Ella Mai Quotes

We were excited when we sold our first 10 records. I always felt that if we could get the music out there, and if people became accustomed to it, then a substantial number of them would enjoy it.

There are certainly things labels can still provide that indie artists can't. They can pave the way to radio and pay big bucks for promotion.

The majors, they have to control the distribution, the record outlets, the radio and, in some cases, even the venues. And downloading and pirating have also put pressure on the majors.

I think when you put a new record out, everyone has a song or two that they feel people will be moved by so much that radio will be forced to play it.

The one thing the blues don't get is the backing and pushing of TV and radio like a lot of this garbage you hears. They choke stuff down people's throat so they got no choice but to listen to it.

Music is always occurring. It is just a matter of marketing, attention, and many other factors, that determines whether people will hear these songs or not.

I enjoy music that is commercial. I think that in order for music to be heard in a lot of different situations, you have to always consider that. Commercial music, for the most part, is popular music, and you always have to keep that in mind. It's not so much financial as making sure it gets the shot and is heard on the radio.

I was frustrated in the past, like, 'Wow, why do they have to throw me in the R&B urban adult contemporary lane?' 'Woman' was a no. 1 hit at Urban AC, so there's no disrespect to that lane. But did it get a fair shot at urban radio? No, I don't think so.

Commercial music, for the most part, is popular music and you always have to keep that in mind.

Bands that say they don't care about how their records sell are liars.

The music industry is saying, This is the format, and if you'll fit into this format, you can be on radio, and if radio will play you, MTV will expose you, and MTV will expose you, we'll sell records.

But I also think it's up to the fan base to call in the radio stations and demand that the more mature artists be played as well.

Recorded music is more a marketing tool than a revenue source.

When I first released music, and no one knew what I looked like, I would read comments like: 'I've never heard anything like this before; it's not in a genre.' And then my picture came out six months later: now she's an R&B singer.

D.C. is one my largest audiences. They buy tons of records of mine in Washington, D.C.

I have hundreds and hundreds of people from Brazil, Chile, Columbia and Argentina, every day, buying my music and telling me about it online.

Even though I've been reasonably well known for quite a long time, I still can't get a record on daytime radio or on MTV.

It's frustrating to do albums that you think are worth listening to, but it's just so difficult to cut through.

I don't think radio is selling records like they used to. They'd hawk the song and hawk the artist and you'd get so excited, you'd stop your car and go into the nearest record store.

I think if we keep on doing good music and people like us and they buy the magazine because we are in the magazine then they cant basically hate us hopefully.

Even though I am signed to an American label, I want Australia to fall in love with my music because if it doesn't work here, it won't work anywhere.

I'd love to get played on the radio, but it just doesn't happen.

Chart numbers can be deceiving. An album doesn't have to sell that much these days to show up really high on the charts.

But I remember we sold nearly 18,000 records in one day.

When I hear other artists talk, they talk about 'How come radio's not playing my song?' Well, you have to look at it under a microscope and know that each station is just trying to do what's right for their market, and it's scary for a radio station to add a song that they don't know how well it's gonna do for them.