The gospel music explosion in Brazil
Regarded as a niche market for many years, the gospel sector is one of the fastest growing markets in Brazil, moving millions annually.
According to data published in 2018 from the Association of Evangelical Companies and Professionals (Abrepe), it is estimated that gospel music accounts for 20% of the Brazilian record market, generating R$2 billion per year in sales. There are around 5,000 singers and bands, in a market that is growing at 33% per year. This number increases in parallel with the growth of evangelicals in Brazil, which according to IBGE, has increased by 61% in the last 10 years.
The sector is also embracing other musical styles such as reggae, funk, electronic and rap.
The Connectmix Music Ranking platform recently published the most played gospel songs on radio for 2019.
1. Padre Zezinho — Oração Pela Família. 13552 plays
2. Voz da Verdade — O Escudo. 6084 plays
3. Padre Reginaldo Manzotti — Espalhar Amor. 5609 plays
4. Preto no Branco — Ninguém Explica Deus. 5244 plays
4. Kemilly Santos — Fica Tranquilo. 5244 plays
5. Isaias Saad — Ousado Amor. 4833 plays
6. Regis Danase — Faz Um Milagre Em Mim. 4418 plays
7. Gabriela Rocha — Lugar Secreto. 4297 plays
8. Leandro Borges — Deus E Eu. 3111 plays
9. Thiago Brado -Minha Essência. 3104 plays
10. Davi Sacer — Deus de Promessas. 3091 plays
Brazil is the second largest Christian market in the world, second only to the United States. In a country where evangelicals reach 30% of the population (over 62 million souls) the gospel market is reinventing itself and reaching out to new audiences. According to the 2017 You Tube Insights survey, gospel is the sixth most viewed music genre among those who consume music on the platform, reaching 26% of users in Brazil.
But despite the growth of the sector, the figure of the entrepreneur is still lacking in gospel music. Churches have a fundamental role in the opportunities for shows in this market.
The spread of YouTube and streaming platforms has helped propel this scene, supported by an audience that, for religious reasons, rejected the consumption of piracy.
Spotify, for example, recognizes that the consumption of gospel music in streaming has grown significantly and has invested more and more in the genre, now having a team totally dedicated to gospel. According to Spotify, gospel music has grown 44% annually between the years 2015 and 2019.
“The growth was all organic,” says Roberta Pate, head of Artist & Label Marketing LatAm at Spotify in Latin America. “International music has also grown and it is interesting that Gospel is consumed in Brazil both internationally and locally,” says Roberta when mentioning that the Hillsong ministry is the most popular with Brazilians.
According to the company’s internal research, the age group that most uses the platform to listen to religious music is 20 to 30 years old, an audience that is more familiar with technology and social networks.
One of the first successes was Priscilla Alcantara with over than 2.5 million subscribers on her YouTube channel and a hit, Me Refez, the first Brazilian gospel song to enter Spotify Global’s Top 200 — totalling 10.5 million plays.
Given the importance of this segment, Spotify held the event Música e Essência (2019) that brought together more than 300 people, including artists, record labels, professionals in the area and the press.
Some of the popular playlists are Sucessos Gospel (with almost 1 million followers, in the Spotify Top 5 in Brazil), Louvor & Adoração / Praise & Worship, with almost 500 thousand followers, and Mulheres do Gospel/Women of Gospel.
SPOTIFY TOP GOSPEL ARTISTS
1. Fernandinho
2. Aline Barros
3. Diante do Trono
4. Bruna Karla
5. Fernanda Brum
6. Cassiane
7. Paulo Cesar Baruk
8. Gerson Rufino
9. Gabriela Rocha
10. Davi Sacer
On the Deezer platform, the gospel channel became the second most listened to in 2017, second only to sertaneja music. While sertaneja playlists have an average of 40 to 50 minutes of listening, those of Christian music reach 1h10m.
For Lincoln Baena, Deezer’s director of gospel, the blessing of the technological revolution gave a wider audience the opportunity to get in touch with gospel music:
“The music market has embraced gospel music. Many established gospel artists have managed to reinvent themselves. The cool thing is that there was no rejection from the public.”
