Todd Rundgren Quotes

Since the decline of record companies and music sales, I've always played live.

If I had to live on record sales, I'd be pushing up the daisies.

I'd hate to be a songwriter starting a career today.

Because of the way the record business has kind of stumbled and disintegrated, in a way, you're as likely to sell records at your merch table at your gigs as you are to sell them in a regular record outlet or even online.

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.

Corporate America couldn't be more excited about the demise of the record companies.

But I can say that the business has changed drastically since I started at 8 years old. Everything from the way you tour to how you make a record and how you release the music.

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.

I don't know how many records I'm selling.

It used to be that you made an album and then you went on the road to promote that album, hoping for good record sales. Well, good record sales basically don't exist any more, and the emphasis has been more on the live show.

The recording industry has changed; they're enjoying such incredible success in the pop field.

The record companies are interested in the kind of sales they can get from the rock groups.

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

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 don't think that old-fashioned idea of record companies exists any more.

Now the music industry is sort of like a Craigslist venture, right? Where you're making your own records and selling them online.

I think the record industry has gotten to be more about labels wondering what the new single is rather than labels nurturing artists. It's gotten away from making a full album of music that someone would want to listen to all the way through.

I have never made a cent off a record in my life. I have never recouped enough, and I never sold enough. When people see you have a song on MTV, they think you are doing well - but you know, the way the traditional label deal was set up, it is really hard for an artist, unless they sold a lot, to see anything.

The music industry is an interesting lens through which to look at change, because it has had such a difficult time adjusting to the digital age.

It used to be that if you had a pretty good record, you could stop by a station in Little Rock or Atlanta and let the DJ listen to it. No way something like that can happen now.

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

Nowadays, you have to sell, like, half a million or a million records just to break even.

If you're looking to make a basic living selling and playing your music, the Internet is all you really need.

The music industry is very small.

You used to make records, record companies sold them, and people went to record stores and bought them. That's all gone now.