Houston, we have a problem. Those are famous words from the Apollo 13 mission. But they’re also words that could be said of the Southern gospel industry.
The problem? Our audience is shrinking. As a matter of fact, the audience is dying…literally. Some will try and push back but the evidence is quite clear.
Someone born in 1966 is now 60 years old. Go to a Southern Gospel concert, the average age of the attendee is between 55 – 80. That’s not a demographic unless you’re selling medication or Medicare part D. This age group also is the largest segment of those who have landlines in their homes, and cable television. We should not fool ourselves; the phone and cable companies are aware of this.
Some years back, Southern gospel’s biggest concert event moved from a venue in Louisville, Kentucky that would hold over 20,000 to a convention hall in Pigeon Forge with seating for 12,000. The promoters probably got a good deal on the new venue but to go from seating for 20,000 to 12,000 is quite a reduction.
The biggest concern must be the aging of the audience. Why is that a concern? Contemporary Christian music didn’t really make an impact until the 1970’s. It was in the 1990’s when it took to radio and became a massive industry. What television and the Gospel Jubilee did for the popularity of Southern Gospel in 1970’s is what radio did for Contemporary Christian music starting in the 1990’s through today.
There was safety in age. If you grew up in conservative Christian home in the 60’s or 70’s, there’s a good chance you listened to Southern Gospel. The Happy Goodmans, the Florida Boys and the Kingsmen were part of your musical diet. But in the 80’s, two worlds began to collide. The kids of the 60’s were fed Southern Gospel, but they also discovered Contemporary Christian. And now, those kids are in their late 50’s and early 60’s. As the generation before them dies off (sorry if that is harsh), they are the new target audience for Medicare part D and the ads on TV pitching every drug under heaven. Those of my generation are no longer loyal to one style of music. They grew up with both. When an audience has a choice between two products, the market decides who wins.
Who is drawing larger crowds? Toby Mac or the Collingsworth Family? (No offense to the Collingsworth Family. They are simply incredible!). Toby Mac has the larger crowd. Unlike many gospel groups, Toby Mac doesn’t book a church on the backroads for gas money and a love offering. The market is deciding and I hope the industry is paying attention.
When things like this happen, the natural response is to double down on what we’re doing. In other words, play to the base. The fear should be is the base big enough to support an industry that has as many artists as Southern Gospel has.
We should be growing the audience. Reaching out and bringing younger people to our music. Artists who are successfully doing that include Jason Crabb, Joseph Habedank, and Scotty Inman. Their audiences skew younger and often larger. But these are baby steps, but steps, nonetheless.
I’ll never stop loving great quartet music. There’s something amazing about a high screaming tenor and a low bass that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. But this next generation wants more. We had better begin serving up what they want or the music you and I love will be reduced to memories and not current concerts.
Next month, I’ll outline a few steps we can take to grow our audience.
Thankful for Gospel Gold,
Brian