An Important Question (Or Two)

Since I was twelve I've been collecting CDs and their artwork. I love holding a new album in my hands. I love opening the packaging and going through the lyrics booklet. I like having them to read. I recently bought the delux box set of the new Demon Hunter album, which the brother Clark designed themselves. Half the pleasure of getting the album was going through what they'd assembled. On a similar note, I was enthralled by the 'Rival Factions' album packaging because it was so interactive (far more than you can get at the digital level).

I started this school year (Senior Year) off by having my book of CD's (+70) stolen out of my Jeep; all that artwork, all the memories invested in those hours of driving and listening, gone. Not only that, but the CDs that my boyfriend had been keeping in my book as well. We were devastated at first, but we've decided to make this summer (our first of freedom) into a pilgrimage to get our collection back; album by album, store by store. We'll have a Youtube page devoted to all the adventures involved in finding all our old treasures(maybe your concerts will end up in a few of them). If I'd bought all our Project 86 and Demon Hunter and Flatfoot 56 and Children 18:3 and War of Ages and Leeland and A Perfect Circle and Nickel Creek and Chris Thile albums on iTunes, we'd have never lost them, but we'd never have this chance to be so much closer and to go on our new adventures.

I am a graphic designer, and I don't just see the imagery in a design, but also the texture and the weight and the flow of it. I see the handiwork and the quality and the effort it took to put it in my hands. I can tell the difference between something shoddy and something well thought-out. Maybe my feelings are skewed, but I could never trade the pleasure I get from seeing another artist's work in a jewel case or on a t-shirt for the cluster of pixels we see on a screen. There is no adventure in buying albums offline; there is no smell of the concert hall. No sound of a thousand voices. No feel of the rest of the audience pressed around me, waiting for a word or an autograph. It was and is experiences like waiting in line to buy a CD from Children 18:3 or getting my first P86 sweatshirt at Soulfest that made music a love affair for me; it's a matter of all the senses, not just my ears. I remember where I was when I bought a CD; whether the man behind me had any deodorant on; what kind of gum I was chewing; how sticky the counter-top was. Try getting that off a computer.

There is no respect for the artist in buying single tracks off line. An album is a work of art in itself; the progression of the songs and how they lead into one another was arranged that way for a reason. When a book is well written you don't just buy one chapter of it. If a movie is worth watching, you don't pay for just the crescendo. If we continue to treat the collection of music like eating at a buffet, then we deprive ourselves of the entire experience.

Many of the albums that I've bought have challenged me. They've had tracks that would make me feel uncomfortable; that would ask me questions I wasn't sure I could answer and make me take on roles I wasn't ready to consider. If I'd only bought the songs I wanted — if I'd only taken what I was comfortable with — I couldn't have learned and I couldn't have grown.

I'm a musician, guitarist, vocalist and producer. I've also been a volunteer worker/missionary for around 7 years now.

I've spent my time for the last five years teaching war refugees English, distributing food to orphans/the elderly, driving and doing the technical work necessary to keep a volunteer organization going, and playing in a band that actually uses it's proceeds to help fund the work. Then, on the side, I make my own styles of music (rock/metal/industrial). I've never seen a cent from any of my own projects, though I've put out albums worth of material for whoever's interested. But I keep making them, because music is a part of me, something I love to/have to do. In other words, it wouldn't matter who was or wasn't paying me, I'd still have music inside, which would eventually make it's way out.

The music industry today doesn't reflect that artist attitude. It's just that – an industry. Nothing matters more than profits, therefore we get the mass-marketed musical musical monstrosities that make any sincere musician want to commit hari kari. The true spirit of music is dying due to industrialization. These changes, not only the greater availability of music, but also the greater competition created by the fact that making music these days with home studios and DAWs makes producing cheaper and easier than ever, as far as I'm concerned, are the best thing that could happen to music. When you open a market, any market, up for greater competition, only the strong survive. Politics, business, money and hype matter less.

These changes actually represent a music-world microcosm of the utopian vision of equality for all. Everyone can make music now. Not just the big labels. Everyone can market it, now that there's the internet. Of course, I know very well that it's not as easy as all that, but these changes are about the only encouraging thing I can find about the music world today, aside from your albums, of course, Mr. Schwab.

On the (starving) band side, well, I think most anyone who loves music will find a way to do it while holding down a job. You sacrifice for what you love.

