How This Gospel-Music Hitmaker Uses Social Media to Propel New Stars to Greatness

Kerry Douglas has quite the list of accolades from his 25+ years of experience working in the gospel music industry. Artists signed with his label, Black Smoke Music Worldwide, have gone on to win awards, top charts, and make a name for themselves on the big and small screens. Douglas’s business savvy has earned him numerous accolades and honors – most recently an induction into the Stellar Awards Hall of Fame.

And to think it all started at a car dealership in Houston, Texas.

“I worked as a car salesman decades ago, but I always knew I wanted to do something else,” said Douglas. “I’d bring musicians who came to Houston to my dealership and we’d have mini concerts right there on the lot, and I’d sell their records out the trunk of my car.”

That was when Douglas learned he had quite the knack for selling new musicians and their work to gospel music lovers all over the city. And then, he thought, why not expand?

“We started off as Kerry Douglas Productions back in the day,” Douglas said. “It feels like just yesterday, to be honest. We’re very blessed to have grown so much and to have helped so many people succeed.”

Now Douglas is harnessing the power of social media and digital marketing to continue promoting musicians and their work to the next generation of gospel music lovers. His weekly In the Spotlight With Kerry Douglas on YouTube and Facebook Live give new artists a chance to share their music with people who appreciate it most – and want to hear more.

“The framework for music marketing has changed,” said Douglas. “We’ve been building and promoting new artists and their brands for decades, and we’re not going to stop any time soon. This is just another way we can make what’s out there, like social media, work for us. Its also about connecting fortune 500 companies with the faith based community through strategic partnerships.”

From Parking Lot to Worldwide Promotor

If there’s one thing Douglas has learned from his decades in the gospel music business, it’s that the marketing strategies for each artist and record have to adapt to a variety of factors. Giving gospel music fans the chance to sample music from artists in unique and organic ways is how Douglas got his start – and he’s not planning on giving that up any time soon.

“This is the long game,” Douglas said. “I understood that from the start, and that’s what helps us continue to be successful. I can stick with the process and help other people be successful because I know what’s working.”

While Douglas leans into nearly every strategy imaginable – from artist partnerships and tours to campaign and audience management and more – he’s found that many of his artists love using tools like Facebook Live to do so organically. Like the car dealership concerts 25-odd years ago, people show up to the Facebook Live events every Friday night, listen to the music, and often go on to stream albums or purchase merch. His most recent promotion on Facebook for Pastor Mike, Jr. netted some 4 million views.

It’s a bit more high-tech than where Douglas started, but he said he’s glad to see the future of music marketing is becoming even more global.

“We do the targeted ads and marketing and all that still,” he said, “but there’s something about building an audience where people tune into Facebook Live every week because they know there will be music they’ll enjoy that’s really cool. It’s a way to attract fans all over the world. They’re already into the music we’re promoting. That opens up opportunities for our artists, and the label.”

Artists In the Spotlight

Using YouTube and Facebook Live videos, along with the other aspects of his multifaceted marketing, Douglas has been able to take well-known gospel acts like James Fortune & FIYA, Earnest Pugh and Keith “Wonder Boy” Johnson up the charts, and he plans to expand his promotional empire to as many facets as possible to ensure his artists have as many chances to shine as possible.

“We take artists from obscurity to the top of their careers by using the right strategy for success,” he said. “It’s not a one-size-fits-all process for anyone, and we take charge of our artists’ careers by establishing those winning strategies.”

And, at the end of the day, Douglas said he enjoys nothing more than sitting down with artists every Friday night and watching them do what they do best.

“We do focus a lot on the marketing and the promotion, and that is absolutely our job,” said Douglas. “But these are also musicians and artists who love what they do and want to share that with the world. Getting to help them do that is amazing.”

About Kerry Douglas

Kerry Douglas, CEO of Black Smoke Music Worldwide LLC, is the #1 independent gospel label executive and radio promoter with over 25 years of experience. He was recently inducted into the 36th Stellar Awards Hall of Fame. Click here to become his next chart-topping artist: https://www.kerrydouglasgospelmix.com/