https://indiegospel.net/incubator-creative-group Thu, 16 Apr 2026 20:40:24 -0230 https://indiegospel.net/incubator-creative-group/blog/3729/how-to-get-discovered-in-christian-music https://indiegospel.net/incubator-creative-group/blog/3729


I love to help early stage Christian musicians develop their ministries to the thriving level. And I've been doing so for 30 years. It's all about discovering, defining, developing and deploying your vision to reach your world through the power of music. Most of what is taught about the music business won't help you at the emerging stage. The realities for the early stage Christian musician are very different than those already established in the music industry. It's understanding that environment and a heart to help you unwrap the fantastic gift that God wants to release into the world through your life and music that drives me. This article is part of a free 9-week free series available to you at the Incubator Creative Group website. It's my gift to you.

Enjoy. But, then get busy!



Getting Discovered As A Christian Artist

3 Secrets To Success...

I want to talk about a phrase that is used to describe a common idea about breaking into the music business. That phrase is 'getting discovered'. I wish I could say that this term and all the emotions and elements of it were something relegated to just the 'secular' side of music. But, sadly, that's not the case. Christian music deals with it just the same.



I hate the term 'getting discovered'. It conjures up the image of a starry-eyed amateur being catapulted into fame and fortune by the "suits" at a record Company. The term panders to that part of the Christian musician that wants to serve God with his or her talents but is both distracted and lured by the flash of Nashville's neon lights. Perhaps what is more disturbing is the reality that this term does indeed get an emotional rise in an artist. It appears that right next to each other in the human heart lies the humility of a servant and the haughtiness of an ego. It's always shocking for me to discover this kind of partnership inside of myself. But, fully accepting the stark reality of that contradiction is a large part of what being a grown-up Christian is all about. Then again, I hate this growing up thing. But that's another seminar altogether.



A third reason I'm uncomfortable with the term "getting discovered" is that as the president of a music ministry incubator company and small record label (Incubator Creative Group), we have a very unconventional paradigm of operation that is often contrapuntal (a fancy word for going opposite directions, you might remember it from any music theory classes you've taken) to our peers in the music industry. Incubator's strategic focus is on the emerging artist who must make his or her ministry work in the context of the local church marketplace. As I am fond of saying, getting discovered is something larger, more respectable record labels are more qualified to offer - you know, the ones without chickens on their logos.



When I reflect on what it means to get discovered, my mind predictably starts into its own 'contrapuntal' mode. Maybe that's just the way I think. My brain seems to be "wired" this way (an "NT" for you Jung fans out there). I often discover a fresh angle on truth by thinking in ironies or opposites. For example, here are a couple to ponder: "Instead of studying the Bible, let the Bible study you," or "Instead of seeking God's will, let His will seek you out." Wow. Those can keep me going for hours.



So, when I apply this kind of thinking to the idea of getting discovered, a few interesting twists develop. Based upon my learnings from over 30 years in the Christian music field, I've developed three "brain-shifts" that can give you a preliminary action plan for getting discovered. We'll discuss two of them in this lesson and get to the third next week.



#1. Discover yourself before someone else gets there. A sad legacy in common with the history of all discovered continents is the abuse they suffer at the hands of the discoverers (and their sponsors). Think of yourself, your talents, and ministry potential as an undiscovered territory. It becomes really important that you discover it yourself before the big boats arrive. The richness, beauty, and God ordained purpose of the land may never be maximized if the 'natives' don't have a chance to explore and fully inhabit it. Who would tell the record company execs with those big pilgrim hats what the land is really like (a reference to the discovery of American for our friends out there on the rest of the planet)?



Those who excel in any field, music included, usually do so by proceeding career "discovery" with self-discovery. The greatest fulfillment and happiness come from understanding yourself first - both the good and the bad. It's not hard to find teaching on how to succeed by focusing on your strengths. But discovering and accounting for your weaknesses and brokenness is the other half of success seldom talked about-particularly in a Christian subculture fixated on the impossible concept of perfection in a fallen world. In a ministry context, our brokenness (i.e. the stuff that's wrong with us) is usually more important than all our great giftings and strengths. The apostle Paul said it simply in explaining how God's strength is made perfect in our weaknesses. The power of the resurrection only has merit when it's connected to something dead.



Success comes from intimately knowing how you naturally excel and how you very naturally fail. Wisdom in accounting for both of those elements in your plan is crucial. Planning only around your talents and positive potential is only 50% of a plan.



A self-discovered person stands out in a crowd. Art and music created by them makes its own way and attracts its own audience. Even if it doesn't attract a large audience, it's always a loyal one. Successful ministry (and marketing) in the 21st century western world will be determined more by the strength of your grip than the length of your reach (for both your effectiveness as a minister and your success as a marketer of your ministry). Self-discovery leads to vulnerability. Vulnerability drives you to God. God and vulnerability makes for great art. Great art connects with people at a deep level. It can all be a scary process, one you may not have the courage for. That's why you need God. He's not afraid. He's seen it all before - when he was contemplating that whole Jesus on the cross thing.



