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Tracey Artis never planned on working in the music industry. She was a writer with a penchant for words and plans for a career in journalism. But as God would have it, she met an aspiring musician who would become a lifelong friend and change her entire life's trajectory.

"When I moved to Atlanta, Georgia, after college, Byron Cage - who was one of the musicians at my church - and we befriended each other," explains Artis. "Many years after we had become best friends, he got approached to do a project at Atlanta International Records, and that was how I got started in music."

Artis began managing Cage around 1993, and she was so talented the owner of Cage's label asked her to join his staff as the marketing director. From there, Artis continued to excel and was ultimately poached by industry pioneer Vicki Mack-Lataillade, then-president at GospoCentric Records.

At the time, Mack-Lataillade was spearheading a revolution in gospel music, with the Dallas-bred producer/composer Kirk Franklin leading the charge. In 1992, Franklin had culled together a group of friends and associates to form a choir dubbed "The Family." Mack-Lataillade signed the group and dropped their self-titled debut, Kirk Franklin and the Family, in 1993. The project was an absolute game changer, becoming the first gospel album to sell one million copies and firmly establishing GospoCentric as a reckoning force in the industry.

Artis arrived at GospoCentric as Mack-Lataillade and staff were putting the finishing touches on Franklin's fourth album, God's Property from Kirk Franklin's Nu Nation, a triple platinum smash that even spent time at #3 on the pop charts.

It was an exciting time at GospoCentric - an era of change and innovation - and Artis soaked up everything.

"I really realized the importance of building relationships with the artists because, when you hear their heart, then you have a better visual of how to help propel their careers," Artis says of her years at the label. "Also, one of my takeaways was the importance of building relationships with industry people. I really learned a lot about the industry from Vicki while I was there."

Artis spent a few more years working for major labels while she developed her own company, I Hear Music in the Air, on the side. She was focused mainly on special events and conferences, but when the internet began to throw the entire industry into upheaval, she saw an opportunity to take her business to the next level.

"In 2009, the tides begin to shift at the label, and there were signs of a lot of downsizing," Artis says. "So for me, as a wife and a mother, I really prayed to God that I would be able to focus more on my family, and as I prayed, God just set me apart and still allowed me to continue to work in the genre that I love. I've been able to not just break away and work on my own, but I've actually grown the firm."

I Hear Music is a one-stop management, marketing and promotions shop for Gospel artists and their songs, and Artis and company are good at what they do. Really good. At last month's Stellar Awards, I Hear Music celebrated with 38 nominations and 21 trophies collected by clients.

May 17-19, I Hear Music will be celebrating its 12^th anniversary with its annual concert, conference and legends ball. Everyone who's anyone in gospel music has traveled to Cincinnati for the festivities, including Donnie McClurkin and Marvin Sapp, as well as Cage and Franklin. This year, headliners include William Murphy, Fred Hammond and J. Moss.

But while throwing one of the industry's best parties is all in a day's work for Artis, she still takes the time to step back and enjoy the fruits of her labor - that is, the sharing of the Gospel with the world.

"Every year I'm in awe of [the event]" says Artis. "I'm in awe of the people that come and the support we get. I prayed to God when I first got into the industry, that He would afford me the opportunity to do this for as long as I wanted. For me, promoting gospel music goes hand in hand with the fact that I'm a Christian. That's why I've dedicated my life to it."

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