And about how bands can fund themselves in this new world, I do think that people are loyal to artists they love. I honestly can't remember how long it's been since I played anything off of a CD, but you can bet your boots I buy the albums to artists I love and support, kind of like how I went and immediately bought a DVD of The Passion after I rented it. I imagined that being just one more number on some statistics chart somewhere driving it up in ratings in someone's books. Also, once I get back to America, I plan to invest in some Project 86 merch. Your music is awesome, every album blows me away, and I'll tell my friends that, and buy your stuff. I'm passionate about good music. I'm not the only one either. I think that musicians will always be able to make money, even if not on album sales as digital media takes over more and more, but as far as I know, there's no way to download a t-shirt, or live concert.

I have maybe 3 albums off of itunes….i listen to them occasionally(Gift Cards…gotta use em).

I used to download off torrents…until I read my Bible and decided unless these artists give me permission to do so, this is immoral/stealing (and i'm in Canada where it's legal).

I have calculated that i've spent over 3200 Dollars on Cds.

Probably not the wisest spending on my part, but God will forgive me. Music Is an art that connects the passion of an artist at a spiritual level to the listener. Its Inspiring and can be a sick tool used by God (and also misused of course).

I won't stop buying Cds. But I do believe that music has become a lot less personal due to technology. It used to be more of a shared communal activity and not just a performance (this being the original idea of musical worship).

Now we just listen to it by ourselves plugged in to our headphones to avoid talking to creepy people on the bus.
I know for a fact that concerts and social music activities will never die. We are all searching for a deeper level of intimacy with a higher power and music is one of the FEW things in our culture that points us in that direction. Its deeper than a chord, a vibration, or even a cd and it's artwork. It's a uniting spiritual force that when guided properly can serve an incredible life fulfilling purpose.

Like humanity, music was also intended to glorify God. Just like a healthy eater can glorify God by taking care of their body, or a rock star can glorify God by spreadingthe blunt truth through some sick caveman jams. I pulled a Schwab, I just took something to it's deep roots and found where it's purpose lies.

-Tehrez

I like to hold the albums in my hand too. Something tangible is always way better than a digital copy. Also, all sound systems should have tube amps. Also, I think there is another repercussion to the implosion you mention and that is ticket prices. Ticket prices have SKYROCKETED in the past 5 or so years and it's getting to where most venues are controlled exclusively by Ticketmaster/ Livenation, who tack almost 50% of the ticket face price on as “convenience charges”. I'm interested to know how much of this money does the BAND actually see or is it just ticketmaster making bank? In my mind, the way it should be is as music gets cheaper, bands should focus more on their live show which cannot be digitally experienced, and should be making most of their money off of that.

I agree with you Andrew, 100%. The hope is that the chaff of the industry will disappear, while the quality material remains. My good friend Dave Hostetter said one time, “If you're amazing, people will come see you.” I hope that's true.

Secondly, I care a lot about the bands I love. That's why I've seen P86 so many times, and spread the word about stuff I like. I like actual CDs too. Perhaps the ADD symptoms of music consumers are simply a reflection of the culture at large.

Hey Schwab, first of all, great topic. I've never really realized that people that steal music are literally killing bands like you… on a large scale, too.

That said, I think that the act of pirating music is obviously morally wrong in the first place, so I've personally decided to never do it again.

Second of all, CD'S ROCK!!! I am planning on buying every one of the P86 cd's so that I can have the booklets and the “real deals”… is it true that you make more money when people buy directly from you instead of through Amazon or iTunes?

This is a pretty scattered reply, but I guess to sum it all up I would say that yes, I do care that music is being hurt by this. Music is a HUGE part of my life… one that God has used to inspire and drive me countless times. (Your band included heavily here). I'll be praying for you and your band to be able to follow God's path for you and to bless your efforts… thanks for what you do, man.

it bugs me when ppl just buy music online and don't care about actually buying physical albums anymore. to me, getting the albums and looking at pictures and lyrics is like actually connecting to a band. i feel like i get a private show when i can invest in something tangible that someone labored on or something. plus i like reading about what band members have to say concerning the whole recording experience and stuff. it's truly an art and i'm doing my part to not let it die out in a digital sea of convenience!