#2. Become the discoverer, not the discovered. Let's face it. The music business is confusing. The complexity of it leads to all kinds of weird presuppositions for how to get discovered, depending on whom you last talked to.



Instead of passively awaiting discovery, become a discoverer. Search out for yourself as to just how the music business actually works. History is filled with stories of inventors, discoverers, and adventurers who ended up finding something they weren't looking for. Like all discoverers, you may do the same - perhaps discovering something of even greater value.



To be a successful discoverer you need to learn to shift paradigms - see contrapuntal opportunities. This will often give you a new framework on which to hang your thinking that can change the outcome of your situation. In a course like this, learning to think differently is foundational to making a significant change in your success level as an artist.



It's much like John showing up at Ellen's house to help her move into a new apartment unit right next door to her old one. John arrives to find Ellen struggling with a large couch stuck in the middle of the entry door. He quickly runs up and starts helping. After several minutes of mutual groanings and strained muscles, it's obvious the couch is hopelessly jammed in the doorway. "We'll never get this thing inside," says John. "Inside? Whaddaya mean inside?" says Ellen. "We're trying to get it OUTSIDE!"



That's called a paradigm shift. None of the facts have changed, but a whole new opportunity exists through that simple discovery!



Because of the way each of us is uniquely "brain-wired" and "sin-broken", and with the surprising nature of the discovery process, here's an idea for structuring your own personal discovery plan: If your heart pulls you toward a ministry orientation for your music, study the music business. If your heart pulls you more toward a business orientation, study the ministry. In either case, you might be surprised at what you discover.



When you decide to be a discoverer instead of the discovered, you adopt an active (verses passive) approach to your future. You've got stuff to do when you're a discoverer. If you are 'America' waiting to be discovered, you could be sitting around for 1492 years (another America reference, for my international readers).



In the next article, I'll give you the third tip that will really turn your thinking on its head. To request the whole 9 week series, absolutely free, visit the official Incubator Creative Group web site and click on "Free Stuff".



Copyright 2008 Incubator Creative Group . All rights reserved.]]> Tue, 05 May 2009 18:31:19 -0230 https://indiegospel.net/incubator-creative-group/blog/3726/former-roster-artist-comes-back-to-roost-in-management-at-incubator-creative-group https://indiegospel.net/incubator-creative-group/blog/3726
5/08/09

Cheshire, Oregon



Former roster artist comes back to roost in management at Incubator



Incubator Creative Group announces the addition of Leah Martensen as the company's Vice President of Artist Community. The partnership marks Leah Martensen's newest foray into the field of Christian artist development, extending her activities beyond her own performing music ministry. Incubator celebrates its 20th year of business in 2009 as Christian music's only incubator organization. The company mission of "nurturing early stage music ministries to the thriving level" is illustrated in the success Martensen has achieved in her own music ministry.



Martensen and Incubator have a history dating back more than 15 years. She was an early stage music ministry looking for help to establish and expand her enterprise. After an extensive audition process she was signed to the Incubator roster in 1994 and remained with the company until 2000. "If it weren't for Incubator I wouldn't be where I am today," says Leah. "I'm excited to be expanding my ministry in the area of artist development with a company I really believe in." The move to Incubator accompanies Martensen's closure of The Genesis Agency, an earlier experiment to launch her extension into Christian artist development work.



Martensen has been active in regional, national and international concert ministry since her season on the Incubator roster. Averaging 50 engagements per year, she often travels and performs with Beth Champion-Mason (another Incubator roster artist, 2000 to 2002). Many of her concerts are focused around the Road To Recovery tours, a targeted expression of her ministry mission statement of "turning your mess into a message".



Incubator Founder and President, Nate Sakany, is upbeat about the addition of Leah to the company team. "It's a wonderful reward to see an artist you've worked with develop a thriving ministry," says Sakany. "Leah is a perfect example of someone who has applied the principles of Incubator and made them work. Adding Leah to our development team just seemed like a natural decision given our history and relationship. She gets things done. That kind of productivity is rare and it's a tremendous asset she brings to Incubator."



Specific plans for Martensen include a yet to be announced "secret" campaign (being liberally promoted on social networks) debuting on May 15th. "I have a heart for emerging Christian artists because I was once there. I understand their struggles, passions and goals," says Martensen. "I know how tough it is to believe in yourself let alone convince others to believe in you. I'm excited about my new chapter with Incubator. It's going to give me a practical way to help artists make big changes in their ministry."



