John Varvatos Quotes

As for the music business itself, the key things have not changed that much. It operates like any business and money still keeps things moving.

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

I've never worried about how a new release will be received. I simply try to do the best I can and leave the rest to the gods. The music industry in those terms is something I loathe and detest. It conjures up images of a gigantic factory spewing out parts of the machine.

I think that's the problem in a lot of music. We've got these record labels.

Music is so hard. It's a struggle to get people to care. It's hard to make an impact in today's world because people aren't buying records anymore.

I think it's a reflection of the music business in general, which to me seems very fragmented.

But anyone who knows anything about the music industry knows it's not only about the music.

The music industry is a strange combination of having real and intangible assets: pop bands are brand names in themselves, and at a given stage in their careers their name alone can practically gaurantee hit records.

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

I don't relate to what's left of the music business. There doesn't seem to be any point to it anymore. The business that I grew up in and loved, we made records a different way - there were record companies, there were stores where you could buy albums.

The music industry is a very rough industry. Many years ago, I think it was even rougher in the sense that a lot of it was predicated on image.

The music industry is a matrix that is counter to what is natural and right.

I hate the industry even more now, no bands get nurtured anymore. Labels only spend money promoting acts they know will be Top Ten. I find it offensive spending $2 million on a video.

This is a very screwed-up business. Record labels don't sign a lot of bands these days. We just want to find a home and stay there and make records and do our thing and not have to look over our shoulder.

I don't spend much time listening to the records when they're done. Usually I let go of it. Especially in the Eighties and Nineties - they were like product, almost.

Artist development is something that I've been passionate about from my days at Uptown and Motown Records.

The bricks and mortar of the music business, they don't exist any longer.

When radio stations started playing music the record companies started suing radio stations. They thought now that people could listen to music for free, who would want to buy a record in a record shop? But I think we all agree that radio stations are good stuff.

There are people who are genetically made to start record labels, and I'm not one of those people. People just have it in their blood and are good at it. Corey Rusk from Touch and Go and Ian MacKaye. These are people who have made their own labels.

'Vinyl' is a good look at the music industry. The script was honest.

I would love to continue working behind the scenes in music - to produce and manage up-and-coming musical talent would be a dream!

The desire to hit a big home run is dominating the music business.

I love music and musicians. And seeing great artists dropped from labels was really frustrating and sad to me.

Records used to be documents, but now record companies want product.

If it wasn't for the TLC story, many artists would not have smartened up, and you wouldn't have the Lil Waynes and people with their own labels.