--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can do anything onstage. Here's the…" description: "\"I can do anything onstage. Here's the misconception: You could record an album called 'The Best of Styx.' And all you would have to do is pay the indiv..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08f/dennis-deyoung-5112_anything_i-can-do-anything-onstage-here-s-the-mis_2097001.jpg" --- # I can do anything onstage. Here's the misconception: You… ![“I can do anything onstage. Here's the misconception: You could record an album called 'The Best of Styx.' And all you would have to do is pay the individual songwriters a mechanical royalty.” quote by Dennis DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08f/dennis-deyoung-5112_anything_i-can-do-anything-onstage-here-s-the-mis_2097001.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08f/dennis-deyoung-5112_anything_i-can-do-anything-onstage-here-s-the-mis_2097001.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08f/dennis-deyoung-5112_anything_i-can-do-anything-onstage-here-s-the-mis_2097001.jpg) > “I can do anything onstage. Here's the misconception: You could record an album called 'The Best of Styx.' And all you would have to do is pay the individual songwriters a mechanical royalty.” [Dennis DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-deyoung/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success in music requires more than simple royalties; it demands creative control and fair compensation for contributors. **In simple terms:** Music business needs fair pay and creative rights. Key Takeaway Negotiate rights and royalties wisely. Themes music industry rights creativity business fairness Mood thoughtful pragmatic Type advisory informative When to use this quote - album production - songwriting contracts - label negotiations - independent releases Key Concepts royalties mechanical licensing artist control Questions to Reflect On - How can artists ensure fair compensation? - What strategies protect creative control? A Different Perspective Mechanical royalties alone may not cover all contributions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Royalty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/royalty/) ## Related quotes > [I don't wanna be a solo artist. I wanna be in Styx.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-deyoung/i-don-t-wanna-be-a-solo-artist-i-wanna-be-in-styx/) [Dennis DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-deyoung/) > [Styx was always a theatrical band. In fact, we played City Center in 1983 with a rock opera, 'Kilroy Was Here.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-deyoung/styx-was-always-a-theatrical-band-in-fact-we-played-city-center-in/) [Dennis DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-deyoung/) > [Look, nobody is a bigger fan of Tommy Shaw than me. The day I met him in 1975 I knew he was going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-deyoung/look-nobody-is-a-bigger-fan-of-tommy-shaw-than-me-the-day-i-met-him/) [Dennis DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-deyoung/) > [We were together; we were a group; we were a team; we wanted people to love Styx.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-deyoung/we-were-together-we-were-a-group-we-were-a-team-we-wanted-people-to/) [Dennis DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-deyoung/) > [When it came time to do 'One Hundred Years' I had been encouraged to really make a Styx album without the guys. I gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-deyoung/when-it-came-time-to-do-one-hundred-years-i-had-been-encouraged-to/) [Dennis DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-deyoung/) > [I gave my life for Styx and I'm really very proud of it and I didn't want to perform that music and screw it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-deyoung/i-gave-my-life-for-styx-and-i-m-really-very-proud-of-it-and-i-didn-t/) [Dennis DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-deyoung/) > [The Beatles are here, and if you could see me my hand is on the ceiling. Styx is here, and my hand is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-deyoung/the-beatles-are-here-and-if-you-could-see-me-my-hand-is-on-the/) [Dennis DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-deyoung/) > [After being replaced in Styx, everyone around me encouraged me to try and stop them legally. I just couldn't. It would have been like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-deyoung/after-being-replaced-in-styx-everyone-around-me-encouraged-me-to-try/) [Dennis DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-deyoung/) > [It was a song I wrote for my wife as a present, never intending for it to be a Styx song. 