The Artist Company – Promoting Gospel Music Worldwide
The Artist Company International – Experience, Performance, Innovation

Vernice Watson, Executive Director of The Artist Company International leads the only company with a singular focus on marketing Gospel music domestically and Internationally.

Music Industry icon Vernice Watson, leads a team of marketing professionals that have developed promotion campaigns for more independent Gospel labels, and exposed more Gospel artists to domestic and international markets than any entity in the music business.

The Artist Company International represents clients including Gospo Centric Records, Kirk Franklin, Dorinda Clarke Cole, Kurt Carr, Byron Cage, J Moss), BeBe Winans and Jonathan Butler.

The Artist Company Domestic Marketing Services

• Radio Promotion – Specializing in the Top 200 Gospel Radio Stations with a focus on the R&R Panel of Gospel Reporters.
  
• Artist Development – Training your artists on the fine points of posture, appearance and image. Teaching interview techniques for Radio, TV and Print media.

• Touring – Develop and implement promotional tours of major markets addressing the artist’ core audience by reaching, radio, retail and churches.

• Merchandising – Merchandise product in key Gospel Indies, Chains, and Christian Stores in Top 10 markets.

• Chart Management – Implement retail promotion programs to manage chart positioning.

• Special Promotions - Design and implement customized promotions with Radio to maximize artist and product exposure.

• Retail Tracking – Track sales at retail.

• Consulting – Advise client of marketing strategies to achieve target sales and maximize radio exposure.

• Staff Management – Direct and organize client staff and independents to achieve marketing goals.

• Business of Music Workshops – Conduct exclusive “Business of Music” Workshops for your company and staff.

Domestic Benchmarks :

• Shipped the Kirk Franklin “Nu Nation Project” Platinum.
• Conceptualized and implemented a 27-City “Listening Party” tour for “The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin” resulting in first week sales of over 91,000 units and a simultaneous #1 debut on 4 Billboard charts.
• Developed new Gospel acts Trin-i-tee 5:7, Byron Cage, J Moss and Jonathan Butler.
• Special Projects – Dairy – My Christmas
• Executive Producer of “Gospel Goes Classical” a live presentation of Contemporary and Traditional Gospel music with full orchestra and choir.
• Garnered Gold Record awards for the albums “Trin-i-tee 5:7,” and Kurt Carr and the Kurt Carr Singers, “Awesome Wonder,”
• Garnered Platinum Record Awards for Trin-i-tee 5:7 “Spiritual Love,” and “The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin.”
• Garnered Multi-platinum award for “Kirk Franklin: The Nu Nation Project,”

The Artist Company International Marketing Services

• Distribution – The Artist Company International will represent new artists at International Sales Meetings and Conferences covering Europe, South Africa, Latin America, Brazil and Japan.

• GMA – The Artist Company International will meet with International Distributors to position your artists for Worldwide distribution.

• Expolit – Latin American Music Exposition – The Artist Company presents your artists in Sales Presentations with major Latin American distributors, media outlets and showcases.

• GMI – The Artist Company International presents you artist to buyers from Europe and South Africa.

• Consumidore Christo – The Artist Company International will expose your artist to buyers and electronic media from Brazil and South America.

• The Artist Company International will position your releases through our International sales publications:

• GMA Sales Book - Closing February 28, 2006
• Expolit Sales Book – ( Latin America) - Closing March 30, , 2006.
• GMI Sales Presentation (Europe, South Africa) - Closing June 30, , 2006
• Consumidor Christo, Sales Presentation ( Brazil) - Closing July 31 , 2006
• “From USA” (Brazil) bi-monthly Gospel Music column, written by Vernice Watson, offers direct exposure for your artist in Brazil’s #1 Christian Music Magazine.

• Touring : The Artist Company International will work to create promotional tours for your artists in International Territories covering Radio, Television, Satellite, Print Media and key International Music Events.

• Artist Development: We prepare artists for cultural, social, linguistic, intellectual and political implications while visiting foreign territories.

• Promotion : We will service your product to radio, retail and press in International markets, drawing from our extensive database of International media contacts

International Market Access:

The UK	Canada	The Netherlands
Germany	Sweden	Norway
Portugal	Eastern Europe	Spain
France	Italy	Denmark
Japan	South Africa	Ghana
Nigeria	The Caribbean	South America
Latin America	Brazil	Australia

International Benchmarks:

• Facilitating international distribution of “Kirk Franklin Live in Brazil” DVD.
• Achieved triple-digit growth in International sales volume for Gospo Centric
• Facilitated and organized a direct distribution agreements in South Africa, Brazil and Japan.
• Developed an international database of key gospel radio programmers, electronic media and press worldwide.
• Representation at annual International Sales Conferences and meetings, including, GMI Music International (Mainland Europe), Expolit (Latin America) and Consumidore Christo ( Brazil and South America.)
• Coordinate International marketing activity with distributor international staff.
• Developed working relationships with top Christian distributorships worldwide.
• Conducted a groundbreaking five-country European tour with Trin-i-tee 5:7 covering the Netherlands, Germany Sweden, Denmark and Norway.
• Initiated a nationwide promotional tour of South Africa with Byron Cage.
• Negotiated a ringsong tones agreement for Gospo Centric with the Hudson Soft Company of Japan.

 Clients:

Include, but, not limited to:
Gospo Centric Records (Kurt Carr, Papa San, Trin-i-tee 5:7, Dorinda Clark Cole)
TMG Music – BeBe Winans
Maranatha Music – Jonathan Butler
B2 Music Brazil – Producers, Kirk Franklin “Live In Brazil”
BV Films and Music – Distributor, Brazil
TV da Gente (Our TV) Brazilian Music Television
Maranatha Music – Distributor, South Africa
Lilly Mack Music Publishing (Gospo Centric Catalog)
AIR Gospel (Dottie Peoples, Dorothy Norwood, Albertina Walker)
Hob Catalog Liquid 8 Entertainment (Shirley Caesar, James Cleveland, Milton Brunson)
Hudson Soft Japan – Ring Song Tones

“In the new millennium, it has become quite popular to reinvent oneself-to change careers, churches, spouses, houses, eye color-you name it! The gospel music community is blessed to have one who hasn’t changed a thing. She’s the same hat-wearing, no nonsense (with a smile) never-met-a-stranger storehouse of knowledge that she’s been all along! She remains vigilant in her quest to help propel gospel music to its pinnacle.”

 - From Gospel Electronic Urban Report:

Contact: Vernice Watson Executive Director The Artist Company International 9722 Groffs Mill Drive Suite 212 Owings Mills, MD 21117 Phone: 410-654-6083 Fax:: 410-654-6084 E-mail: [email protected]