New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Make It Timeless) Christian music legend Bryan Duncan will perform a concert at Heartland Church in Carrollton, Texas on Saturday, June 29 at 7:00 pm.
Duncan is offering a VIP experience, concert tickets and other perks through a special crowdfunding campaign. Duncan is an enthusiastic proponent of crowdfunding and social media as means to connect more deeply with his audience.
Duncan is offering fans a chance to hear his entire Conversations album and the stories behind the songs free at SoGoodForTheSoul.com
Duncan started performing professionally with the Sweet Comfort Band and recorded six albums with them before launching a solo career. He has released 14 solo albums, including his new album Conversations, and three more with The NehoSoul Band, selling in excess of 1.2 million records and videos.
Duncan was inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame along with Amy Grant and Al Green. His recordings have been celebrated with four Dove Awards and one Grammy Award.
The I See You Tour features Duncan performing some of his 16 No. 1 radio hits and songs from his new album Conversations. Duncan's songs were a Christian radio staple in the 1990s. Between 1993 to 1997 his singles charted number one 10 times and many other radio hits followed.
Duncan went on to record three independent albums with The NehoSoul Band. He performed hundreds of concerts, solo and with the band. But Duncan did not thrive as an independent artist initially.
"During my time with the big record labels I learned a lot about recording," says Duncan. "But I never understood the marketing, promotion or business sides of music. I could write and record songs but I didn't really understand how to get them heard.
"The big record companies produce a lot of albums. If you're not prepared to compete with them for attention at radio and in the press, you simply don't get much."
Meanwhile, longtime friend Christopher Redner had convinced Duncan to begin reconnecting with his past audience through social media. Starting from scratch and with no budget, it was a slow process. But Duncan loves to connect with people, so while his social media presence lacked breadth, it had depth.
Redner was convinced that Duncan's core audience would respond to a new approach- a convergence of technology, social media and commerce called "crowdfunding"-even though most of that audience hadn't even heard of it.
"Honestly, I was skeptical," says Duncan. "And when Christopher proposed a plan to raise $40,000 through crowdfunding, I almost choked. Maybe this crowdfunding thing could work at some level, but I thought we'd be lucky to raise $10,000."
In the end, Duncan trusted Redner. Duncan's Kickstarter campaign launched in October 2011 with a goal of $40,000. When it closed on Dec. 16, 2011, some 446 backers had pledged $47,638 to the project.
"The crowdfunding process and how we continued to involve the audience after the campaign closed had a profound influence on my songwriting," says Duncan. "Many of the songs on this album are about how God is working in my life through my relationships. There's a current of gratitude that runs through Conversations."
Duncan's song I See You is a grateful acknowledgement of God's presence and participation in our lives.
"My wife does this thing throughout the day," says Bryan Duncan. "She'll be working at something and out of the blue she'll just stop, point to the sky and say 'I see you!' I had to smile because it is such a great example of being in the moment with God. I don't see that kind of acknowledgement of God very often. It seemed like the perfect idea for a song."
Duncan will debut a father/son duet, entitled Every Father Is A Son, at radio in June, in time for Father's Day. The song will honor dads through the Fathers Who Serve and Dads Who Serve campaigns. Duncan will do a June media tour, culminating in the Dallas area, to promote the campaigns.
"We're excited to have Bryan at Heartland Church," says Associate Pastor Dusty Dean. "His message of hope is exactly in line with what Heartland Church offers people who have been bound by addiction and hopelessness! The gospel message could never be portrayed in a greater way than through those whose testimonies speak for themselves"
"Heartland Church is a community of believers whose focus is to lead people of all walks of life into a thriving relationship with Jesus Christ and with others. Heartland offers a place of common ground where anyone, from any background, can plug in and find a Christ-centered family full of dynamic love and hope."
Dan Dean, Lead Pastor of Heartland Church, is one-third of the popular Christian music trio Phillips, Craig and Dean."
