PRAYZEHYMN Online | where gospel music lives [Will the Stellars Get Their Groove Back?]

By J. MATTHEW COBB
Editor-At-Large, PRAYZEHYMN Entertainment
Posted: September 29, 2009

IT ALMOST FELT LIKE THAT LAST DAY to file your taxes. That’s the feeling I experienced after witnessing artist after artist, marketing team after marketing team, fan and obsessed stalker post their obnoxious announcements about the first round of the Stellar Gospel Music Awards for next year. One by one, my Facebook profile page read like a blue ballot sheet before city elections. Even the hardest working woman in Gospel - Vickie Winans - went into overdrive last week soliciting her fans with super ad campaigns using e-list distributor Black Gospel Promo. Funny how friends could end up sounding more like solicitors during the holiday rush. But it’s not all a joke. The first round usually features more than ten selections in almost every category and usually shakes a handful of selections with the lowest tallied votes. Since it was free to the public and I felt an urgent need to join the rat race of gospel lovers in putting some of the stronger contenders ahead of the game. I was even more surprised and impressed to see who landed on the first ballot. Artists with best-selling and highly-praised reviews including Mary Mary, Hezekiah Walker & LFC, Israel Houghton, Coko, Chicago's own Malcolm Williams & Great Faith and newcomer Phillip Carter & SOV racked up a good share of nominations across the board.

Anyone that knows me well enough should know that I haven’t been the biggest fan of the Stellar society. There’s always been a foul, decaying odor of old institutional mindgames, foolery and the big clique’ mentality that easily pushes me into a dark corner of isolation. But it’s best to speak the truth than to hide it under a bushel.

With that being said, I felt compelled to share some of my peeves about the voting process and to break down some of the things necessary to help change the sinking image of the show.

Have you ever called those 1-800 numbers on the back of the restaurant’s receipt and all you wanted was the free sandwich offer? And you’re dragged into a long, long survey that is matched with questions like “From 1 to 10, with 10 being “extremely satisfied,” did you enjoy our service?” Well, I went through the same experience with this super-long ballot. This leads to my first frustration.

1st Frustration
Voting for People I’ve Never Heard Of
I was forced against my own will to vote for people I had never even heard of before...for projects that never graced my mailbox...for albums I've never reviewed. Isn’t that unfair? I’m voting for albums and artists that, if I probably did hear them, I might even regret supporting later on. This frustration acknowledges a depressing trend in modern gospel radio that reveals its undoubtedly, unpopular demise. Regardless of what region you live in, gospel radio remains a broken system in need of a Blue Cross/Blue Shield membership card.

2nd Frustration
Voting for People I Don’t Want to Vote For
I like hearing new artists. Have nothing against it. Most of the time, new artists and undiscovered acts are usually the ones that bring new sounds and brilliant ideas to the table. But I cannot bamboozle myself into voting for an artist's album that I did not like. They should leave voters with the privilege of voting for who they want and what they know. That way, voters aren’t pressured to lie. I’m pretty sure the Stellar committee, while making the closing decisions, have to deal with this same strategy during the latter rounds.

3rd Frustration
Category Phobia
Do we really need all of these categories for real? I mean there’s some categories in the first round that only had four selections. I hate to see what the next round looks like. Honestly, do we really need a children’s performance category when only two children projects may have hit the shelves. And as much as I love choirs, why are we throwing groups and ensembles with 5 members into this category? That oughta let you know there’s a serious lack of nominees for this categories. Some of these categories have to go. It’s time to toss some out. At least, until we get enough nominees.

4th Frustration
Trying to Do Something About It
I was told by a SAGMA (Stellar Awards Gospel Music Academy) member a year ago that if I was that upset with how nominees and winners were selected, then maybe I should join them and speak out. That wouldn’t be a bad idea if I realized that one vote towards progressive change while trying to beat the system wouldn’t change much. Kiss that $100 dollars for the membership fee good-bye.

5th Frustration
Desperate Nominees
Seems like that craving for worldwide acclaim explodes when Stellar nomination time begins. After reading all the Facebook and Twitter headlines from artists desperate for a vote, while subvertly using their celebrity and smart marketing power, I realized just how “fixed” these award shows are. Let’s be real, most of the ones who deserve such a honor never get it. And artists, who barely had a song on national gospel radio and who never dented the gospel charts, are pulling all kinds of plows - even creating email accounts - to fraudulently make it pass the first round. On one separate occasion, an associate of mine who works for a publicity firm and also happens to serve on the Stellar Awards voting board known as SAGMA made sure their clients got their votes. In my opinion, all of this smells like a big pile of fraud. If the artists and their super-clique of buddies are voting them in...then it is obvious that the real winners won't be recognized. In this industry, particularly in gospel music, it’s all about who you know.

Conclusion
Let me set the record straight. I’m not an opponent of the Stellar Awards. But I, along with some of the disenfranchised who have publicly expressed a need for change, would love to see a shift towards a more balanced, honest process of selecting winners. And to the forgotten...just because you didn’t make the list of nominees, that doesn’t mean you’re not loved. Some of the better albums weren't even mentioned; which I’m not surprised of. Albums from Mike Farris, Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens (who received rave reviews across most media outlets including New York Times), jazz musician Delandria Mills and the power-assembly on the Oh! Happy Day tribute compilation didn’t get one nod. My greatest prayer, throughout all of this, is that gospel artists would pack on some more maturity and wisdom. Stop pretending in front of the public that you don’t care about the awards and fame and fortune and celebrity when your actions in private tell another story. More artists crammed my Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and email box with more solicitations to vote them through the first round than suggestions from their record labels and management. That’s probably why the artists don’t give a heck about this site (PRAYZEHYMNOnline.com). They are in desperate need of validation. You would think they had very bruised egos or very low levels of self-esteem. So, go ahead and give them a Stellar. That oughta make ‘em feel better, I suppose.

OTHER VALUABLE RESOURCES TO LOOK INTO:
We perish because of the lack of knowledge. Get schooled.
Stellar Awards - Official website
Another Stellar Sweep Gone Wrong (2008) - PRAYZE Report
Editorial: "You Better Know Why You Came" (2003) - Editorial by Melanie Clark; Gospelflava.com