The unfolding of the Incubator/Martensen secret campaign is being announced through an exclusive mailing list. Interested Christian artists can sign up for priority notification and information at IncubatorOnline.com , the company's official website.]]> Tue, 12 May 2009 16:12:27 -0230 https://indiegospel.net/incubator-creative-group/blog/3711/business-and-marketing-boot-camp https://indiegospel.net/incubator-creative-group/blog/3711


What stops you from aggressively pursuing your passion and dream for a Christian music ministry? If you're like most folks, it's the age old problem of money and exposure. Many artists are weak in areas like business, finance and marketing. The intricate and delicate balance needed between the humility of ministry and hard-line of business is difficult to define - and even harder to maintain. Consequently, critically important stuff is simply ignored or avoided. The result is a continual problem with a lack of money and a lack of bookings.



"Simply Ministry is absolutely THE most important date to book for your ministry this year."



Click here to go to Simply Ministry



But what are the real secrets to opening doors of opportunity and financial support for the early stage music ministry? Although the music industry has experienced a much needed shake up, most of the indie artist movement is simply attempting to work the exact same industry system on an independent basis. It's still the same business model. It didn't work for the majority of emerging artists when it was run by major corporations. It still won't work when an indie artist is in control (especially without the substantial monetary resources of a major corporation).



The early stage Christian music ministry seems to be immersed in an ocean of countless (and often pointless) Christian music seminars, summits, conferences, and talent contests. Most with all the same rehashed music industry material that simply doesn't work for all but that tiny percentage at the top.What about the rest of us? What about those who simply have a heart to reach people. Who are tired of all the hype and commercialization of music. Who simply want to follow the dream that God has given them and develop a part-time or full-time career with that ministry? The answer to those questions is Simply Ministry.



Simply Ministry is a concentrated Business and Marketing Boot Camp for Christian musicians and communicators. It is presented by Incubator Creative Group, a 20-year veteran music ministry incubator organization. Attendance at Simply Ministry is restricted to a small and elite group that is sincerely committed to the concept of music as ministry. To those who are also committed to treating their ministry vision as a serious and worthy enterprise. Attendance is by invitation only after acceptance of a preliminary application. Although Simply Ministry is a business and marketing bootcamp it has a decidedly "non music industry" focus. If you want to serve God with your musical talents and you don't want the tired old model of the music industry what you want is Simply Ministry.



Given the exclusive and niche focus of Simply Ministry, it will be the launching event for more sustainable music ministries than any other experience in the Christian music industry. Will yours be one of them?]]> Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:22:07 -0230 https://indiegospel.net/incubator-creative-group/blog/3660/incubator-hosts-songwriters-weekend https://indiegospel.net/incubator-creative-group/blog/3660


Incubator TV



Tami Rowbotham

Vice President, A&R

Incubator Creative Group ]]> Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:28:57 -0230 https://indiegospel.net/incubator-creative-group/blog/3536/incubator-creative-group-holding-campus-event https://indiegospel.net/incubator-creative-group/blog/3536


Tami Rowbotham, Vice President of A&R with Incubator Creative Group , announces that a select group of Incubator artists will be converging on the Incubator Campus in late August of 2010.

Artists attending the event include Judy Deans , Shine Morrison , Tara Johnson , Jenee O'Connor , Carolyn Lynn Schwartz and Pami Guerra . Artists will participate in workshops including, “Ministry Entreprenuer”, “Monthly Cash Flow”, Ministry Experience Product”, “Financial Strategies”, Social Networking for patrons” and “Ministry Sustainability”.

It's going be a weekend of work along with some fun. Artists will enjoy a special trip to the Oregon Coast . Evenings will include performances for the community featuring a few artists. Late nights will no doubt see a return of S'mores by the fire pit!

]]> Wed, 12 May 2010 18:48:59 -0230 https://indiegospel.net/incubator-creative-group/blog/3491/enduringword-features-incubator-artists https://indiegospel.net/incubator-creative-group/blog/3491 Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:14:54 -0230 https://indiegospel.net/incubator-creative-group/blog/3426/featuring-shine-morrison https://indiegospel.net/incubator-creative-group/blog/3426 by: Shine Morrison

I first connected with Incubator Creative Group in the Fall of 2003, in the midst of my growing apprehension toward the music industry. But before I tell you what I mean by 'apprehension,' let me share how I became a singer/songwriter.

I was a very quiet child. A lot of people wouldn't believe me today, especially my husband! But really, I barely spoke. From the age 7 or 8, I loved to sing. Watching music entertainment programs on the TV was my favorite thing to do. I remember playing my favorite singers' records (no such thing as CD's back then!) over and over, singing along with them and dreaming that someday, I would stand on a stage and sing like them! Sometimes, my sister and I got together with a couple of friends and we sang and danced, imitating my favorite singers, 'Pink Lady,' a performing duo. My first public singing occurred in a community summer festival when I was 11 years old. When I was in Junior High, the most popular thing among kids our age was watching talent scout programs, similar to today's "American Idol." I dreamed of applying to one of those auditions many times, looking at an advertisement in a magazine thinking 'I could be the next winner!' I remember taking some profile pictures to send in with the application, but I never did. I didn't have enough courage to do it.

