Artist Independence Quotes

I've always considered myself a serious guitar player, but I haven't been really worried about whether the public thought I was. That never was part of my record sales strategy.

I feel like some artists need a record label, and some don't.

I never knew any painter worthy of the name who paid the smallest attention to what a critic says, even in conversation.

Labels are going to tie you down with a 360 deal, they take percentages of literally every endeavor you're tied to. It's a lot of stipulations and constraints placed on you. What makes it worse is that, in terms of distributing budgets, labels aren't even giving the same amount as they used to. It totally defeats the purpose. My advice would be to get it out there on your own first which will lead you to calling the shots.

In the future, I see me as being my own artist and definitely not a ballad singer!

I don't need my fans to buy my music. My music is free, basically.

'American Idol,' for me, is fizzling out. They can't package me, man... I'm an artist that's created this concept but used the 'American Idol' machine as a marketing tool.

Artists have so much more control of their futures - they don't need to rely so much on major labels or big companies to help them. You have artists like Skrillex that can dominate so much that he gets 5 Grammy nominees, and he's clearly an underground artist.

I don't know if most people know it or not, but I produce, like, 95% of my own stuff.

A true artist does not depend on radio for success. A true fan does not let radio determine what they support

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

I did my first album with my own record label.

Actually, I don't think there's anyone that represents the artists, except the artists themselves.

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.

I want to be role model for people to be like, 'I don't need a major label to be a successful artist and to have a successful song.'

It's hard to find people to trust in the record industry, always. It's an industry with a lot of bullshit. There's a lot of people who are in positions of power that really know nothing and care for nothing. So I think, yeah, you learn pretty early on that you've really got to trust yourself more than anybody else, and that nobody's going to care about what you do more than you.

Many artists stick to making and hire a manager to focus on their business. Artists that build websites and mobile apps can do that, too.

The big labels have less of a stranglehold on artists and how they record and where they go.

I am not going to be dictated to by fans, certainly. I am dictated enough to by my record company to last me a million years.

A good artist should be isolated. If he isn't isolated, something is wrong.

In general, I don't feel artists should need producers.

I've never had anybody produce my records. I've always produced my own records. I've worked with a guy for a while who was an engineer who helped me produce records, but I've always made my own records. I'm a control fanatic. I've got to control everything.

It is hard, though, 'cos record labels love to boss you around. I won't let them do that anymore.

I have total respect for the self-contained rock artist. Whether you're dealing with Jerry Garcia or Lou Reed or Patti Smith or a Whitney or an Aretha, they know what they want with their career.

I can play whatever I want and play whatever the fans want to hear. I don't have to be like a salesperson up there talking about my CD through the whole show.