Voices of Glory

The last few days have been very exciting here in the TMG studios. We had the pleasure of having the gospel trio "The Voices of Glory" in to record their debut album with us. The Voices of Glory were on the popular tv show "America's Got Talent" and actually placed 5 in the competition. The "Voices" are comprised of two brothers Michael and Avery, and one sister Nadia. They are an extremely talented group with huge hearts for spreading the gospel through music. It was such an honor for me to work with them and be a part of something so cool. I will definitely keep you posted on the final album and definitely put some sneak peak tracks very soon!

starbucks with a side of humility

These last few days have been so crazy and excited all at the same time. Tonight is the Tate Music Group Artist of the Year competition and I have been lucky enough to play in the house band again with some great artists and great musicians.

One of the artists who made it to the top 3 finalists is Chuck Tocco. I had the honor of being able to work with Chuck in January as his producer/engineer/studio musician. Chuck is a super talented guy with a great heart. Not only is he a great guy, but the dude has a SOLID record if I do say so myself.

One of the reasons I liked working with Chuck so much was just his humility. It also didn't hurt that he brought in Starbucks every morning for all of the producers. Chuck definitely had a clear cut idea and direction that he wanted his music to go on. But Chuck also knew that he couldn't get there on his own, and he needed a producer/engineer/studio musician to help him get there. He was always more that willing to listen to thoughts that I had on how we could take a song to the next level or how we could make it better. His humility also made it even easier for me to hear him out on ideas that I might not have feel in love with the first time.

I really believe that because BOTH of us were willing to set aside any pride we might have had, we came out with a great record. For some, this may seem very obvious, but I don't think it is for everyone. I think we could all afford to remember how far a little humility and understanding goes. It went pretty far for Chuck, he will be performing tonight to be our Artist of the Year, when a good chunk of change, and a chance for his LIFE to be changed.

Regardless of whether Chuck wins tonight, or Darin Rex, or Jupiter Wind, all of those guys are there because they were willing to listen and willing to try something that stretched them to a place where they never they could be. It should be a pretty exciting night, can't wait to get out there!

iPad

Over the last few years Apple has been on the cutting edge of technology and has revolutionized how we interact and consume things on an everyday basis. Since the invention of the very first iPod and the iTunes marketplace the music industry has not been the same. The iPad plans to continue to change the way we consume music.

A lot of audiophiles have long complained that the iPod has ruined music because people rarely buy an album any more but rather buy singles. One of the features that the iPad offers is being able to thumb through things like Album Artwork, Liner notes, and Lyrics, much like LP's of the past. This is an effort on Apple's part to bring the album back into music.

Whether you are a fan of the iPad or not, it does promise one thing...the music industry has yet another major avenue to consume music. And one of the great parts of being a part of Tate Music Group is the online distribution we have to offer. Being a part of the Tate family allows you to get your music out there in ways you couldn't do on your own, and one of those avenues is iTunes. Having your music on iTunes allows you to be a part of one of the biggest marketplaces for consuming music.

Whether you are a part of our family or considering us, we encourage you to go out and find a new way to find new music...go buy a cd, buy a record, download an album....but discovering new music, is definitely a part of growing as a musician.

TMG Artist Receiving National TV Exposure

Tate Music Group Now offers a brand new service to all TMG artists. We are now creating and producing Viral Commercials that will help promote the artist, album and single.

Viral videos in themselves can be used in a number of ways to promote an artists music, from being uploaded to theirMySpace page, to being played before a performance, and even going straight to YouTube and other video sites. Tate Music Groups team of Multimedia Producers will build the Viral Commercial around the artist’s music, using their photos and album artwork to capture potential consumers and build excitement and visibility for the music.

Not only do we hand over the video to our artist in order for them to use as they see fit but Tate Music Group also guarantees National and Regional TV exposure on major music TV networks (MTV, MTV2, VH1, CMT, BET, FUSE...). TMG is running national and regional commercial spots based around album release dates, events or for a blanket periods of time.

This is a huge game change as it allows TMG to guarantee National TV exposure to any artist who wants to take advantage of this option.

Happy TMG Artists

One of our TMG Artists recently sent this email to our Director of TMG Acquisitions, Brianne Webb. Love getting emails like these!

