George Martin Quotes

You don't want the biggest record deal as far as money goes, you just want to make sure that the people at the label really support your band and the music and stuff.

I see myself as the buffer between the band and the record company.

I had to beg to get out of my contract with Capitol. They wanted me to work with big producers. I wanted to produce my music, and they weren't having that. I'm sure they were happy to let me go. I just didn't want to do what they wanted me to do.

I think that on paper we did make so many of the classic mistakes that a punk band makes, signing to a major label, getting in business with the wrong people, stuff like that.

My strongest message is: 'Never give your songs away. Never sign a contract you can't get out of.'

I'm really excited because Interscope is really focused on artists. They've been working side by side with me creatively and allowing me to make a lot of the creative decisions, which you don't always hear about. That's why I didn't want to sign originally with a major label.

The American record company Geffen got so fed up with me that they said they weren't going to release my fourth record unless I gave it some title. So it was called 'Security' in America, and it had no title everywhere else in the world.

If there's any profit to be had in Nashville-Underground, it's very long term. We're not about money, which gives us an edge over the labels.

I was honored I was signed to Sony. But later I felt like they weren't the right team.

If you're on an indie label, you're not getting enough money. And if you're on a major, you're not getting enough support.

When we got quite big and were generating a lot of money through the arenas, we became quite a big thing, and a lot of managers appeared, and it became a big machine, like we were in Pink Floyd or something, and I don't think we were into that. We didn't really compromise.

A film is made in somebody's head - out of their determination to do it at all.

The big thing is I'm not with a major label. I've been independent since the get-go, and I've been very lucky to get some good advice on keeping hold of copyright and that kind of stuff.

I see a parallel industry for independent music blooming alongside film music.

You put a piece of music out, and it's not in your hands anymore, and that's cool with me.

I wanted to have a label to not only release my own stuff but to also give young talent a chance to release their music without signing away their life. I had a great time with Spinnin', and the people I worked with were amazing, but the contract wasn't really for me. It wasn't what I wanted.

Honestly, I really can't speak on others, but in a sense, I feel like every artist always has their problems with the industry because we all want to have our creative way.

Paul forced the Beatles to work a lot harder than they would have otherwise, and he did the same thing with Wings.

If I will do a movie in the future, I will take it up only when I'm 100 percent sure about it.

I just wanted to have my own dynasty. I wanted my own Cash Money or Roc-A-Fella. Outside of that, I also wanted my own media company.

I rarely have any contact with the artists who cover my songs.

Porcupine Tree is a band, and it's not up to me where the band goes - it's between the manager, our agent, and the band as a whole.

My first contract was in 1965. There were six of us in this band - my band before Deep Purple - six in the band plus management, and the entire royalty rate was three-fourths of 1 percent.

At the end of the day, I earn a living by creating music and not sharing it with anyone because I am my own master. I know my worth.

Nobody really produces my albums.