You have my support Andrew. I first came to know of your music through a chance visit to toothandnail's website. You were featured on their welcome page with the new CD 'and the Rest Will Follow'. I hadn't heard from you in quite a while (of course due to my ignorance and relatively tame musical tastes) but had recently been experiancing a weird “thirst” for hard hitting music. I listend to the e-card and was hooked. Bought your CD almost instantly. From there I bought Songs To Burn Your Bridges By and Rival Factions when it came out and finally Picket Fence Cartel. You may hear this all the time but you have an incredible gift Andrew. I never owned a laptop or ipod or iphone-like device until recently when my cousin gave me a zune. The first thing I did was throw all my cd's on there (or at least most of them, I didn't put some of my least favorite songs on) including all your CD's that I had already bought. I have no intention of buying more songs of Apple or Zune's store unless someone gives me the card. I agree with Alexandra P. Fors, had I simply been a ipod/zune type person I would NEVER have heard songs like Solace, or Pull Me Closer, Violent Dancer (One of your best songs I kid you not) or any of the other golden nuggets that your cds are. I am just so enamoured by the way you DON'T make a few hits. You strive for a diamond with every CD. I plan on getting truthless heroes when I have a chance. But see that is something that people these days will never do. They'd rather hear a single hit go out and buy it or find it illegally and then take it home. They'll never hear songs like Cavity King or From December, Caveman Jam or Doomsday Stomp. In my opinion they are robbing themselves of a great listen. As someone else said, the fact is our culture needs to hear it now… it has to be long enough to hook them, but short enough to finish up quickly before add kicks in. You and P86 write music that hooks me from the first song to the last.

I have been listening to artists like you for a long time. I think it started with Dc Talk when I was really young, they didn't write a single good song (at least so I believe) they wrote whole albumns and that persisted until they took up their solo gigs and it shows even on those now. John Reuben writes albumns that are really good and thought provoking all the way through. I listen to underground rap artists (well underground by which I mean the radio doesn't play them) and I am amazed at just how much they can say in a single song and just do it again for 14 plus tracks on a cd. But none of it will ever be played save maybe the ONE tune that a radio plays once and then people go and buy it because it peaks the interest meter in their head. It's a sad sign. For me, buying the CD is a risk (to be honest I have bought two or three cd's that I didn't really fall for) but am I always let down? No. Am I partially? No. If I were to guess how many cd's have held my attention through and through to this day out of all the cd's I've owned (which is only 30ish) I'd have to say 95% are still every bit as good as when I first heard them. 3% have lost some of their appeal. And 2% are seldomn getting my attention, more the likely due to their original appeal to me.

Anyways, I'm rambling now. But yes I care Andrew. I just wish more people cared. You said in a blog all things lead back to the cross. I believe you're right and even in music where all the radio plays is the next big thing and the Word of Mouth is that one song which is going to be downloaded for a month or so and then tossed aside. That is eerily similar to how people treat a faith. They hop on to the first thing that gets some attention and suits them. But once the going gets tough, the tough gets going. They pack up and move on. It's a sad cycle. And it has only convinced me that much of our efforts as artists (musicians, writers, film makers, poets) is completely wasted which is heart breaking to me.

Kudos

-Perraith

Im a musician, yet to have some sort of success with my band.

The way the industry is going does suck in some respects, but it all aint so bad.

Like you said, unoriginal, and just plain average bands wont make it, and only the best will survive. And unfortunatley the richest.

Maybe it is a good thing that the industry giants (labels, media etc) are losing money, and crashing. And maybe now it is an oppourtunity for bands that never got a chance to get off their butts and be able to rpomote their music, even if they are too heavy or too 'wierd' to succeed in a Label dominated market.

I personally am sick and tired of hearing the music and dribble that comes out on tv and the radio now days. The artists lack talent and originality, and the skill and effort that goes into the songs are minimal, yet they earn triple what a hard working artist would earn, due to their look, and their corporate sponsors. All it takes is a repetative Chorus, a groovy beat, and a topic regarding sex (visual or not), and you have 200,000 fans. You dont have to be good to be a famous artist. just be good looking and sing about utter bull****

Im glad that indendant artists can have more exposure, and more freedom without some rich suits pulling their puppet strings. ANd im gald that all the bands that never get heard can use the net, or their own time to promote themselves, whether or not a Label accepts them. And perhaps this isnt about the DEATH OF MUSIC, but the evolution of a dirty industry that needed to change.

ANd if a band/artist is good enough live, and puts their effort into it, then people will ALWAYS turn up to their shows. Whether or not they will all buy your album rather that download it illegally, who knows. But bands need to work harder and make better albums, and better showman ship. No more single driven albums. Every song on a record must be your best, and B sides and filler songs should die. Me myself, as a consumer, hate picking up an album that had 2 awesome singles on it. Finding that 10 other songs or just rough copies of the single structure, and the rest of the songs are just average. And now bands need to work harder, and put more creative effort into their albums, instead of pumping out albums like packing machines for the sake of making a dime. Michale Jackson's Thriller album had 9 singles! The whole album is full of good songs. I dont see any of that anymore. Every song should be single quality.