I still loved singing when I was in High School. I listened to music like every teenager did. Our school had an annual Cultural Festival in November. There were displays of all kinds of artworks, crafts, cooking and other fun stuff. The highlight of the event was a talent competition. There were auditions throughout the week and only the final competitors could sing on the stage at the end of the event. In my freshman year, I just looked around at the happenings since I didn't really know about the event. In my junior year, I auditioned and I sang on stage, knowing I wouldn't be in first place because they always gave first place prize to a senior student, even though judges were impressed with my singing. So in my senior year, I got the first place in singing competition!

Even though my dream was to be a singer, the reality of life kicked in. Like many young people, my dream was shoved into the back of a drawer where I would likely never see it again. My life went on as I graduated high school, became an apprentice beautician, met Rory, my husband and got married. Children came along and I got busy being a mom. We all know how that goes.

In 1995, we moved to Oak Harbor, WA, where I started to get involved in music ministry. I was a part of the worship team as a singer and a keyboard player for the first few years, but God called me to be a worship leader. As I learned about worship music, God gave me a desire to write my own. I couldn't write anything complicated but I knew God was well pleased.
I thought "I'm not a rich and famous singer like I dreamed of, but I'm doing something I always wanted to do."

We moved to our current home in Oroville in 2002. I continued my involvement with music ministry in church, but soon my heart began to scream, "God, you know how I love being in the music ministry that you called me to, but I feel like my territories are shrinking. Do you see how small this town is? Do you see how many people in my church? I used lead about 150 to 200 people in worship and now maybe 40 if I'm lucky? Is this how my ministry will end?" Even though my heart was screaming every day, I chose to be faithful to the small things God's given me. I told myself that if God gave me 40 people to lead in worship that would be my mission field.

In the summer of 2003, I began to receive mail from some music industry representatives. They told me that they would enter my music in a song contest but that they need money as an entry fee. I felt so weird about receiving mail from them. How did they find me? Why do they know I write music? I decided to search on the Internet to find more information about those companies. As soon as entered the name of company, boom! Tons of bad business reports! I told myself, "See, that's why it's too good to be true, hearing from those music publishers!" My apprehension toward that kind of approach grew each time I received the same type of mail.

In the midst of the confusion about the Christian music industry, I received an email, from "Incubator Records." As you can imagine, I thought, "Oh no, another one! It started to coming to me even in the email." The email wasn't detailed, but asked me to reply if I was interested in chatting with them. I was apprehensive yet felt something was different. I replied, "Please tell me more details about your company." That's how I began the audition process with Incubator. They told me it would be a long process getting to know each other taking up to 20 weeks. I was very curious about the approach and at the same time, I liked the idea of getting to know the people instead being put on a cold stage for less than 30 seconds. Each thing they asked me to do in the audition process really helped me to learn the focus of Incubator. I always thought of music as a tool to reach out to people and changes people's lives by the ministry that was brought through that music. The more I learned about Incubator's approach, which focused on ministry not products, I felt that they were the best match for what I understood about the music ministry. I still clearly remember the day that God answered my prayer about whether it was His will for me to work with Incubator. I was driving home from the grocery store and suddenly His sweet voice spoke to me. "I'm giving you a bigger ministry because you've been faithful in the small things." I signed a long-term contract with Incubator in March, 2004.

Looking back at the boot camp process, each step helped me to discover more about myself, though I still struggled with the fear that my past created in me, and awakened the ministry still sleeping inside of me. God gave me a gift in music ministry but Incubator helped me clarify the core of my ministry and its purpose. Exodus 35:31 says, "He had filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts?" Throughout the boot camp and the Recording Artist Management phases, Incubator has helped me to refine my skills, abilities, knowledge in the craft of writing and being a minister to bring hope and love in Christ to my audience. It took 3 years for me to stand on a stage and perform my first concert after I signed with Incubator, but look what God has done! With a help of Incubator, God made my dream come true, the dream that I left somewhere deeper inside of a drawer. He hasn't forgotten a desire He planted in me. Although I had exciting journey with Incubator, it would be a lie to say the last 6 years was a fun journey, because I went through many discouragements and thought many times, "I can't do it anymore." But God picked me up each time and helped me to grow in my calling.

Today, I'm standing at the gate of a new management phase with Incubator for many more years to come. And I'm totally excited to see how God will expand my territory to minister to His people through my music ministry! ]]> Tue, 25 Jan 2011 20:10:20 -0330