'Babe' was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-deyoung/it-was-a-song-i-wrote-for-my-wife-as-a-present-never-intending-for-it/) [Dennis DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-deyoung/) > [I made 'Desert Moon' and when I made those solo albums, I was trying not to be Styx, because I thought, 'That belongs to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-deyoung/i-made-desert-moon-and-when-i-made-those-solo-albums-i-was-trying-not/) [Dennis DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-deyoung/) > [I love Styx as much as I could love anything in my life. I started playing in the band when I was 14 years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-deyoung/i-love-styx-as-much-as-i-could-love-anything-in-my-life-i-started/) [Dennis DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-deyoung/) > [He understood how dangerous oaths could be. But Leo didn't care. "I'm coming back for you, Calypso," he said to the night wind. "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/he-understood-how-dangerous-oaths-could-be-but-leo-didn-t-care-i-m/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“I swear it by the River Styx,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-angelini/i-swear-it-by-the-river-styx/) [Josephine Angelini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-angelini/) > [It is," I said. "And it's not even difficult. But I need your promise on the River Styx." "What?" Dionysus cried. "You don't trust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/it-is-i-said-and-it-s-not-even-difficult-but-i-need-your-promise-on/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Ten years ago, in 94, we thought maybe nobody would ever care about Styx again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-young/ten-years-ago-in-94-we-thought-maybe-nobody-would-ever-care-about/) [James Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-young/) ## More by Dennis DeYoung > [I'm proud of the body of work I was part of and I want people to enjoy it as long as they choose to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-deyoung/i-m-proud-of-the-body-of-work-i-was-part-of-and-i-want-people-to/) [Dennis DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-deyoung/) > [Winners are losers who got up and gave it one more try.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-deyoung/winners-are-losers-who-got-up-and-gave-it-one-more-try/) [Dennis DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-deyoung/) > [Many musicals you can take and throw in the garbage can because no one took the time to write a song you can care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-deyoung/many-musicals-you-can-take-and-throw-in-the-garbage-can-because-no/) [Dennis DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-deyoung/) > [If you're in rock 'n' roll, you're not supposed to admit to liking theatre stuff, but I'm a big theatregoer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-deyoung/if-you-re-in-rock-n-roll-you-re-not-supposed-to-admit-to-liking/) [Dennis DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-deyoung/) > [I'm very proud of it. 'Hunchback' contains some of my favorite music I've ever written in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-deyoung/i-m-very-proud-of-it-hunchback-contains-some-of-my-favorite-music-i/) [Dennis DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-deyoung/) > [I was damn lucky to choose this profession. I had no idea when I started out that I was really an illusionist and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-deyoung/i-was-damn-lucky-to-choose-this-profession-i-had-no-idea-when-i/) [Dennis DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-deyoung/) > [If you think marriage is gonna be easy, don't do it because when there are children involved, you screw up the rest of society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-deyoung/if-you-think-marriage-is-gonna-be-easy-don-t-do-it-because-when-there/) [Dennis DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-deyoung/) > [I just believed in 1979 that prog rock was finished. I just saw the handwriting on the wall. And I believed that if we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-deyoung/i-just-believed-in-1979-that-prog-rock-was-finished-i-just-saw-the/) [Dennis DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-deyoung/) > [To be successful in your life, you have to be convinced in your own mind that you have the ability to accomplish your goals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-deyoung/to-be-successful-in-your-life-you-have-to-be-convinced-in-your-own/) [Dennis DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-deyoung/) > [How lucky am I? I'll go to Naperville and people will come up to me and thank me for coming to Naperville. That's how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-deyoung/how-lucky-am-i-i-ll-go-to-naperville-and-people-will-come-up-to-me/) [Dennis DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-deyoung/) > [Technology has made music ultimately more democratic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-deyoung/technology-has-made-music-ultimately-more-democratic/) [Dennis DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-deyoung/) > [If you pretend to be somebody that you're not when you write songs - and I did that on some of the early Styx…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-deyoung/if-you-pretend-to-be-somebody-that-you-re-not-when-you-write-songs/) [Dennis DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-deyoung/) > [Nobody can figure out why it does what it does to human beings. But there is no other art form greater than music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-deyoung/nobody-can-figure-out-why-it-does-what-it-does-to-human-beings-but/) [Dennis DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-deyoung/) > [I love Styx as much as I could love anything in my life. I started playing in the band when I was 14 