U.S. Army veteran, recording artist, songwriter, author, magazine publisher, mother, and grandmother, Joyce Logan started her professional music career with gospel singing group, James Bignon and Gods Children. In 1982 the group recorded their second album. Her song When He Calls Me received nationwide airplay and top Billboard charting.
Between touring and working for the Columbia School of Broadcasting she completed her degree in Broadcasting and Continuity Writing from the prestigious school, graduating with honors. she was invited to start a gospel section for a national radio trade magazine, Black Radio Exclusive (BRE) where she was able to give gospel music and its artists broader exposure in a secular publication.
Dr. Joyce Logan was Marketing Director for Word Records when the label resided in Burbank, California. She worked directly with each music division to ensure strong team effort that gained successful long-range visibility for each artist. In addition, Dr. Logan developed extensive tracking reports by tracking national radio stations and retailers to gauge the rate of product rotation and sales. As Marketing Director she was the keynote speaker during major music conference dates regarding the label’s new product releases. Developing and implementing marketing strategies she also worked hand in hand with the A&R department. Her repertoire of artists included Richard Smallwood, Shirley Caesar, The Clark Sisters, The Thompson Community Singers (aka the Tommies), The Winans, Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, Albertina Walker, and many others.
Dr. Logan reviewed new products from potential artists and was a part of the decision-making team. She also worked closely with the Art division and was responsible for reviewing and signing off on cover and insert graphic design for the artist’s product. When Word relocated to Nashville, Tennessee Dr. Logan was unable to leave because she needed to be close to her mother who was very ill at the time. While on hiatus she was asked by CGI Records to develop their marketing and promotion efforts and for six months she flew back and forth from Los Angeles to Chicago each week to accomplish the task and CGI achieved top ratings on major music charts for the label’s artists which included Danniebelle Hall, Calvin Bernard Rhone, and others.
In 1984, only 8.2% of households in the US-owned a personal computer, and the World Wide Web had yet to be invented. By 2000, 54 million households or 51% of US households had owned one or more computers. In 1993 Dr. Logan with over 45 years of experience in the entertainment industry and a proven record of success with some of the top names in Gospel Music created the first of its kind website on the Internet for the nation’s leading Music Trade Magazine for the Gospel / Christian Community called Gospel International. The Internet address was listed as gospelweb.com because hosting servers could not process website addresses with names over 10 characters. She developed the framework for a multimedia Gospel Enterprise combing traditional “street level experience” with “technology” based delivery systems. Her ability to respond to the changing marketplace using technology was an example why Ms. Logan still remains “cutting edge”. The site featured free email accounts to its users (examp: jlogan@gospelweb.com). Gospel International featured one of the first chat rooms on the Internet (prior to Facebook) whereby users chatted in real-time with other users in the GI-Chat Room.
Dr. Logan has ongoing relationships with leading Music Industry Executives, Community and National organizations, musical artists, and literally known to hundreds of thousands of Gospel International Internet followers.
As CEO of Gospel International Trade Magazine in print and online she worked directly with each department to ensure strong team effort and to gain successful results in the areas of subscription sales, ad revenue, and increased distribution sources. She hired and trained staff members in the administrative, marketing, and sales local office; International staff who displayed great skills in print design, web design, and digital skills management; 8 editorial staff who researched and submitted articles and key commentary relevant to the Gospel music community. Included within the publication was an extensive nationwide radio and retail report of top airplay and top sales. In 2007 she launched the first gospel music trade video magazine online when this type of presentation was virtually unheard of on the internet.
Dr. Logan continues to partner successfully with national radio stations and retailers to provide increased visibility of product along with increased promotion for the partners. She lectures as a keynote speaker during major music conference dates on the importance of digital skills needs and training to grow and maintain a successful business. Her monthly Publishers Letter in the magazine emphasized not only words to encourage, motivate, and educate the reader but emphasized new technology and its effects on the music industry.
In 2010 Joyce Logan returned to college and completed her Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology; MBA in Marketing; and Ph.D. in Management with a concentration in Executive Leadership.
While working on her Doctorate degree she also attended Bethany Bible College simultaneously and received her certificate of completion in Evangelism with a concentration on Christian Counseling. She released her second book DIGITAL STRATEGIES 4 MUSIC INDUSTRY SUCCESS in 2018. The book reveals where music industry personnel and artists currently stand regarding new technology and digital strategies. It chronicles how new technology affected the music industry over the decades and how technology used strategically can propel companies and artists towards success in the music industry. It shows how many old-school practices for marketing and promoting new music are still being implemented, and how today’s digital standards coupled with some old school practices will still get recorded projects miles ahead of the game by using the blueprint in the book. DIGITAL STRATEGIES 4 MUSIC INDUSTRY SUCCESS provides marketing insight and resources that will allow music industry leaders, artists, and personnel to become more skilled and successful in the music business, utilizing digital skills, strategies, and techniques shared within its pages.
While running and operating Gospel International and DigiWorld Music (marketing and promotion) Dr. Logan currently manages artist, Dave Shirley, who is known for his strong vocals and key casting roles in stage plays across the country. His single “Let’s Help One Another” is receiving great reviews nationwide and abroad as the video containing the soundtrack is bridging the gap between musical genres and cultures as well as bridging generations. The lyrics are very timely for the challenging times this world is now experiencing. During the 2020 Corona Virus pandemic, Dr. Logan exercised creativity when studios and videographers were in isolation and social distancing from the public. With cell phone in hand, green cloth taped to the wall (green screen), and camera rolling, and 100 degrees in the building, she videotaped Dave Shirley performing his new single for the times, A CHANGE IS GONNA COME, added some visual effects and released the new video online.
Gospel International acquired channels on the ROKU TV Network and Amazon Fire TV. The new TV channel went LIVE on both platforms in early 2021. For those who want to watch the continuous live stream instead of navigating the many videos-on-demand on the Channel, it is also available (live-streaming) on both channels and also on the Gospel International website. According to Dr. Logan, “this has been a lifelong dream from the moment we hit the street with the print magazine back in 1993, to becoming a tabloid music trade publication in 1999, to going online in 1994. Ive seen many gospel industry magazines come and go in print and online since then, but we’ve stayed the course even when adversity knocked us down for a season. It knocked us down but it didn’t knock us out. GI was never about fortune or fame for me but about the ministry of the gospel and the people who make it happen. This is a ministry for me. Now we can carry the Gospel International message to an even broader market nationwide via TV ( 42 Million on ROKU)as we give greater exposure and a louder voice to the gospel music industry and its varying ministries.”. In 2022 Dr. Logan presented the Gospel International Podcast featuring the latest news and reviews in effort to provide increased coverage for the brand.
In August 2021 in Chicago, Illinois, Dr. Logan was presented with the Trendsetter Award and honored by the Gospel Industry Network (G.I.N.) who inducted her into the Hall of Fame. She has retired a few times over the years but her passion for this ministry keeps bringing her back to it. 2022 launches the Gospel International mobile app for both Android and IOS devices, making it effortless to access Gospel International.
