Ian MacKaye Quotes

It's typical of record companies. They sign you because you're unique, and then they want to put you in a mold so they can sell records.

Shoot, there's a committee to tell you everything at a record label. You definitely have to know who you are if you want to look like you at the end of the process. We've all seen people get record contracts, and by the time they're spit out by the machine, we don't even recognize them.

When you find fame, or you get signed to a record label, it's not what you imagined - because you imagined they would have 100 percent trust or faith in you as an artist. Unfortunately, that's not really the case - it's what sells.

Getting a record deal is a meaningless thing now.

If you're part of a record company, you're a manufactured product. It doesn't mean that you're not talented.

It's not like it used to be where everybody has a record company to belong to.

The record company stay out of my way. Whenever the record is finished, they take it.

I certainly don't want to be a record label guy.

So it was out of necessity that Blackheart was born. I think it's great that now, 25 years later, we're not only putting out our own music, but are able to put out music by other bands. That's really exciting for us.

That's my favorite subject because it really levels the playing field for artists these days. You don't have to sell out to the record company. You don't have to get a five hundred thousand dollars, or whatever, and pay them back for the rest of your life to record a record.

I have just enough people paying attention that I have the freedom to be in charge. And I have a great record company - Nonesuch understands what I'm about.

You make music to change the radio, not make music for the radio.

Doing things in my day was simple: you either signed to a big label or you signed to a very small label, and you worked with that one, and then they eventually signed you on to a big one.

I wanted to put out a solo record because I was stuck on a major label and sick of it.

I just have so much love for my record label.

I went through a string of A&R men who all thought I should be doing something different. One thought I should be a dance diva; another thought I should do Rock n' Roll; and one thought I shouldn't even be singing at all!

I was with PolyGram; that was the big label that I was with for the longest, like 12 years.

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.

I started my own record label.

I should be the one to say what I do. It's just not done that way anymore in Nashville, and I can't do it the other way. That's how our record label came about.

I didn't want to be on a major label. I wanted all the attention and the noise to go away because I wanted to be something a little bit more substantial.

The music industry is such a different world from the acting world. Everything is really last minute, but I love the challenge, and I love owning my material and being able to put out what I want.

I am a record executive and I shall be right there in your face with my records.

I'm developing artists for my new record label, my son's band, Intangible, being one of them.

I am not a piece of hash. I'm in charge of Factory Records. I think.