Bob confirms it: Petra WILL retire this year

[Shell]

That does make sense. It's a bit late in the game to be trying to figure out whose fault it is anyway. The music biz can be complicated.

[Kirkman]

Do we know when the official break-up date is, or has it already happened?

The information I got was in conflict. Bob told me there would be no more concerts after November at the latest. Wayne said he hoped the farewell tour would end in December in Europe.

I am certain that all these details are being ironed out right now. Once it's all set in stone, Wayne & Co will send out their release.

--Josh

[micah]

They just better be in Argentina in December!!!

I might up and call that contact # with Skype and see if they actually know anything...

[bleedinghero]

i'm just as shocked as everyone else. petra retiring is something i've been dreading for ages. but lets face it, the band cant go on forever. so where does that leave us, the most devoted fans on the planet?

i'm listening to keith green right now. green was undoubtedly one of the most powerful christian musician ever. there's no denying the spirit and force behind his music and ministry.

petra are just as brilliant in terms of vision, talent and ministry. all the talk about a corrupt and wayward CCM scene is something i personally cannot prove. but if theres one thing i do know it's this: petra started with a vision for reaching the lost and pursued it wholeheartedly for more than 30 years. they went through various musical trends, they experienced incomparable highs and lows in the industry, and through it all they inspired a whole generation to sing and rock for Jesus. they remained focused on their uncompromising message. even when the industry wanted a "more family/less Jesus" message, petra kept their eyes on Jesus.

thank you petra and everyone ever involved with the band, from the founding members to the beloved beyond belief era line-up, to those who contributed to the music in ways we may never know about. you have helped change my life and keep me grounded in my faith. God cares and you always highlighted the reality of His love.

all us fans have been deeply impacted by petra's ministry. that's priceless. as petra bid farewell, let's all rally and continue in the Christian faith that the band has defiantly supported and helped us cling to throughout the years.

petra forever,

dan

[executioner]

Gman,

I agree with your assesment of Petra, but there is one thing that I disagree with. Petra does NOT need a record label to record and produce new music. Bob has the capabilities to get it done in house. I know it would be a task to get it done, but it is very possible. There are alot of CCM artists that have gone on to do this. I know Whitecross is one of them, and there has been rumors on the message boards about White Heart releasing a new album off of Billy Smilley's Label. In White Heart's case they would probably not tour, but just continue to release music and produce copies on a demand basis. Record Labels are becoming outdated and artists are tired of most of the royalities going back to them, so there are a few artists that are making albums on their own. Journey is one that comes to mind. Journey is bringing out a new album this year called "Generations" and was totally done in house by Neal and Jonathan and cost them next to nothing to completely record and manufacture a complete album. They will have a tour this summer/fall that is quickly selling out and will be giving away their new release to any one that comes to one of their shows. Keep in mind that this was done with no advertising except through their web site and word of mouth. They don't even have a manager or tour promoter anymore; Everything is being done by the five band members and their families.
I think this could be possibility be a way for Bob and John to continue, just record albums and sell them through their web sites; The only costs to them would be their time.

[bleedinghero]

hey EXE,

good idea there. something similar was suggested in another post. the thing is, under what name would they create music? petra? because from what i read they want petra to go out on a high note (jekyll and hyde). if they had any intention of pursuing petra, they wouldnt quit or announce retiring.

i think it would be better if they work together on some different projects. perhaps create a new band altogether and do it, as you said, entirely in bob's house. would be intriguing to hear what kind of music they come up with outside of the entity that is petra.

dan

[Preacherman777]

Now this is where I suggested that they might continue this way, only do it under the name of John Schlitts solo career. A whole new name would probably be difficult because they would lose the advantage of name recognition to sell albums. Under Johns name there is still quite a bit of name recognition and you might even sell them to the old Head East fans.

[epdc]

is that you???? COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1i just saved your picture

[Mountain Man]

According to Bob Hartman's website, a good porition of Revival was recorded in his personal studio:

"I was so happy to have recorded much of Petra's latest album Revival at my home studio. We did the entire album on Digidesign's ProTools and this was a first for us. The system performed wonderfully and having the tracks at home gave me much more time to listen and develop ideas. Most of the guitars were recorded at my house as well as many vocal tracks."

So Petra going independent and producing albums-on-demand out of Bob's basement (or wherever he keeps his studio) seems like a no-brainer.

[micah]

Maybe someone should actually ask Bob if he's thinking about that, or if he's willing to, so we don't get our hopes up for nothing!

[Shell]

They haven't actually retired yet guys, that's still a few months off; they may be wanting to do one thing at a time.

[brent]

According to Bob Hartman's website, a good porition of Revival was recorded in his personal studio:

"I was so happy to have recorded much of Petra's latest album Revival at my home studio. We did the entire album on Digidesign's ProTools and this was a first for us. The system performed wonderfully and having the tracks at home gave me much more time to listen and develop ideas. Most of the guitars were recorded at my house as well as many vocal tracks."

