Spotlight Artist: J.BETHEL & SPOKEN FOR

J.BETHEL & SPOKEN FOR

Bruce Knight

PUSH-IT! Marketing and Promotions

(313) 207-5786

I GOTTA PRAISE IN ME

March 2016

ALL IN

October 2014

J.BETHEL & SPOKEN FOR LLC

MAD MONKEY PRODUCTIONS AND THE AUDIO CAFE’

WORD OF LIGHT CHRISTIAN CENTER / PASTORS GREGORY AND DOREEN BETHEL

“ALL IN” is straight from a kingdom mindset that no one or thing will stop a true child of God. This album deals with simplicity of Salvation and the complexity of our flesh. The album is filled with several dynamics of music genre such as, contemporary, traditional, jazz, pop, funk, and classical. All entwined together with spiritual word based lyrics to lead you to Jesus Christ! This God inspired project reveals the heart, attitude, and diligence of a child of God! In Faith, I know that this project will lead others to or back to Christ! I was also inspired to finally create this project out sheer love of music. The process of seeing every musician, vocalists, engineers all working to achieve a common goal. All of us on one accord grooving, singing, writing, and creating together. ALL IN!

Some of the challenges in completing this project were finances, balancing family time and work, as well as learning the marketing process on the fly. Financially, I knew it would require a great deal of money. I wanted to make sure that if I was going to finally embark on this journey to produce, write, and play that I had the best with me! That meant over paying in some sense for musicians, vocalists, and engineers that had no affiliation with me at all. I was not really known in “THE CIRCUIT” some would say and I pretty much wrote, played, and created all of my music at my home church. So, I only knew my band, praise team, and was often time always studying to follow in my father’s footsteps. But the knowledge i gained with each person I worked with was greatly valuable. Balancing family and work while creating this project was extremely difficult. But it was because my drive to show that a indie artist can actually put forth a project that is on a “A-List ” artist level.  And in doing so, started to isolate myself from my wife and children. I began taking off days from work. Pulling money out of my 401-k. taking out small loans without consulting my wife. And after a while so my family leaving to stay with their mother and grandmother. It was the most devastating act my wife could have done to show me my priorities had totally changed. I was lost in my own ambition to follow my dreams. But the Word is a mirror that will show you yourself in your true form. And I had strayed away from the purpose for which God had me to create this project. So I fasted, consecrated, and prayed for forgiveness of allowing pride and selfishness to come in ad drive my family away. My family came home and I’ve never gone back to that concept of thinking again. Once the project was completed I had to now get it exposed to people, radio, social media, ect. To make a long story short, I spent for what I did not know. Searching for the right radio promoter. Going through 2 different publicists before realizing that I really didn’t need them that time. Searching for a competent Graphic designer/website builder. But after about 2 years of praying, grinding, and searching God blessed me with everything I needed to operate in excellence.

1. Pray before you act. ( Proverbs 3:5)

2. Make sure your lyrics and music concepts are together.

3. Go to a studio that have competent engineers and excellent equipment.

4. Always use musicians and vocalist that are on your level or better. ( Get the best)

5. As a producer and artist, be able to explain your concepts and ideas to your team. And direct with love and patience. You know your music, but they don’t.

6. Listen to what others hear as well. When you have your musicians let them feel and play what comes out of them. Then give feedback. No one wants to be micro-managed. No One!

7. Your engineer is your best friend. Use their ear, ideals, and creativity to expand you to another plain in your playing and writing. These are the people whole bring your project to life. Your mixing and mastering is everything. You can have the best musicians, incredible writers, strong promotions,  and great social media, but if your mix and/or mastering is horrible, you won’t last.

8. Make sure you vocalists and lead vocalists fit your music. James Brown said, if it feels right, and sounds right, then it must be right!! ( I am speaking on music here. lol)

9. Have a strong marketing team to help push your project. ( Oh and this includes you as well. If you don’t push, who will?)

10. Excellent website so people can follow you. Facebook and Instagram are fine, but if you can go father in your promoting endeavor, do it. A website is a reflection of you and your work. And it allows the consumer learn more about you in depth.

When I was in the studio waiting on Tasha Page Lockhart to arrive, i didn’t know who she was. My nephew reached out to her for me after I told him I was looking for a great female vocalist. When she came down the stairs I was like..hey and you are… And she said in her lively voice, Tasha Lockhart sir and you. we talked about the song I wanted her to sing “Worthy of All Myself” which is on the debut project “ALL IN”. She killed it too. So it was getting late and she was getting ready to leave. As she was grabbing her things we put on the track “I Gotta Praise In Me”. We all just jamming and singing. So I said to her, you feel like making some more money cause you would kill this. The coat came off and in two takes really we wrecked this song in my nephew’s basement! She came out the booth and said ” I’m feeling this joint right here”! Later on my sister-in-law ( Nikki Nicole Stephens) at that time got on the train too. That really kicked it up. I never wanted to use this track as a single either. After Tasha won Sunday’s Best season 6, I felt it would be using her her accomplishments for my gain. I came out with “You’re God” and it was smashing at the time on the charts. Moving very fast on the BDS chart. But I ended my relationship abruptly with the radio promotion team I was with because of financial difficulties. 5 months later, I had a new radio Promoter and  we decided it was time to go in a new direction. We continued to push “You’re God”, but made the decision to go with “I Gotta Praise In Me”after a small contingent of listeners heard and loved it.