According to Wikipedia, Music technology can be defined as the study or the use of any device, mechanism, machine or tool by a musician or composer to make or perform music; to compose, notate, play back or record songs or pieces; or to analyze or edit music. 

Before the arrival of music technology into Africa… 

The music being sung and composed by religious bodies in Africa was boring!… Not just boring… 

It gave out unpleasant sounds that irritated the ears of the listeners! 

Everyone at that time who came in contact with the music being produced by Christians and Muslims… 

Knew that the music was bad but refused to complain cause they knew that there was no other option! 

Before embracing music technology… 

Christians in Africa made use of their natural voices to sing and used their hands as natural instruments to back up their voices!… 

The ones who were financially okay… had the African talking drum and the Shekere (which is a West African percussion instrument consisting of a dried gourd with beads or cowries woven into a net covering the gourd. In performance it is shaken and/or hit against the hands.)… 

Although churches were able to get good hands to play these instruments… 

These musical equipment were still lacking compared to the musical equipment and instruments of today! 

When I listen to old Christian music tapes… 

I sometimes wonder how God danced to such music or found it pleasing to his ears?!… 

Maybe he did not pay attention to the lack of equipment or the unpleasant voices of the singers… 

Instead he placed his focus on their hearts and saw the faithfulness and sincerity in them… That despite the lack of good musical equipment…

Whether the music was bad… these Christians did not mind… 

All they were interested in doing was praising God with all of their hearts!… 

This must be what moved him to dance and endure the unpleasant sounds they were producing in the name of music! 

Today the case is different!… 

Music has been greatly improved all thanks to the wonderful advancement of music technology! 

Religious people, especially Christians can no longer give or allow the excuse of “I Have A Bad Voice” to stop them from praising their God!… 

Cause we now have something called Auto-tuned… 

A simple Google search will show you that this technology has the ability to make any dick, Harry or Helen, sing like Michael Jackson or have the voice of Whitney Houston! 

Auto-tune is not just for people with bad voices… 

Even those who have good voices can make use of this technology to add more spice and flavor to their voices! 

This technology has the ability to make any individual hit notes that he or she could not hit naturally! 

Auto-Tune combined with digital software have increased the number of musicians we have today! 

Thanks to the introduction of digital software like Logic prox, FI studio and Magic Acid pro anybody who wants to write or compose a religious or gospel song to a reasonable quality… 

Can do so even from their bedrooms! 

Do you remember the days of CD players and Walkman?… 

You will agree with me that those days were stressful and tiring because we could not put all of our music collection into CD players and Walkman! 

But today we have small, weightless and pocket friendly handheld devices known as MP3 players and iPods that were specially made to help us carry all of our music easily…

Not minding the genre… 

If it is secular, gospel or any other type of religious music! 

While we were still having fun with our MP3 players and iPods… 

The quantity and most especially the quality of Android and apple smartphones began to increase!… 

This technology caused a huge turn around for the music industry… most especially those into gospel and religious music!… 

Android and Apple smartphones increased the number of people that listen to their music!… 

These phones also increased the financial status of entertainers who are into gospel and religious music… 

By reducing the amount they spend on marketing! 

Top and famous record labels do refuse to work with or sign artists who are into gospel and religious music… 

Which caused these musicians to take the bull by the horn! 

In places like Nigeria… 

You will find gospel and religious musicians on the street playing their music on loud speakers… Holding their CDs trying to convince people to buy! 

Majority of these musicians… 

After doing this for a whole day… 

Most times the amount they make does not even cover their cost of feeding for that day! This discouraged so many of these artists and made them abandon gospel music… Some of them began to do secular music while others changed careers! 

But like a knight in shining armor… 

Smart phones came to their rescue!

A simple Google search will show you that the mobile marketing association of Asia claims that there are more smartphones in this world than toothbrushes!… 

Gospel and religious singers realized this and began to take serious advantage of it! 

Through the help of smart phones these musicians could reach their consumers directly without stressing themselves! 

Things got better for these artists when digital streaming sites like YouTube, Spotify and apple music came along!… 

Some have earned enough money to Grow from owning small Sport betting shops with small Betting Bonus to great music brand raking in millions monthly

Thanks to digital streaming the creators of gospel and religious music could now make videos of their songs available for their consumers easily!… 

After all, their consumers can access their music on these digital streaming sites with the help of their smartphones! 

These artists could now put their music on sites like YouTube for free to reach more audiences… 

And make money from letting YouTube attach adverts to their videos! 

Also, they now have the option of placing their music for sale on sites like Spotify and apple music… 

Using these apps they could sell their songs and collect payment from anyone in the world… Without the buyer meeting or knowing the seller! 

These technologies have greatly improved the quantity and quality of religious music!… 

And thanks to these technologies people of different religions can now spread the message of their religion easily through music!

As Opined by Our Guest Mr Dave Jacob