Quotes About Success

You might be like, 'I want really big hits.' But when you get really big hits, and your label is making $150 million, they are people who are now interested in what you do. They are going to begin to tell you what to do, and so you become important. So your creative freedom - you're not going to have that again.

Def Jam is an iconic label.

I don't think the label cares about an album... People just want their number-one record.

I base a lot of decisions on my gut, and going with an independent label was a good one.

I don't think the label makes the artist or the artist makes the label. It's the music that makes everything work or not.

I'm really happy with Elektra, I don't have anything bad to say about them at all. I always knew a major label was the right place for me to be. I never really had an opportunity to go to an independent label anyway.

I had been with the label since I was 21. The label wanted shiny pop but I didn't. I found a little independent and we've got all these great reviews in England and now it has gone gold.

I was with PolyGram; that was the big label that I was with for the longest, like 12 years.

If you're not on a major label today, you're not gonna get played. They've got the market sewed up.

I never solicited a major label and I certainly wouldn't now.

Even an independent label is looking for a hit, they're not looking for a record that's not gonna do well.

When I was writing the Destiny's Child songs, it was a big thing to be that young and taking control. And the label at the time didn't know that we were going to be that successful, so they gave us all control. And I got used to it.

The last album, 'Falling Faster Than You Can Run.' I was really proud of, but then I didn't actually know whether it was going to come out on any label at all. So I didn't know if anyone was going to hear it. Then of course we ended up doing another EP after that called 'Closer.'

Obviously, my label would want me to be on the radio all the time, but that's not my personal goal.

When I was a label head, I didn't think I was greedy. I've always run my own race.

The Big Machine Label Group will continue to knock down doors to break female talent.

Def Jam is the reason why I started a label.

I built a label at the same time I built a career.

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.'

You don't even know are we going to have a career? Are we going to be able to sell records? Are we going to have a label?

It's really tough - if you're on a major label and they want you to have a number one song, you need to do what they say.

It was not easy to get rid of that 'tv actor' label.

The business of a label is to make money - my business is to make music. I'm gonna get paid if I do it right.

I'm the first British artist to have two successive number ones on his own independent label.