years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-deyoung/i-love-styx-as-much-as-i-could-love-anything-in-my-life-i-started/) [Dennis DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-deyoung/) > [I think the music business is as crass and as unrewarding as it has ever been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-deyoung/i-think-the-music-business-is-as-crass-and-as-unrewarding-as-it-has/) [Dennis DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-deyoung/) [Explore all 103 Dennis DeYoung quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-deyoung/) ## More Anything quotes > [I guess I've never really wanted to be anything else. I've never even thought about having another job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-farrell/i-guess-i-ve-never-really-wanted-to-be-anything-else-i-ve-never-even/) [Owen Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-farrell/) > [I would give anything to be able to kick a ball with my son or read the kids a bedtime story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-burrow/i-would-give-anything-to-be-able-to-kick-a-ball-with-my-son-or-read/) [Rob Burrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-burrow/) > [Comfort food is really anything you want at that time. That said, I really love Naple-style pizza.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-zakarian/comfort-food-is-really-anything-you-want-at-that-time-that-said-i/) [Geoffrey Zakarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-zakarian/) > [I haven't shut any doors, and I'm really open to anything, so I think it's just about the material and what is going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-panabaker/i-haven-t-shut-any-doors-and-i-m-really-open-to-anything-so-i-think/) [Danielle Panabaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-panabaker/) > [When it really comes down to it, the job you do is more important and is more representative of who you are than your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cudlitz/when-it-really-comes-down-to-it-the-job-you-do-is-more-important-and/) [Michael Cudlitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cudlitz/) > [The reason I'm drawn to it is - both the off road racing and the motorcycles on the track - it takes a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dax-shepard/the-reason-i-m-drawn-to-it-is-both-the-off-road-racing-and-the/) [Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/) > [I never did drama at school. I did it for one term, when it was compulsory, and I hated it. Tennis was the main…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-mitchell/i-never-did-drama-at-school-i-did-it-for-one-term-when-it-was/) [Luke Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-mitchell/) > [We live in such a special time when literally anything we can think of is possible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-willey/we-live-in-such-a-special-time-when-literally-anything-we-can-think/) [Daniel Willey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-willey/) > [You know, I'm from Baltimore; nobody has anything. When somebody had talent, I was hiring my uncle, my cousin, you know? Getting people that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sisqo/you-know-i-m-from-baltimore-nobody-has-anything-when-somebody-had/) [Sisqo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sisqo/) > [I said to my agent, 'I want short, sharp, well-paid jobs because I haven't got time for anything else.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billie-whitelaw/i-said-to-my-agent-i-want-short-sharp-well-paid-jobs-because-i-haven/) [Billie Whitelaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billie-whitelaw/) > [I think anything that anyone writes thats any good is going to have a lot of autobiography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-adly-guirgis/i-think-anything-that-anyone-writes-thats-any-good-is-going-to-have-a/) [Stephen Adly Guirgis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-adly-guirgis/) > [If the Bible is correct, and the Earth is only 6,000 years old, that means there were no dinosaurs, and museum curators have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-shock/if-the-bible-is-correct-and-the-earth-is-only-6-000-years-old-that/) [Ron Shock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-shock/) > [Don't do anything drastic like getting your eyebrows tattooed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-lee/don-t-do-anything-drastic-like-getting-your-eyebrows-tattooed/) [Greta Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-lee/) > [Whenever you define family as anything other than a man and a woman married together, you have just introduced an ethical nightmare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-evans/whenever-you-define-family-as-anything-other-than-a-man-and-a-woman/) [Tony Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-evans/) > [No lusting after your neighbor's house - or wife or servant or maid or ox or donkey. Don't set your heart on anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses/no-lusting-after-your-neighbor-s-house-or-wife-or-servant-or-maid-or/) [Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses/) Browse all 9,437 Anything quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I can do anything onstage. Here's the misconception: You could record an album called 'The Best of Styx.' 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