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How do you navigate the politics of the music industry? How do you start from the ground up and end up with double platinum records? Skillet’s John Cooper dives into the details about the ups and downs of their career and offers some phenomenal advice for reinventing yourself within boundaries that don’t ostracize your fans.

You’ll Learn About:

  • The origin story of Skillet
  • John’s decision to drop out of school to pursue music
  • The industry influences that John has put in his life to keep him grounded
  • How decades of cultural shifts have shaped the current music industry
  • Why it is difficult for Christian acts to “cross over.”
  • How to find satisfaction in your music and your purpose.
  • How and when to pursue new ideas in your music career.
  • What John considers to be most important in his life.

John Cooper is the lead singer of the band Skillet (Grammy nominated, Dove Award winning). Today, Skillet is one of the largest rock music touring acts in the world. Hit songs include “Monster,” “Hero,” “Whispers In The Dark,” “Feel Invincible,” and “Stars.” At the time of this episode’s release, their current radio single is “Lions.”

Seth has been working with John and his wife (and fellow Skillet member) Korey, writing songs for their upcoming LP release. In this episode, John and Seth discuss the new record, Skillet’s success, and the difficulties of navigating the politics of the music industry, especially from the perspective of a new, Christian band.

Throughout the story of Skillet’s origin, John explains how it used to be a part of pop culture to see new bands on the weekend. This gave Skillet a great touring opportunity early on, and they found themselves with a passionate following. However, they had a lot of trouble with labels, who despite massive interest, couldn’t get past the fact that they were a Christian band.

Of course, they overcame these challenges and now have several gold and platinum records under their belt.

Want to know the best instrument to pursue if you want to be in a band? Want to know the best way to handle a radio station that won’t play your song without other demands? Want to know how to navigate changes in the industry and stay fresh?

John Cooper is here to share his story about how he made it in music, and he’s here to help you do the same.

Resources

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Albums mentioned in this episode

Collide

Awake

Unleashed

Books mentioned in this episode

The Sovereignty of God by Arthur W. Pink

Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton

Find out more about John Cooper

Skillet.com

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