes charged and they too were frustrated. But, while promoters are disgusted by the quotes they get, it seems that the issue goes much deeper. Moses said it was all based on how the artistes break down the costs to the promoters, as a detailed account of the expenses will help the promoters to make sense of the costs.
Or will it? Promoters are still quoting a line from DJ Nicholas when he said people were to "step inna faith". DJ Nicholas, on the other hand, thinks it's time for a reality check.
"I still don't think we are getting what we are worth. The reality is we need money to survive.
A ministry cannot run effectively without money," said DJ Nicholas. "He that preach the gospel must live by it. David and all the other live by preach the world. A just we wid our selfish mentality think who a preach the word should suffer."
The reality also extends to choosing artistes on the shows. If a promoter can only afford chicken, he should not try for steak. There is a clear difference between artistes, whether they are secular or gospel. If the budget only allows for a D-list artiste, there will clearly be a problem with booking an A-list artiste.
"I look at life this way. If you walk into a supermarket and see Grace and Lasco you choose what your budget can afford. If the person is worth what you are paying, you should pay. If you can't afford it, you just can't," said Calvin 'Prodigal Son' Whilby.
He said there are cases when artistes are still in the developing stage, but try to charge at the rates of the veterans. This is not to dispute that if a man works for his money he should get paid. All the artistes maintain that they have families to feed and workers to pay.
Promoters cannot charge too much
Promoters say they cannot charge too much for concerts because Christians are not willing to spend too much for gospel shows. Never mind the fact that whenever international acts visit the island, not only are the shows sold out, but they are usually quite expensive. The fact is, the money is there but there is also a barrel mentality and will gravitate to anything foreign, according to another major gospel artiste, Cleve 'Stitchie' Laing.
It is the opposite on the secular scene. Secular promoters more willingly pay the gospel artistes more because. according to Prodigal, "they know they are getting value".
According to Stitchie, the process requires more understanding between artistes and promoters.
"We all need each on in the industry. More dialoguing will be more beneficial to everybody," Stitchie said.
