Jennifer Holliday Quotes

I once worked at a record label called London Records. The company was owned by Roger Ames, one of the most successful figures in the British music industry. Roger always placed a value on loafing, on holidays, on not being in the office all the time.

My passion is music, you know, and music influences culture, influences lifestyle, which leads me to 'Roc-A-Wear'. I was forced to be an entrepreneur, so that led me to be CEO of 'Roc-A-Fella' records, which lead to Def Jam.

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

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.

It's important to know the ins and outs of the music business, but you can also dive too deeply into it and forget that you're really here to make music.

I write other people songs. Recirculate it. It's the music business.

I always said, if I got a record deal, I'd want to record the best songs I could, whether I wrote them or not.

As an artist, you can't expect a producer to just bring you a record. If you walk in and say, 'I want Kanye West's 'Power,' it just doesn't work that way.

Getting a record deal is a meaningless thing now.

The whole industry evolves around a great song.

When I first got my record deal, I was like, 'I just want to sing,' and I never put much thought into what really goes into a record. But as I got older, I developed a passion for writing.

I'm just focusing on 'Let's Stay Together' and slowly building my production company. I'm trying to get into writing as well.

Well, Neighbours wanted to do a song on the show, and they asked me what songs I had. I told them I'd just written this song, called Born to Try, and I had just gone overseas and spoken to some people from Song about it.

There's never been a song that I just wrote and tried to send to an artist.

It's very easy for people to put out music.

I have always abhorred the business end of music.

Honestly, when I got to Hollywood I was trying to sell my songs.

You know, I get a lot of people pitching songs to me.

Someone told me there was a publisher that could find a good home for my songs, but I didn't want to give up my pursuit of a career in the business as an artist.

The music business is one of a few places where everything you've heard about it seems entirely cliche, but it's true.

They told me I should be making my own records. So I figured, 'why not?

The people who are making money are the ones who are writing and singing their own songs.

I believe in full albums, and whatever comes out of those full albums will come.

I make a lot of money off featuring, doing songs with up-and-coming artists. I can charge someone $10,000 to $15,000 to do one song.

The more people are listening to music and experiencing it, the more value for both the music companies and the artist, especially when their financial model is built around that. With the music industry, everybody is starting to understand that doesn't begin with a piece of music.