--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Bands are more willing to take risks and…" description: "\"Bands are more willing to take risks and we don't need this big label over us anymore telling us what it means to sell records and get into magazines.\"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af9/mat-mcnerney-23931_band_bands-are-more-willing-to-take-risks-and_2746923.jpg" --- # Bands are more willing to take risks and we don't need… ![“Bands are more willing to take risks and we don't need this big label over us anymore telling us what it means to sell records and get into magazines.” quote by Mat McNerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af9/mat-mcnerney-23931_band_bands-are-more-willing-to-take-risks-and_2746923.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af9/mat-mcnerney-23931_band_bands-are-more-willing-to-take-risks-and_2746923.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af9/mat-mcnerney-23931_band_bands-are-more-willing-to-take-risks-and_2746923.jpg) > “Bands are more willing to take risks and we don't need this big label over us anymore telling us what it means to sell records and get into magazines.” [Mat McNerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-mcnerney/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artists can innovate freely without restrictive labels, redefining success. **In simple terms:** Bands can take risks without big label constraints. Key Takeaway Embrace creative freedom. Themes music industry independence innovation Mood empowering optimistic Type motivational creative When to use this quote - album releases - live performances Key Concepts record deals marketing strategies Questions to Reflect On - What risks are you willing to take? - How do you measure success without traditional metrics? A Different Perspective Loss of resources without label support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Labels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labels/) [Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) ## Related quotes > [I see hip-hop as going in a self-managing place. It's very culturally controlled and artist-controlled. It's not really based on a label anymore. Everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-scott/i-see-hip-hop-as-going-in-a-self-managing-place-it-s-very-culturally/) [Travis Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-scott/) > [“Some people were like rubber bands--willing to stretch but eager to snap back into place at the first opportunity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-bond/some-people-were-like-rubber-bands-willing-to-stretch-but-eager-to/) [Stephanie Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-bond/) > [If the label presents them with a contract that the band don't want to sign, all the label has to do is wait. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-albini/if-the-label-presents-them-with-a-contract-that-the-band-don-t-want/) [Steve Albini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-albini/) > [I am really proud of where me and Ghastly's track 'Crank It' ended up. It was our first music video and big label release.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mija/i-am-really-proud-of-where-me-and-ghastly-s-track-crank-it-ended-up/) [Mija](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mija/) > [To release a single, a musician no longer needs to rely on a big label or production house, which are usually inaccessible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ankit-tiwari/to-release-a-single-a-musician-no-longer-needs-to-rely-on-a-big-label/) [Ankit Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ankit-tiwari/) > [When you're signed to a big label you're always in the position of convincing them, especially now because labels are barely keeping the lights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/when-you-re-signed-to-a-big-label-you-re-always-in-the-position-of/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [It breaks my heart to see these young, really talented bands getting chewed up into the system. I remember a time if you'd signed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-peters/it-breaks-my-heart-to-see-these-young-really-talented-bands-getting/) [Mike Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-peters/) > [We didn't have that big-label push. We weren't the kind of band that our label Warner Bros. Records was going to throw all this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-static/we-didn-t-have-that-big-label-push-we-weren-t-the-kind-of-band-that/) [Wayne Static](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-static/) > [Doing things in my day was simple: you either signed to a big label or you signed to a very small label, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-astley/doing-things-in-my-day-was-simple-you-either-signed-to-a-big-label-or/) [Rick Astley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-astley/) > [The reason I never wanted to sign with a big label was because I didn't want no one telling me how to make my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-brown/the-reason-i-never-wanted-to-sign-with-a-big-label-was-because-i-didn/) [Danny Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-brown/) > [I usually license my stuff to a label. Make the album, license it to a big label and get it back after four years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waite/i-usually-license-my-stuff-to-a-label-make-the-album-license-it-to-a/) [John Waite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waite/) > [I'm a free agent. I want the major-label budget for my next album, but I'm too big for the label to pay me. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keak-da-sneak/i-m-a-free-agent-i-want-the-major-label-budget-for-my-next-album-but/) [Keak da Sneak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keak-da-sneak/) > [I was with PolyGram; that was the big label that I was with for the longest, like 12 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-ayers/i-was-with-polygram-that-was-the-big-label-that-i-was-with-for-the/) [Roy Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-ayers/) > [Home Label was a part of me that wanted to reach out to a wider audience, a wider clientele. People who like design, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sussanne-khan/home-label-was-a-part-of-me-that-wanted-to-reach-out-to-a-wider/) [Sussanne Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sussanne-khan/) > [Those who are more willing to take risks and capitalize on opportunities, experience the highest index of life satisfaction and fulfillment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senora-roy/those-who-are-more-willing-to-take-risks-and-capitalize-on/) [Senora Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senora-roy/) ## More