Think of this. If your band only had one shot to be heard. Only one shot for a fan to hear your music and potentially purchase it, what would you do if they heard the worst song on your record? Would they come back? Or would you sound unoriginal, sloopy, and lame to them? That happens all too much in the 21st century, and people dont want to pay 20$ for a cd that has 3 good songs on it!! Singles are ment to be for PROMOTION, and not a definition of your record. IF your single is the only good song on your cd, pack up your things and go get a day job!

Sorry for the harsh words people, But like I said, maybe i dont know enough. And maybe I dont have the right to have a say on this topic. But im all for the death of Lady Gaga! Im over listening to bands that are average and are just in it for the money…

think of the cell phone you had in 1999, now think of the iPhone and similar phones of today…imagine the first phone in your left hand and the iphone in your right hand…look at the differences… now imagine that in the left hand is your band in 1999… has your band now, that's in your right hand, changed as much as cell phones….if it hasnt….you might be in trouble…i'm not talking about your message, but your sound…..

gosh this is a tough one, i am in the business of “political science”, so i hear people all the time have what i hear as this same discussion you want about the fall of music, but in the realm of american politics, or values in america, etc…

i really hope you read this and think about it, and are not offended, i obviously do not know you despite the fact i speak in this as if i do, it's just the way i will write it, you may already be aware of the things i say or they may not be applicable to you at all, but based on listening to your music, since 1999 or so, i hope something i say helps you out….you may just laugh at this and call me crazy

hear me out:

your issue with the industry, this is not something new

since the dawning of time we've seen revolutions in every form of media science industry religion art philosophy government

the revolutions almost always are a form of progress

the revolutions almost always bare some costs

you obviously recognize both the progress and costs involved with this digital music revolution

people who were around in the beginning or before the revolution almost always decry it, people who came in during and after the revolution love it, this is how it is in all things

progression vs status quo

that said you must understand people have said this before even in music, even in the last 50 years, going from vinyl to cassettes to cds…..the introduction of music television…the transformations of radio….these things started forty years ago and there have always been some people praising and criticizing….moving up and moving down

they will say it again…this is just another phase….in 15 years someone in your position will be speaking of something entirely different while exactly the same

the great danger of it is that you have chosen to mix your art, your love, your passion with your profession……there is an inevitable outcome of this for all who do it

so you have artistic integrity n your soul which eventually runs into profit margins

you have a choice whether to embrace what is popular in your art that makes money along with new methods of connecting with people….or to stick with the art you started with that you love and believe in and you probably believe defines and is a part of you… and see where that takes you

some peoples' art is transformation in itself and can stand the test of time and changes happening around them without change for a longer time than others, but eventually everyone has a half life

others, they must choose to transform and adjust and keep pace sooner

i would argue that you are playing the same sound of music you were playing fifteen years ago, which then and on until a prime peaking point was noticed by a certain amount of people or percentage of the population, and that that number or percentage is dropping

that your beef is not with the music industry alone but with society and to a great extent yourself, it is with your choice not to embrace it and move with it……you once embraced it without knowing it because it was natural when you were young and new…but you became accustom to how things were and want them to stay that way…it's called change over time and it's normal and happens to everyone….faster than it ever did before….that's why people quit and or change jobs or are replaced in our society more often now than ever before

you're not alone though, we as humans are averse to change, particularly rapid and drastic change

but i know you're smart and capable enough to evolve with this if you wanted to and were willing to work with the flow of change and the tools that come with it

think of it this way, when you entered the music industry it was a circle, you being new to it and young and open to adapting, made yourself/band a circle to fit, it felt good and was easy cause you didnt have something previously to sacrifice in order to become this version

you settled in and loved it, since you kept doing it i assume you loved it

but time and industry do not settle and do not stay still

slowly the industry circle began morphing into something else, let's say an octagon

and your style still looked kind of like it as a circle and so you were able to hang in and on

then the industry became a square, resembling you less, then it became a triangle, now you dont feel like you fit in at all as a circle

i mean, like i still love your music, i feel it, i can relate to it, but i entered music and was developing my tastes when the circle was prime… that said i dont think it has a chance with kids in high school or college now on a whole…..and i also dont think it has a chance of catching on with new adult listeners either……..and those are your two options

dont look for the medium to save you….use it to save you…..use the technology…..AUTOTUNE if you have to, lol or not, if you want to make more money you are going to need to sacrifice, if you want to reap the benefits of the new system you have to pay a price

reinvent yourself into a new version………

your new younger competition, they never knew the integrity you know, so they dont have to sacrifice a thing when they release their music aimed at a shorter attentioned current pop culture with all the techniques that crowd likes.

