A gospel choir product "Lähellä" - A case study: from choir arrangements to a music product

Abstract

This thesis is consists of 3 parts: 1) a practical output, a gospel choir product ”Lähellä” which includes 4 rearranged songs recorded into an EP and along with that: a) sheet music for a choir, a soloist and a band, b) separate stem demos for home practice and c) choir workshops and concerts. 2) the written part, which analyzes the process of making the product and researches how to market and sell it. 3) The appendices give even more material: all songs’ translations into English and demo versions of them, video material from the first concert with 2 choirs, questionnaires for the choir conductors and more.

The first chapter of the written part analyses the birth story of the EP ”Lähellä”. The second chapter analyzes the process of the songs’ rearrangements and black gospel influence that was brought to the choir arrangements. The third chapter analyses CCWM, the main genre of the songs. The fourth and fifth chapters research the target audience, the market and how to sell the product. The last two chapters assess possible future scenarios and projects that this thesis might lead to and what conclusions I made based on my research. As my research material, alongside with books and knowledge I have developed throughout the years, I attended several music entrepreneurs’ webinars, studied websites, blogs, podcasts and sent two questionnaires to Finnish gospel choir directors.

Selling a music product does not work without a professional brand as an artist. The lectures of our master’s programme with lecturers from all over the world provided vital information for this. The findings of this research area is found in chapter six.