Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
As a music industry, if we remain in competition, then we die. We have to understand that we're all in this together. Collaboration and synergy, it's one of the most important things out there.
My grandfather died when I was 14, and he was in Bergen-Belsen and Dachau. So be grateful for your life because nothing is guaranteed. Everything could literally be taken away from you tomorrow.
I said 'no' nine times when Kanye asked me to work with him because I liked being friends with him. Then he put me in a position where I couldn't say no: He just told everyone I was his manager.
I want to build an asset-driven business, and I want to make my clients a part of everything I'm doing. Go into the branding business, consumer products, food, apparel. We need to expand in those places.
I'm having fun, and I'm waking up every morning and my staff is waking up every morning looking at each other and saying, 'What can we do today that would be really cool?' I cannot complain about my life.
I surround myself with incredible, capable people, and the beautiful part about the artists I've chosen to work with, and the artists that have chosen to work with me, is that we share the same family values.
I don't want anyone who is Muslim not to be able to dream that they can be President of the United States, and I don't want any of my friends, regardless of their orientation, thinking they are less of a citizen.
The really great brands live on this idea of bringing something that's truly authentic - and then building around that. It's not about trying to be something as much as it being who you are in the best light possible.
I think people got this idea that I wanted to be a star. Managers of the past don't have any kind of public persona - it's all about the fame of the artist. I really don't want to be a star. I just want to have a platform.
I live life and try and smile as much as possible. Family and friends are everything." - "That was my first real lesson. At the end of the day, you could be a hell of a marketer, but you're only as good as what you're marketing.
There were 10 to 12 years where I averaged two to three hours of sleep a night. There were times when I didn't go to sleep for two days, but I'd usually crash one Sunday a month for 16 to 18 straight hours, and then I'd be rejuvenated.
If that day come, and artists I've had incredible runs with just break my heart one day, you know what? I still got to do stuff that was actually really incredible. When that day comes, I'll deal with it. Until then, I'll be grateful for today.
My gut is my No. 1 asset. I also like to draw from a lot of people, and I ask a lot of questions. I'll literally show my ideas to 500 different people and get their opinions, and, in the end, after digesting all their opinions, I just trust my gut.
People like to shy away from comparisons. Personally, I think that's a mistake. Comparisons can be good. People like to compartmentalize things within their own heads, and helping them do that can actually be a positive thing for the brand you're trying to build.
I want to show that you can be a successful entertainment executive, be a good husband, be a good father, be a good friend, be down to earth, be a good person, and give back. If I can push that message out there into the world and pass it on to my son, then I'm OK.
Kanye's the best listener I've ever worked with. If I interrupt Kanye, every single time, he'll wait for me to finish before speaking. It's a running joke - sometimes I interrupt him just to see. And he always goes, 'No, no, finish. I want to hear what you have to say.'
If you watch Justin's early videos, I never let him say, 'My name is Justin Bieber,' and then start singing - he always just sang. And the reason I did that was I wanted you to feel like you were in the room. Or maybe you were seeing something you weren't supposed to see.
Justin Bieber was born with the Superman powers. He could sing, he could dance, he could play instruments. I wasn't born with those gifts, so I had to become a different kind of superhero... I'm a normal Joe. But, with a lot of effort, I've got a shot at being Bruce Wayne.
Balance in general is difficult, but I refuse to go through life and just have work and not have good balance. I want to be an example, not only to my own children but also to artists and other entrepreneurs, that you can be a workaholic and also be a good husband and good father.