The Petra Zone

D-Pethead wrote:John has been successful because he has been willing to trust people to use things like kickstarter. The other thing is he is a nice guy and people like him, and it goes without saying he has an amazing voice. I think if Bob was to use Kickstarter, people would get behind it, maybe it's just not his style, kickstarter can seem desperate.

That would be my guess; that Bob prefers the traditional route, and is content with not doing anything if it can't happen that way.

to me john is doing better without petra. so why not try and bring classic petra back alittle

johndoe590 wrote:to me john is doing better without petra. so why not try and bring classic petra back alittle

***That's a great idea. I prefer Classic anyway.

I think you guys are right on. John's messages, talent and versatility are showcased and maximized on solo records. He can be who he IS now. He can have total control. With Petra he has to be who he was when the songs were released. John's solo records as a "work" are better than anything Petra has done in a very long time.

At least we have Whiteheart returning!

brent wrote:I think you guys are right on. John's messages, talent and versatility are showcased and maximized on solo records. He can be who he IS now. He can have total control. With Petra he has to be who he was when the songs were released. John's solo records as a "work" are better than anything Petra has done in a very long time.

I think you guys have stumbled on to something here, the best of both worlds?

johndoe590 wrote:to me john is doing better without petra. so why not try and bring classic petra back alittle

I really like the stuff John has put out in the last few years and his solo & ministry really works. I would be shocked if the Classic Petra angle would be brought back out. IMHO you would have a better shot at getting "The Dream Team" back together over Classic Petra; over time the wounds have healed more and CP's wounds are fresher and would need a lot of healing before anything could happen on that end. Most fans think that CP is not around anymore because of low sales and small concert market, but those things played very little into the equation.

I would like to see the Dream Team and Classic Petra do something together.

Dan wrote:I would like to see the Dream Team and Classic Petra do something together.

Yeah would be the ultimate, but highly unlikely. Like I said in the earlier post I believe the Dream Team to have more of a chance, but it still is like a 10% chance if that. I think the only incarnation of Petra you will ever see again is the current one with Bob, John, Greg B. & Christan.

To me, John is all I need. He can do solo work and Petra work. If I got to see John once a year, that would satisfy my Petra itch. I hope John and John take off.

Wow, is there actually any chance of any sort of Petra coming back? Or is that just something us Petheads like to talk about? I personally would like to see a Classic Petra of some sort make an album of new songs, not just remakes like were on BTTR. I don't know anything about the current personal projects and statements of the members, I only know what I'd want 'em to do. But seriously, I though Petra was gone forever...

P.S. And what, pray tell, is "the Dream Team"? (I'm such a noob)

fiendik wrote:P.S. And what, pray tell, is "the Dream Team"? (I'm such a noob)

Not sure who coined the term (and I'm sure it was someone who was secretly in love with Ronny Cates ), but the dream team is the line-up from On Fire till Wake-Up Call with John Schlitt, Bob Hartman, Louie Weaver, John Lawry and Ronny Cates.

Thief wrote:But a lot of things have to come together in order for an album to actually happen. It's not only the writing and recording, which can be done at Bob's house. But the process requires money, distributors, etc. And considering their last experiences with record labels, I don't blame them for being wary at the prospect. Plus, there's the risk involved, will people buy it after all? I really don't think none of the members is wealthy enough to risk that, so I don't blame them for not going full-out and trying to test the waters before jumping in.

Skip the label and do a self-release as digital download only. That would limit the amount of risk going in and would decrease the number of albums they have to sell to cover the costs.

You have it backwards, a self financed release means they DO need a return on investment. Bob cannot just flush that money down the toilet. Bob DOES want/need a label to take the risk.

Kickstarter is ok, because fans take the risk, paying for music they have not heard. The album could be a turd and the artist is not out a penny.

Bob wants to write what Bob wants to write. If he is successful, he is. He has told me that he does not know how to write something for radio, or something designed to be a hit. This mindset would scare off a label. It might scare me off. What if I don't like where Bob is or what Bob wants to say? I want to hear it first to see if I want to buy it.

brent wrote:You have it backwards, a self financed release means they DO need a return on investment.

Um, I never said otherwise. All I said was that by cutting out the middleman (i.e. a label who scoops up the majority of profits before the artist ever sees a penny) would mean that the band's rate of return would be higher meaning they could sell fewer albums and still see a profit. Going digital-only would lower costs even further because they wouldn't have to worry about distributing a physical product.