Nigerian gospel singer Tim Godfrey has opened up about the unusual ways some churches have compensated artistes for performances. During a worship event at The Place of Grace in Port Harcourt, he said the common assumption that gospel artistes charge exorbitant fees ignores a long history of unfair treatment. 

He shared that in earlier days, he accepted tubers of yam and even live chickens as honorarium from churches.  Godfrey questioned how one is supposed to cover rent, school fees, or buy property when compensated in such ways. 

Why This Matters to the Gospel Music Community

Godfrey’s story has drawn public discussion around the balance between ministry and livelihood. With some church leaders condemning gospel artistes for charging substantial performance fees, his revelations provide context for why many artistes feel they must set higher rates. 

He pointed out that expectations that artistes should work “for free” or with low, non-monetary compensation do not reflect the real costs like time, travel, preparation that go into delivering quality performances. 

Godfrey also admitted returning to perform in Nigeria has become more difficult because of how undervalued artistes are.