In 2019, Deezer held the 3rd Deezer Gospel Day, under the slogan “A Casa Digital da Música Gospel /The Digital House of Gospel Music,” with the participation of artists, managers (such as Isadora Pompeo and Gabriel Guedes), distributors, digital influencers, press and labels such as MK Music, Universal Christian Music Group, Sony Music, Onimusic, Musile Records and Radar.
The Deezer Gospel Day featured a popular vote award to honor those chosen by the public who stood out within the platform service. In just four days of voting, the platform received almost 300,000 votes to choose Best Singer and Best Song.
DEEZER TOP GOSPEL ARTISTS
1. Fernandinho
2. Gabriela Rocha
3. Aline Barros
4. Anderson Freire
5. Priscilla Alcantara
6. Diante do Trono
7. Isadora Pompeo
8. Bruna Karla
9. Preto no Branco
10. Leonardo Gonçalves
With at least three out of 10 Brazilians defining themselves as evangelicals (Datafolha / 2016) Deezer increased its investment in the genre by 80% in 2018, with the production of mini-documentaries, the recording of exclusive content, greater participation in events (such as Expo Evangélica and Expo Cristã) and a podcast that addresses everyday themes from a Christian point of view.
Deezer chose artist Isaias Saad as one of the Brazilian representatives in the global project Deezer Next, which encourages musical talents around the world.
Tatiana Cantinho, A&R manager at Som Livre, the first major Brazilian record label to create a gospel department, observes that the scene has been able to embrace various musical genres, reaching out to new audiences. Many of the top artists have embraced some of the marketing ideas of the sertaneja sector, bringing together composers to write new songs, and producers from other genres, and influences from such international acts as Beyoncé.
Artistic gospel director for Sony Music, Maurício Soares is optimistic about the future of gospel music in Brazil, with gospel artists being consumed by people who do not necessarily profess the evangelical faith.
“The reach of this style of music today affects people of different religious hues who previously did not have access to CDs and today they can simply include these songs in their playlists or consume at random. It is a fact that gospel music today is much more open to new styles, new lyrics, new ideas. There are artists who are introducing new languages to what we call gospel music making the style closer to the trends than we have in popular music worldwide,” says Soares, citing names like DJ PV and Kennto. The label has such acts as Preto no Branco, Kemuel, Marcela Taís, Gabi Sampaio and Kemilly Santos, Louisy Cim, Mari Borges and Gabi Sampaio.
According to Sony Music, only 5% of the evangelical population consumes music through streaming. Even so, this small slice was responsible for 18% of Sony’s net profit in Brazil.
“Increasingly, the streaming platforms are recognizing the strength of the segment and, for this reason, they are looking for knowledge and relationships to retain the evangelical public,” says Paulo Lima, president of Universal Music Brasil.
Most of the successes in Brazil are Portuguese versions of Hillsong. The song Savior King is sung by Aline Barros as Rei Salvador Ar singer who inspires many versions is Michael W. Smith.
The first record label in Brazil to dedicate itself entirely to gospel music was Gospel Records. It was founded in the 1980s. A curiosity is that it holds the copyright to the “Gospel” brand in the country.
MK Music has become one of largest gospel labels, releasing the work of artists such as Cassiane, Fernanda Brum, Marcos Feliciano and Chris Durán, and winning several international music awards, including a Latin Grammy.
Som Livre
In the past decade, the company linked to Organizações Globo has worked on positioning itself as one of the biggest gospel labels. It has released music by Davi Sacer, André Valadão and Ludmila Ferber.
Sony Music
Another giant that saw an opportunity in the sector, Sony has released Aline Barros, Suellen Lima, Damares and Waguinho. It can be considered as one of the largest gospel labels in Brazil.
Part of bishop Edir Macedo’s empire, Line Records had the role of being the musical arm of this gigantic organization linked to the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God.
Other gospel labels
Graça Music.
Star Music
Praise Records
https://brasilcalling.wordpress.com/2020/02/01/the-gospel-music-explosion-in-brazil/
