Gospel music is a calling but we’ve to get paid –Yetunde Are

A school of thought holds that gospel music is a calling and as such, gospel musicians shouldn’t charge fees for ministrations. However, popular singer, Yetunde Are, says that though gospel music is indeed a calling, gospel artistes have to get paid to sustain themselves.

“Yes, it is God’s work. But you have people working with you; when God is calling you, he’s not calling them as well. He called you, but you have to do it with some people for the realisation of your purpose in life.” she said in a recent interview.

Those people will have to be paid and that is where the money aspect comes in. We thank God that it is not like two decades ago when people felt that gospel singers shouldn’t minister for money. Things are evolving. In this technological age, people that work with you have to be paid. If you say, ‘I’m so sorry people, I’m doing it for God’; they’ll say, ‘Okay, you can do it alone then’. That is where the aspect of honour comes in.

Charging fees depends on certain factors such as, are you taking transportation, how far is the place, have you done your logistics, among others? I believe that people are getting to know better now. However, you don’t have to overcharge people in a way that they’ll be scared and say, ‘Sorry, we are going to use our choir’. When you have a ministry that is running 24/7, money is the vehicle of evangelism; you have to run it with money.”