--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'd only do a deal with a label if it…" description: "\"I'd only do a deal with a label if it allowed me to still be indie and have that indie mentality. I have to have creative control.\" — Dawn Richard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/dawn-richard-7962_allowed_i-d-only-do-a-deal-with-a-label-if-it-al_256165.jpg" --- # I'd only do a deal with a label if it allowed me to still… ![“I'd only do a deal with a label if it allowed me to still be indie and have that indie mentality. I have to have creative control.” quote by Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/dawn-richard-7962_allowed_i-d-only-do-a-deal-with-a-label-if-it-al_256165.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/dawn-richard-7962_allowed_i-d-only-do-a-deal-with-a-label-if-it-al_256165.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/dawn-richard-7962_allowed_i-d-only-do-a-deal-with-a-label-if-it-al_256165.jpg) > “I'd only do a deal with a label if it allowed me to still be indie and have that indie mentality. I have to have creative control.” [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She wants a record deal that preserves her independence and creative authority. **In simple terms:** Need label that respects indie mindset. Key Takeaway Insist on creative control. Themes independence creativity music business Mood determined hopeful Type advice motivational When to use this quote - signing a contract - producing an album - maintaining brand - handling royalties - balancing artistic vision Key Concepts artist autonomy label negotiations Questions to Reflect On - How can you negotiate terms that protect your vision? - What compromises are acceptable for wider reach? A Different Perspective Labels may limit artistic freedom despite promises. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) [Indie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indie/) [Mentality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mentality/) ## Related quotes > [When I tried to get a record deal, only one label wanted me. 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I'll do eight pictures for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinqua-walls/from-what-i-hear-everyone-who-does-a-marvel-movie-gets-a-three/) [Sinqua Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinqua-walls/) > [Slamdance actually is indie and rebellious. Sundance obviously felt threatened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yony-leyser/slamdance-actually-is-indie-and-rebellious-sundance-obviously-felt/) [Yony Leyser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yony-leyser/) > [I had an indie pop phase, I had just about every phase you could think of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-rose/i-had-an-indie-pop-phase-i-had-just-about-every-phase-you-could-think/) [Caitlin Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-rose/) > [I was in the top 1 percent of football players. Indie guys are in the bottom 95 percent of wrestlers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-corbin/i-was-in-the-top-1-percent-of-football-players-indie-guys-are-in-the/) [Baron Corbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-corbin/) > [“I went to a foot specialist recently and she said: "You've broken a bone, it's healed funny." "What can you do?" "Not much." She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-murdoch/i-went-to-a-foot-specialist-recently-and-she-said-you-ve-broken-a/) Stuart Murdoch > [I think in the world of indie music there's this sort of false modesty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-kapranos/i-think-in-the-world-of-indie-music-there-s-this-sort-of-false-modesty/) [Alex Kapranos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-kapranos/) > [I think, honestly, that the word 'indie' is a false gimmick. 'Independent' used to mean a movie that was financed outside corporate Hollywood, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/i-think-honestly-that-the-word-indie-is-a-false-gimmick-independent/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [It's so funny because the roles that I've been offered in the indie film world have been similar to each other, and the roles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-ford/it-s-so-funny-because-the-roles-that-i-ve-been-offered-in-the-indie/) Courtney Ford > [Im really into the indie-music scene and listen to a lot of De La Soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-celski/im-really-into-the-indie-music-scene-and-listen-to-a-lot-of-de-la-soul/) [J. R. Celski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-celski/) > [There can be a wrong time - it's happened to countless bands where they release their first record on a major label and never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-fallon/there-can-be-a-wrong-time-it-s-happened-to-countless-bands-where-they/) [Brian Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-fallon/) > [In the beginning I was just a makeup artist and I never really pictured myself doing anything else. But now that I have so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffree-star/in-the-beginning-i-was-just-a-makeup-artist-and-i-never-really/) [Jeffree Star](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffree-star/) > [I'm always into rock n' roll and indie rock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mischa-barton/i-m-always-into-rock-n-roll-and-indie-rock/) [Mischa Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mischa-barton/) ## More by Dawn Richard > [The problem with Danity Kane is everybody wanted to play everybody's role, and when you're in a group like that, that can't survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/the-problem-with-danity-kane-is-everybody-wanted-to-play-everybody-s/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > [I couldn't do a record without knowing I'll translate it into something visual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/i-couldn-t-do-a-record-without-knowing-i-ll-translate-it-into/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > [I've had two platinum albums. I have worked with thousands of people. But the most rewarding feeling is to see people on Twitter say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/i-ve-had-two-platinum-albums-i-have-worked-with-thousands-of-people/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > [How many people can say they had Anna Wintour on a record? Not even an album, just a mixtape? It's audacious, disrespectful, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/how-many-people-can-say-they-had-anna-wintour-on-a-record-not-even-an/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > [My grandmother had a Ph.D in library science, so I grew up in a library, and I would appreciate those books and the smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/my-grandmother-had-a-ph-d-in-library-science-so-i-grew-up-in-a/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > ['Redemption' is about understanding myself and not worrying about my relationship with the industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/redemption-is-about-understanding-myself-and-not-worrying-about-my/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > [People