GOSPEL MUSIC WORKSHOP OF AMERICA INC

What GOSPEL MUSIC WORKSHOP OF AMERICA INC does

Gospel Music Workshop of America, Inc. (GMWA) is a non-profit, international, interdenominational association of gospel singers, musicians, ministers, educators, and music industry professionals, founded in 1967 by Rev. James Cleveland in Detroit, Michigan. The organization operates on a chapter-based membership model in which individuals join local chapters to gain national membership, with chapters spanning from the United States to Asia. GMWA convenes an annual convention held mid-summer in rotating U.S. cities, plus a late-winter board meeting, and is structured around multiple divisions including Academic, Performance, Chapter, Evangelistic, Men's, Women's, and Youth and Young Adult. The Performance Division produces canonical gospel recordings such as 'Order My Steps' and 'What Shall I Do.'

GMWA's primary digital product is the official GMWA Mobile App, available on iOS and Android, which delivers live event updates, live streaming of services, push-button in-app giving, prayer hotline access, in-app shopping, and sermon note-taking. Online registration and ticketing are processed through the Brushfire platform for convention delegates, performers, vendors, and tiered musical events (Visionary Banquet, Tuesday Night Musical, Finale Musical, Nightly Musical, Men's Welcome Musical). The organization also runs an Academic Division structured as a 'floating university' providing continuing education, and a Women's Division that hosts the Hatters Tea fundraiser for higher-education scholarships.

Revenue is generated through chapter membership dues, convention and delegate registration fees, event ticket sales, souvenir journal advertising, and scholarship fundraising. Marketing is multi-channel and centered on the annual convention, supported by Facebook, YouTube, the mobile app, and the gmwainational.net website. The organization is led by Chairman of the Board Albert L. Jamison Sr. and is governed by an elected board; it has approximately 20 employees and no parent company, institutional investors, or equity ownership.

Name

GOSPEL MUSIC WORKSHOP OF AMERICA INC

Legal name

Gospel Music Workshop of America, Inc.

Website

https://gmwanational.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gospel Music Workshop of America, Inc. is a non-profit, interdenominational membership association founded in 1967 that preserves gospel music heritage and serves singers, musicians, ministers, and educators through local chapters, annual conventions, and a mobile app for streaming, giving, and engagement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Music Association

NAICS

Musical Groups and Artists (711130), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAIAHAC

Session Musicians & Vocalists

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Music & Audio (Recording, Publishing, Streaming)/Music Production Services (Studios, Producers, Session Musicians)

SECONDARYEDAMANAC

Group Music Classes & Ensembles (Band, Orchestra, Choir)

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Music Education (Instrumental & Vocal)

SECONDARYMPAIAHAL

Remote Recording & Online Session Services

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Music & Audio (Recording, Publishing, Streaming)/Music Production Services (Studios, Producers, Session Musicians)

Keywords

• Gospel music workshops
• Annual music conventions
• Membership association
• Music education programs
• Community choirs

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Chapter Membership Dues: Local GMWA chapters charge yearly joining fees and dues to members. These fees cover chapter operations and national GMWA dues.
2. Convention Registrations: Revenue from delegate registration, performance registration, and vendor registration for annual conventions.
3. Event Ticket Sales: Ticket sales for various convention events including Visionary Banquet, Tuesday Night Musical, Finale Musical, Nightly Musical, and Men's Welcome Musical.
4. Souvenir Journal Advertising: Revenue from selling advertising space in souvenir journals during conventions.
5. Scholarship Fundraising: Women's Division hosts annual Hatters Tea fundraiser for scholarships supporting students in higher education.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Gospel Music Workshop of America (GMWA) is a non-profit, international, interdenominational membership association that preserves gospel music heritage through annual conventions, performance workshops, academic continuing-education programs, and recordings. It operates through a network of local chapters, hosts mid-summer annual conventions and late-winter board meetings, and offers a mobile app with live streaming, in-app giving, and event engagement tools. The organization is governed by a Chairman of the Board and includes divisions for Performance, Academic, Evangelistic, Men's, Women's, and Youth & Young Adults.

Product overview

GOSPEL MUSIC WORKSHOP OF AMERICA INC operates as a non-profit international organization focused on preserving gospel music heritage and providing forums for excellence in gospel music presentation. The organization offers its official GMWA Mobile App as its primary digital product, which provides members and attendees with live event updates, donation capabilities, prayer hotline access, in-app shopping, live service streaming, and sermon note-taking features. The organization also conducts annual conventions, maintains multiple divisions (Academic, Performance, Chapter, Evangelistic, Men's, Women's, Youth and Young Adult), and produces recordings through its Performance Division. The portfolio represents a service-oriented organization centered on music education, performance opportunities, and member engagement rather than a traditional technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GMWA Mobile App

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sesac (now The MLC affiliate): Sesac is a performing rights organization serving songwriters, composers, and publishers, including a meaningful roster of gospel and Christian music creators. It functions as another broad incumbent in the music rights landscape that GMWA's members and recording catalog interact with.
• BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.): BMI is a major performing rights organization that collects and distributes royalties for songwriters, composers, and publishers. It is a broad incumbent serving the gospel music ecosystem, including the writers and publishers whose work GMWA's Performance Division records and promotes.
• ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers): ASCAP is a major US performing rights organization that licenses and distributes royalties for music creators. As a broad industry incumbent, ASCAP represents many of the songwriters and composers whose work is performed at GMWA events and recorded by its Performance Division.

Emerging players

• Stellar Gospel Music Awards: The Stellar Awards recognize excellence in gospel music and serve as a key industry event for the genre. While not a membership organization like GMWA, the Stellar Awards intersect with GMWA's audience of artists, ministers, and gospel music professionals, and represents an alternative aggregation point in the ecosystem.
• Songwriters of North America (SONA): SONA is a membership organization advocating for songwriters' rights and economic fairness. It overlaps with GMWA's mission of supporting music creators but focuses on secular/pop songwriters rather than the gospel-specific niche.

Direct peers

• National Quartet Convention (NQC): NQC is an annual southern gospel music convention and fan event, with a long-running tradition of multi-day showcases. It is the most direct analog to GMWA's annual convention model, though NQC focuses on quartet and southern gospel while GMWA spans all gospel forms.
• Gospel Music Association (GMA): The Gospel Music Association is a non-profit trade organization for the gospel and Christian music industry, hosting the GMA Dove Awards. It is the most direct peer to GMWA in terms of mission, structure, and membership model, though GMA's scope extends beyond gospel into broader Christian music.
• Christian Music Trade Association (CMTA): CMTA is a membership-based trade association for the Christian music industry, providing networking, education, and advocacy. Like GMWA, it serves musicians and music professionals through a member-driven model, though it focuses on Christian (rather than specifically gospel) music.

Others

• National Music Council: The National Music Council is a membership-based advocacy organization for the US music industry. It is comparable in structure (membership-based, advocacy-focused) but operates at the industry-policy level rather than within a specific genre.
• International Music Managers Forum (IMMF): IMMF is an international forum for music managers, with a membership structure and global reach. It is thematically adjacent to GMWA's mission of supporting music professionals but operates in the management layer of the industry rather than the artist/performer layer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@gmwanational5883
• Facebookfacebook.com/gmwanational
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gospel-music-workshop-of-america-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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