So Petra going independent and producing albums-on-demand out of Bob's basement (or wherever he keeps his studio) seems like a no-brainer.

Why in heavens name would he do that? Why would the guys spend their own money, when they can let someone else take the risk/hit? They have the ability to use other peoples money instead of mortgaging their homes, digging into savings, and have a better shot at radio now than if they were an indie. If radio won't play now, they SURE won't when they are an indie.

Booking agents don't book indies either, and you can't get good gigs without someone one the horn, selling you in a package with other artists. It takes alot of work. If people aren't coming to shows the way they used to in the US, then what will change if they are an indie? Who will provide tour support? It will all come out of their pocket, and they play for dirt cheap and sometimes just break even if at all.

I can say to you, without even talking to Bob, that he would not do that. That's insane. Indie records never sell as much as labeled records, unless they are in a foreign market and have money behind them.

The war is won and lost on radio. Petra can't beat radio. I bet they wish that they could beat the people who run radio haha.

As far as the production in Bob's studio. That is such a non issue. sure records are made in home studios all of the time. That is just one small step in the grand scheme of things that is required to get a record to market. Studio time is a small drop in the bucket compared to the other things that must be done.

[Michael]

It's one thing if an unknown band makes a CD in the basement. It's something else if Petra or Journey does so. Petra would still sell TONS of CDs, basement or label. And if they sell 30,000 CDs on Inpop and get ten cents per CD, or if they sell 200 basement CDs and get all $15 per, they make the same money. Bands who are fortunate enough to have a fan base already can afford to do things indie... I know when Prince finally got free from his contract, that's what he chose to do.

Bookings are another thing. If they're only booking from diehards already, why would THAT be any different if they were indie? The diehards would still be around.

[crossways]

I know I'm gonna get it for this, but.......

If there is such a large die-hard fan base, then why aren't there more US Petra concert dates.

Either that fanbase is not supporting the band - or the size of the fanbase is not as big as we would like to think it is.

I think Brent is dead on with his points.

Prince was able to do what he did because of his $$$$ and his fame or "infamy".

Radio/TV drives the boat. like it or not.

There was an article some time ago in Time or maybe USA Today about Indie musicians making a living.

I can't remember the artists but they were very underground and they made a living. not off of cds, but off of touring.

[brent]

Journey is a wee bit different. Different, larger, market, driven by the "is Steve Perry coming back?" buzz. They have the resources of a label in house. They have a bigger green tree (very valuable back catalog) and a production company that makes them money whether they work or not. They ARE using Frontiers for all non-USA distribution. How are they going to sell in the US? Gigs will be the primary way.

Prince is "out", and that's why he had to do it. Nobody would sign him anyway I suspect. He made plenty of money, selling the rights to use his name, and every song but "1999". He was smart enough to get out of the night club business in MN, and has a profitable studio that caters to the film industry rather than music. He does not sell CD's. He gives his away at the show. A very good idea IMO that hacks many people off.

Again, there is more to it than making the CDs. You have to be able to tour to support it. If you were to ask John, that has been the crux of the problem. If you ask Greg Oliver or and any other former booking agent, they will tell you the same. It is not easy to book Petra. They are not "in" because radio dictates. Once people hear (and dare I say feel) the band's music, then they are won over.

I am all over the indie thing. I am doing it myself. Some others here are as well. But, let's assume that Petra would sell a bunch of discs as an idie. Why exactly aren't they now with a label? People have to be made aware of it. If there is no advertising (radio, print, TV, video), radio airplay, major tour support, then no matter who you are, indie or signed, you are screwed.

Again, these guys are fathers and grandfathers. I am sure that they would rather risk someone elses money than their own on a CD. It seems to me that they do not have the right people behind them, with enough cash, so push the boulder one more inch, so that it can easily roll down the other side.

It sounds easy to make $10-15 a CD, but it isn't when you do things on a larger scale. If you sell to a distributor which sells to retailers, you only get to sell it for $6-7 max (or 60% of retail), if you have a return policy. You pay all freight of unsold CD's and factory rejects. You get to sell for $4-5 max (69% of retail) if they have a no return policy. It costs about $1 to make a small run of 5k discs at a time +/-. Then you have to pay for studio time, your time, materials, etc. You are still playing the big game.

Internet sales (Amazon.com #1) do jack diddly (10%) compared to retail (90% from Walmart #1, Best Buy #2). And Christian music is a niche market that doesn't sell jack at any of the above. The place to buy it is at the Christian retailers, and thats where the majority do buy it.

If I had the money, I would buy them out of their deal, record about 3 records of non-stop, brain crushing rock WITH GUITAR SOLOS, and then out them out in the Prevost. But....I don't so I can't.