ie over production

i look foward to the next project 86 release and will continue to support you, it is my hope this was welcomed and “insightful”, but maybe it was completely off base and inaccurate or a waste of time, regardless, go with Him

the trap i set for you, seems to've caught my leg instead

I understand exactly what you mean Andrew. You are bsolutely right. The music industry is definately going downstream instead of upstream. No one wants to buy cd's anymore. Everyone just downloads it nowadays. I think almost everyone downloads music since it is such easy and free access. I will admit though that I do and will continue to buy merchandise from your band and many others that I listen too and support. If I believe in what is being lyrically spoken and I know what the band is all about and I agree with it then I will support that band. The music industry has definately changed. Almost anything is considered music nowadays. What happened to bands like Project 86, Pillar, P.O.D, and many others that are fading out of the music mainstream? You can barely find them in a music search anymore. How can bands like yours prosper in the music business if people do nnot support your band. You guys have had my support from the beginning. Ever since your first cd titled “Project 86″ in 1996 I have been a huggggge fan. Your song entitled “P.S.” has helped shape my life to an extreme due to that song is about my dad that left us a few years back due to that. It's been very rough but your song's have kept me going. Especially your new album, very inspirational. Don't fade out of the industry. Keep staying alive and rocking out for our GOD.

I realized that once I started using iTunes to purchase my music, buying a new album lost the special spark it used to have. I would buy the music, give it a quick listen, and move on to the next thing. I found my computer loaded with music I was pretty much indifferent to, and have gone back to buying hard copies. There is a certain excitement in counting down the days to an album release, then going out and buying it and blasting it in your car on the way back. I've also started enjoying the sound of vinyl records, and that is something you DEFINITELY can't get off of iTunes.

I used to be alright with the idea of cheap, easy access music, but that was only until I became serious about my career. I am a student of classical performance, and opera is my true love. I've been learning how being a performing artist isn't just for fun, but a real job with hard work. I know the classical setting is a bit different from the industry you are working in, but it shares a lot of common ground. The audience member is the one who puts food on my table and helps me keep my head above the water.

I feel VERY strongly against the theft of music, not only on a moral ground, but on a sentimental platform. I don't want to lose that special time where I get to shut out everyone around me, sift through piles of music, and experience the joy of finding a little hidden gem on the shelves.

My goal as a musician is to move people through music the way I have been moved. I want to share with listeners, but I want to do it legally. I don't think there is an easy answer to this debate.

I think the reason I do not buy actual CDs anymore (and trust me, I used to love peeling that cellophane from the album) is because the music industry is cutting its own throat by continually asking 14-18 dollars for a single CD when they know that iTunes and Amazon will sell the music (though not the packaging, admittedly) for 9 or 10 dollars. I think if CDs were cheaper then people would be more willing to buy them. You have you make it worth the consumer's time (or should I say pocketbook) in order to get them to buy. I don't know how much it costs to put the album together and package it, but I assume the music industry is making a significant profit on each CD sold. So what if they lower the price to 8-9 dollars (or some gradation of scale according to the amount of music on the album). If it was cheaper to buy a CD instead of going on iTunes or Amazon, then I think most consumers (if they are money-conscious at all) will go for the CD instead. I know I would totally buy the CD instead of the download. Because like so many people out there, I love music, but I can't afford to get 10-12 songs for 14-18 dollars when I can get them for less than a dollar a piece as a download. To be honest, I hate what iTunes and Amazon are doing to the current and upcoming bands like you were saying, but it seems that the real culprit is the stubborn record companies and distributors instead of the people who are downloading music. The downloaders are just looking for a better deal, whereas the record companies are still gaining profit (though less now) from inflated CD prices. Its at that point that I must go to iTunes or Amazon and buy that new Project 86 album and watch as the record companies and distributors start to bite the dust, because they were not willing to shift prices that have been intact for 15-20 years now. I hope this trend turns around and soon, because I love music too much to lose it, but in the end, the last of the blame (and there will still be blame) will go on those who are downloading music. The record companies and distributors will have destroyed themselves in one final blaze of glory because they refused to compete with the single-obsessed online digital market. I pray to God they change their focus.

