Killer Mike Quotes

I started my own record label.

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.

If you want a studio to back you, you want to be doing something that's been done to death!

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

I got all these books about, like, what you need to know to enter the entertainment industry. And I remember I sent my music to record labels, and I took these little DVDs and sent them all over the place. And either no one got back to me or they just kept saying, 'You're too different.'

Bob Hurwitz, the president of Nonesuch, the company that releases my records, is a mentor. He taught me how to assemble a script to record an album.

Ever since I was a little kid, I wanted to start a record label.

Obviously, for Geffen, if it wasn't for us, it's quite possible that bands like Nirvana or Beck would not be on the label.

I've had so many conversations with new artists trying to figure out their careers.

That's my dream job, to be able to mail songs out to people who want to hear them. Paste my face on them and not travel all over the world trying to sell them.

We are a business, and you do a little of what you think's right, pay your bills, and attract... a single record attracts attention to your concerts and your albums.

Getting a record deal is a meaningless thing now.

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.

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.

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

We turned what is virtually a glorified independent label into one of the powerhouse labels in the town.

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

If I was rich enough, I would love to launch my own record label. I would love to try and give all my musically talented friends a start in the industry.

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.

I used to read music books when I was 13. My mom was working at a library. She's a librarian. I would get my mom to check out any kind of books that had anything to do with the music industry. I read a lot about royalities, publishing, marketing, stuff like that.

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

I want to be the president of Columbia Records, maybe C.E.O. - kind of like L.A. Reid.

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

As far as being on a major label, some labels get it and get what they have to do, and some labels don't. I don't think the label I'm on necessarily gets it, but I think over time they're gonna have to.