want to peg you as alternative R&B when they hear soul or see the color of your skin. It's comfortable when people see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/people-want-to-peg-you-as-alternative-r-b-when-they-hear-soul-or-see/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > [Just as much as you need the people who love you, you need the people who doubt you - to prove them wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/just-as-much-as-you-need-the-people-who-love-you-you-need-the-people/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > [I'm not mainstream. You gotta find me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/i-m-not-mainstream-you-gotta-find-me/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > [I did write more mainstream stuff with DK. But you could always tell the records that I wrote in contrast with everybody else's because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/i-did-write-more-mainstream-stuff-with-dk-but-you-could-always-tell/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > [I watched my parents lose everything, from a house to birth certificates. We were homeless for about six months, then we stayed in Baltimore,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/i-watched-my-parents-lose-everything-from-a-house-to-birth/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > [When I was growing up, there was no one. There were very few black women in tech; there were very few black women in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/when-i-was-growing-up-there-was-no-one-there-were-very-few-black/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > [I had no idea that what I thought was my low wasn't really my low. That's what a lot of people think - then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/i-had-no-idea-that-what-i-thought-was-my-low-wasn-t-really-my-low/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > [My uncle is in the hall of fame for creating by hand some of the most intricate Indian Mardi Gras garb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/my-uncle-is-in-the-hall-of-fame-for-creating-by-hand-some-of-the-most/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > [I started to write my own stories, like small novels, and those novels became poems, and after poems, they became lyrics, and song came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/i-started-to-write-my-own-stories-like-small-novels-and-those-novels/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) [Explore all 85 Dawn Richard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) ## More Allowed quotes > [I just think that things should be allowed to run their course, and not turned into a Disney ride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-shaw/i-just-think-that-things-should-be-allowed-to-run-their-course-and/) [Fiona Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-shaw/) > [There are certain things you must not say in spite of the fact that supposedly democracy means free speech. No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/) [Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/) > [There aren't traditions of freedom in a place like Iraq. They're going to have to come to grips with a concept that they hadn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-wallop/there-aren-t-traditions-of-freedom-in-a-place-like-iraq-they-re-going/) [Malcolm Wallop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-wallop/) > [One of the mistakes I made was thinking chickens and penguins could sing, just like all the other animals in the 'Muppets.' But it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-mckenzie/one-of-the-mistakes-i-made-was-thinking-chickens-and-penguins-could/) [Bret McKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-mckenzie/) > [I was allowed to believe things that weren't true and I would ask questions about them and talk about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjorie-taylor-greene/i-was-allowed-to-believe-things-that-weren-t-true-and-i-would-ask/) [Marjorie Taylor Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjorie-taylor-greene/) > [I always wanted to make big action movies as a kid, and that was my dream. In a way, 'Swingers' was the thing I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-liman/i-always-wanted-to-make-big-action-movies-as-a-kid-and-that-was-my/) [Doug Liman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-liman/) > [For years, I had a top secret clearance and never left Russia. Just once did I go to Bulgaria with my wife for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-kalashnikov/for-years-i-had-a-top-secret-clearance-and-never-left-russia-just/) [Mikhail Kalashnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-kalashnikov/) > [Keep in mind, I'm not allowed to be tough. I'm tamed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/keep-in-mind-i-m-not-allowed-to-be-tough-i-m-tamed/) [Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/) > [As a child, we lived in flats, and I was never allowed pets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-pigott-smith/as-a-child-we-lived-in-flats-and-i-was-never-allowed-pets/) [Tim Pigott-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-pigott-smith/) > [I'm not allowed to date. My dad said so. Not until I'm, like, 90.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-hogan/i-m-not-allowed-to-date-my-dad-said-so-not-until-i-m-like-90/) [Brooke Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-hogan/) > [I've grown up playing for some incredible coaches, and I don't think anybody's ever been as fortunate as I have in terms of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-brown/i-ve-grown-up-playing-for-some-incredible-coaches-and-i-don-t-think/) [Larry Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-brown/) > [I respect Chris Brown. I'd like to call myself a friend - I don't know if I'm allowed to do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/i-respect-chris-brown-i-d-like-to-call-myself-a-friend-i-don-t-know/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [I was never bothered about my position in the industry. If I had believed in it, I wouldn't have allowed anyone to get ahead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dharmendra/i-was-never-bothered-about-my-position-in-the-industry-if-i-had/) [Dharmendra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dharmendra/) > [My family, they're story tellers. My mom is Irish, and my dad is Italian. In my family, we weren't allowed to watch TV while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/my-family-they-re-story-tellers-my-mom-is-irish-and-my-dad-is-italian/) [Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/) > [One should be allowed to choose one's burden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-butts/one-should-be-allowed-to-choose-one-s-burden/) [Mary Butts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-butts/) Browse all 1,069 Allowed quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'd only do a deal with a label if it allowed me to still be indie and have that indie mentality. 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