I love technology, but I feel it is so much more complicated to make playlists, sync this, connect this stream this, then to just insert the CD and hit play. My dad was always in bands as I was child and for me guitars and rock music has always been comforting, it's like rock songs and guitar riffs were my childhood nursery rhymes.

I will readily admit I frequently visit sites like Pandora, Slacker, Playlist, etc. are free BUT have opened my eyes to more bands and an entire music genre. I never knew about Christian rock prior to Pandora playing a few songs from bands like Project 86, Underoath, RED, TFK etc. It is now the ONLY music I listen to. I have also bought many CD's from these sites' suggestions. So to me not all music sharing and streaming is bad, even though I am probably an exception to the norm for actually buying the music that has moved me.

I was very proud to have pre ordered the Origional edition of Songs to Burn Your Bridges By, i truly felt like i was a part of something and supporting something i care about. More recently i always pre order Doomtree albums, they need the support to get the album out. so yes, i care.

Thanks, Steven for reminding us where our faith should be pointed. It is easy to get distracted by what we believe is the reality of our existence… what we witness daily, and count on, forgetting the sovereignty of God throughout. Ultimately, our trust in the Lord and His unfailing EVERYTHING toward us is one of, if not THE most, important attitudes/behaviors we can have.

However, knowing God will take care of us, as we understand that, is one thing, while recognizing that His thoughts and ways are above our own, is still another. God gives us what we need… and at the end of the day, that is Christ. God has not failed me if, in some drastic circumstance, I go without a even a basic physical need, and die as a result… His plans are bigger than sustaining our temporal existance on earth, you know?

Further, I hope I do not offend when I say that I really do not like the translation of Matthew 6:33 from the above post:  “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all THAT THE SINNERS SEEK AFTER will be added unto you,” because the emphasized part is NOT scripture – verse 32 makes note that the Gentiles seek these things, but the point made in 32 is that those things are the entirety of what they seek, and that is the problem. The addition of the words here is condescending to what Jesus Himself said in verse 32 were needs that God knew we had… They are not exclusive to sinners. The sin is in placing undue significance in these things, and deciding to worry, rather than trusting the author of our creation, the designer of our lives and bodies, to take care of our lives in the way He sees fit. Truly, God owes us nothing, and if I have nothing, God is still just. The book of Job highlights this. I don't think God necessarily “needs” to provide for us, as we think He does. Some people are killed for their profession of Him, and still others die at (alarming rates) from starvation, and it is the nature of living in a world that is fallen, and I don't think that serving Him means that He will definitely influence someone to buy from us or enlist our service so that we can eat, or whatever… All good things are from Him, but having the expectation that if we follow, we are fed, is flawed, I think.

The main reason I wanted to write, really, is in defense of Andrew, though. I think people who are accessible to everybody (as people in his industry are) are prone to more criticism than most of us know, and generally, I don't like how much fault finding there is among Christians, anyhow. Of course I don't know him, but I have read/listened to enough of his thoughts via music/blogs/etc., to speculate that his faith is in the Lord. His pursuits are advancement of God's kingdom, as far as I can tell, and his career is one that has made God its core… I think the heart of the original blog was really just talking about preference, and examining effects of various trends – not necessarily counting on them. First, preference is just a cool way God shows more of His depth, I think. I hate onions, and can't imagine someone else LIKING them… I LOVE Project 86, and my buddy likes the slow funeral music they play on the contemporary Christian site (just kidding). We all have our neat propensities, and they show God. Liking CD packaging, versus the digital variety, really is about as important as whether or not I like onions… I can go either way. As for wondering about the fate of the music industry as things change, there is nothing wrong with examination – it is where we put our trust, that makes this an issue where sin can enter. Perhaps Andrew even WAS having a day where he was worried, and was focusing on the cause and effect that do influence life, rather than turning it all over to God; I don't think this is necessarily a chronic attitude, anymore than it is for any of us. I have my days where I worry about whether or not my my boss will try to find a spiteful reason to fire me (a real concern at my job), and days where I realize, if I get fired, I get fired – God is sovereign, and has already given me more than I deserve.

So I guess I want to say… Rock on Andrew, rock on Steven. Keep walking with God, and let Him be enough. I imagine most days, you both do.

Much love,
J.R.
A sister in somewhere in Texas, the best state in the union. That is NOT a preference, but a fact