Dear Brianne,

Hello, I hope all is well with you and yours. I just wanted to drop a few lines of sincere gratitude to you and TMG. I wouldn't in a million years imagined all that has transpired this year in my life being yoked up with you all. You don't know how happy I am that I didn't sit on the music that I wrote and let it go stagnant, I'm truly blessed to have you and TMG consider me and my music and for you to see and hear something in that submission.

I know I've asked and continue to ask many questions; I don't mean to be a pest-lol, I'm just new at this and ya'll know that. But never the less, you and all that I have dealt with at TMG have been friendly and nothing less than A-1 professional. I don't know who made the decisions to assign me with the folks I've been assigned with during the process so far but it has seemed like the vision from the artwork with Cole Roberts to the music production with Jameson Reynolds had been pulled right from my mind and straight into theirs without incident. I really enjoyed my studio time with Jameson-he's a really cool guy and I believe he can read minds because I'd describe what I heard or envisioned and bam, it was done!

I'm working with Chris Rutherford right now and he's great. Things are going pretty good so far. A couple of Georgia radio stations have picked me up and CDs are selling. I've been asked if I would be interested in doing a radio interview the first of the year, so I'm excited about that too.

Well I guess I'll go for now, again I can't say it enough ....Thank You!!!

I hope you have a Merry Christmas and Prosperous New Year!

-Adam Howell

Check out Adam's music here.

TMG Radio Airplay

Hope you guys are having a fantastic Wednesday!

The recent success at Tate Music Group, with a few of our artists like Jeff Chandler and his top 10 single "I Know You're There" and the number one hits that Regie Hamm has had over the course of the last few years, has sparked more and more questions on how "I", the artist, get more radio airplay.

Here's a little insight from our radio research consultant, Brandon Rahbar, about how it's all about that "hook" to catch the attention of, not only the radio researchers out there, but the potential audience that will be listening to this song. Absolutely subscribe to his blog to read all the little tips from the inside of the radio research side of your project. And, maybe you're not a TMG artist but you want to know how to succeed like so many of the Tate Music Group artists, selling product and getting radio airplay AND doing it successfully... give us a call at 888-361-9473! We'd love to explain how and why our artists are as successful as they are.

Here's Brandon's blog on the "hook":

"One of the main questions and comments I'm getting from TMG artists is about my listening to their music and hoping that something in it hooks me.

Well, after listening to new TMG releases for the past couple of months, I've heard a lot of very good artists. I've heard artists with a bunch of potential. I've made recommendations for certain songs that should be pushed to radio. And I've advised some artists on which songs I feel are their strongest and maybe some things they can work on. It's a fun process. I love listening to your work and helping in any way I can. Picking the hits, that's always been one of my favorite things to do.

Anyways, in the midst of listening to many TMG artists, I found an artist that was absolutely dynamite. Thirty seconds into the first song, he had my attention. I was hooked. I listened to his next song, same thing. After the third song, I knew this guy had the goods. I advised TMG that this artist was big-time and that I'd like to do something more with him. He's a top shelf talent and I want to do more to help.

I just wanted to blog about this to show you guys that I'm taking this stuff seriously. If I run across something that I just think is absolutely dynamite and it blows my socks off, I'm gonna alert TMG to it and let them know that we have something special in the works. Could that be you? We'll see... I'll be listening!"

TMG Artists, "The Westbrook Singers" featured in QC Magazine!

Tate Music Group recording artists, The Westbrook Singers, were featured in the winter edition of QC Magazine. We are proud of the work the "singers" are doing! To purchase their upcoming release, please visit their page on our Tate Publishing bookstore here! Here's the article from QC:

"Some say the Westbrook Singers got their start in 1960 in a tiny neighborhood church in East Moline when Charles and Barbara Westbrook, parents of 11 children, founded the Community Outreach Church of God in Christ. It was then that Barbara start- ed the choir with just her kids, providing the perfect opportunity for their five girls and six boys to develop their musical talents.

Others say the Westbrook Singers got their start in 1975, the year Charles and Barbara’s son, Kenneth, was shot by a key- board player in Minneapolis. While it is true that being in the children’s church choir provided the Westbrooks with valuable training and experience, their love for Kenneth was the impetus to take their talent to the next level.

