In ancient times, it all happened in the Mosaic Tabernacle, followed by the Great Temple of Jerusalem then later the Church. Traditionally these three institutions were the seat of the highest artistic praises that man offered to God.
The singers, those who worshipped with dance and with instruments and those who composed were given a place within the functioning structure of the house of God. Their needs for training, for provision and for service were met within the structure. From the Levitical priesthood of Moses on through to the epic worship pageants of The Temple of David and Solomon; from the first century Christian, singing songs, hymns and spiritual songs all the way to the brilliantly anointed composers of the middle ages...from the simple desert tabernacle to the incomparable stone cathedrals of Bach and Handel's era, the artists of the Lord benefited directly from the strong association with the Church. The Church provided Roots, Accountability, and Nurture. Yet in the years following the Renaissance we saw that the artistic ministers were separated out from the pulpit ministries. While being gradually abandoned by the Church, they went out into 'the world' as they became separated from their primary place of purpose. A new kind of artist was born... The Entertainer. The "Most Holy Calling" was often laid aside because the artist had by economic necessity to be assimilated into the secular work force.
Fast-forward several centuries if you will, and look at the results of those changes. The current gospel music industry is made up of a very few artists that have somehow "made it". For every artist whose name is found in the charts, there are literally thousands of equally gifted persons that have not found the highway that would take them from being a person of potential to becoming one whose gifts have been brought to their full state of maturity and usability. The need demands that the truly gifted artist within the Church be given an opportunity to become fully functional and productive at the level most suitable for their gifts.