“In 1975, our brother, Kenneth, was a member of a band in Minneapolis,” said Gary Westbrook. “When we heard the news (of the shooting), we immediately brought him home to recover.”

The siblings rallied around their brother, knowing how much he missed his music. “We needed to find an avenue for Kenneth to express his love for music,” said brother-in-law Raymond Bryson. With musical talent brimming in the family, forming a group and calling it the Westbrook Singers was the obvious solution.

The group has changed over the years since their fateful beginning. While all 11 siblings originally performed in the band, only four now actively remain—Gary Westbrook, Brenda Joyce (Westbrook) Lee, Delores (Westbrook) Tingel and Cynthia (Westbrook) Bryson.

The four have traveled the country, performing on the Bobby Jones Gospel Show and sharing the stage with gospel greats such as Andrae Crouch, recipient of the Dove Award; the Winans, pio- neers in the field of contemporary gospel music; and the Williams Brothers, gospel singers with the greatest longevity of all time.

A STYLE ALL THEIR OWN

“The Westbrook Singers have their own authentic sound,” says Bryson. “It’s Gospel Jazz that is both contemporary and tra- ditional.” To grasp and appreciate the Westbrook Singers’ music, it’s best to experience it firsthand.

Bob Marovich of the Black Gospel Blog (www.theblackgospelblog.com) notes, “The effortlessness with which the Westbrook Singers interact is something only singers who grow up singing with one another in the family living room can develop.”

The group’s soprano, Delores (Westbrook) Tingel, is often the voice fea- tured throughout much of their music. Praising her, the Black Gospel Blog comments, “Delores hits notes so far over the ledger line that a music transcriber would have a difficult time writing them on paper.”

The Westbrook Singers write much of their own music. An aspect unique to their music is the art of weaving lyrics from old, well-known hymns into their modern arrangements.

While the make-up of the group has varied over the years, their focus has not. Music is their ministry as they attempt to “fill a spiritual void amid the turmoil and confusion of the world today while stressing family unity.” The Westbrook Singers are excited about their future. They have recently signed a recording contract with Tate Music Company in Mustang, Okla. The company will repackage and market the Westbrook Singers’ CD, and make it available nationwide in retail chains such as Best Buy. Musical talent runs deep in the family, as evidenced by the upcoming generation of Westbrooks. “We have some very talented grandkids,” said Bryson. “However, the music of their generation will be very different from ours—it’s more of a praise and worship style of gospel.”

THE WESTBROOK FAMILY

The patriarch, Bishop Charles B. Westbrook and his wife of 69 years, Barbara, are 92 and 84 years old respectively. Barbara is still an inspi- rational singer and is proud that her children are using their talent to glorify God.

The siblings, ranging from oldest to youngest, are Rochelle, Charles Jr., La June, Brenda Joyce, Kenneth, Dennis, Larry, Delores, Gary, Joseph and Cynthia. The family spans five generations, with 50 grandchil- dren, 56 great-grandchildren and two great- great grandchildren. Ministry runs deep in the Westbrook fami- ly, which has a total of seven pastors among them. The family also has a voice in city gov- ernment—Gary Westbrook serves as alder- man for the 7th Ward of East Moline. Charles and Barbara instilled in their chil- dren a strong work ethic and the family shares a long history with one Quad City employer, John Deere Harvester in East Moline.

“Dad worked for Deere for 33 years before retiring,” Larry said, though he was quickly corrected by Gary who quipped, “You mean 33 years, nine months and nine days. That’s what Dad always said!”

In addition to Charles Sr., 10 of the 11 Westbrook siblings have worked for John Deere Harvester at one time or another. Three have retired and two are still employed by of John Deere.

The Westbrooks’ dedication to John Deere has not gone unnoticed by the manufacturing giant. The family was recently featured in the John Deere Journal for their dedication and service to the company. “Collectively, we’ve given over 200 years of service to the compa- ny,” said Gary with a grin.

The siblings credit their parents for instill- ing a strong family bond amongst them. “All the credit goes to our parents,” said Larry Westbrook, current Minister of Community Outreach Church of God in Christ. “And we’ve taken the value of their teaching and are pass- ing it along to our children.”