by Mat McNerney > [I do try to pay attention to new bands and what's happening within the scene. I try to make sure I give everything a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-mcnerney/i-do-try-to-pay-attention-to-new-bands-and-what-s-happening-within/) [Mat McNerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-mcnerney/) > [I like what's going on in Finland, with the rebirth of Beherit. I also like a band called Oranssi Pazuzu and a band called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-mcnerney/i-like-what-s-going-on-in-finland-with-the-rebirth-of-beherit-i-also/) [Mat McNerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-mcnerney/) > [ Before the 90s, black metal wasn't a selling tool \[and didn't\] have money behind it. Then it became a pop sensation. Now that the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-mcnerney/before-the-90s-black-metal-wasn-t-a-selling-tool-and-didn-t-have/) [Mat McNerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-mcnerney/) > [Ultimately I want my metal in a bar and not an art gallery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-mcnerney/ultimately-i-want-my-metal-in-a-bar-and-not-an-art-gallery/) [Mat McNerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-mcnerney/) > [In the past stories have been what tethers us to the world and they've made us who we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-mcnerney/in-the-past-stories-have-been-what-tethers-us-to-the-world-and-they/) [Mat McNerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-mcnerney/) > [People are appreciating the old stuff again and there's no MTV-style scene police to try to make us all listen to Machine Head and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-mcnerney/people-are-appreciating-the-old-stuff-again-and-there-s-no-mtv-style/) [Mat McNerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-mcnerney/) > [I don't think there's anything remotely "new" or "experimental" about any modern metal bands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-mcnerney/i-don-t-think-there-s-anything-remotely-new-or-experimental-about-any/) [Mat McNerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-mcnerney/) > [I think there was a brief period where Norwegian bands were evolving and that was an interesting time where it seemed like a band…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-mcnerney/i-think-there-was-a-brief-period-where-norwegian-bands-were-evolving/) [Mat McNerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-mcnerney/) > [I don't bring any ideology or barriers with me into my music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-mcnerney/i-don-t-bring-any-ideology-or-barriers-with-me-into-my-music/) [Mat McNerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-mcnerney/) > [I have a lot of mental scars from being brought up Catholic and being sent to Catholic school for 13 years!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-mcnerney/i-have-a-lot-of-mental-scars-from-being-brought-up-catholic-and-being/) [Mat McNerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-mcnerney/) > [The religion and it's many barbed indoctrinating tendrils just start to become what makes you who you are, so you have to kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-mcnerney/the-religion-and-it-s-many-barbed-indoctrinating-tendrils-just-start/) [Mat McNerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-mcnerney/) > [I think there's a certain limit to the number of times you can raise hairs on the back of peoples' heads before it gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-mcnerney/i-think-there-s-a-certain-limit-to-the-number-of-times-you-can-raise/) [Mat McNerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-mcnerney/) > [I think when you have a band that are so separate and isolated then you have to know each others styles and characters quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-mcnerney/i-think-when-you-have-a-band-that-are-so-separate-and-isolated-then/) [Mat McNerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-mcnerney/) > [Most every album - and especially metal albums these days - are made in a way that you can grow tired of them very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-mcnerney/most-every-album-and-especially-metal-albums-these-days-are-made-in-a/) [Mat McNerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-mcnerney/) > [I think Nouveau Gloaming is a classic black metal record and I would hate to be a band that kept trying to recapture the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-mcnerney/i-think-nouveau-gloaming-is-a-classic-black-metal-record-and-i-would/) [Mat McNerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-mcnerney/) [Explore all 25 Mat McNerney quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-mcnerney/) ## More Band quotes > [The reason I was drawn to the Band Perry was because they have a knack for doing rollicking country music that can sound a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-robinson/the-reason-i-was-drawn-to-the-band-perry-was-because-they-have-a/) [Phoebe Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-robinson/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [There is something to be said though when you have 4 or 5 guys playing with no net, there is a sense of urgency,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-mendoza/there-is-something-to-be-said-though-when-you-have-4-or-5-guys/) [Marco Mendoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-mendoza/) > [My Nirvana experience was much different than the other three guys. For me, it was really new and exciting. I was just a guy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-smear/my-nirvana-experience-was-much-different-than-the-other-three-guys/) [Pat Smear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-smear/) > [I think my music has always been a mixture, depending on whom I'm working with - what band, what musicians, what producer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matisyahu/i-think-my-music-has-always-been-a-mixture-depending-on-whom-i-m/) [Matisyahu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matisyahu/) > [As you'll never hear the thing again, my boy, why not throw in a couple of brass bands?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-beecham/as-you-ll-never-hear-the-thing-again-my-boy-why-not-throw-in-a-couple/) [Thomas Beecham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-beecham/) > [I've always made sure that I tour with bands that people aren't expecting me to tour with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mayer-hawthorne/i-ve-always-made-sure-that-i-tour-with-bands-that-people-aren-t/) [Mayer Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mayer-hawthorne/) > [There is more to me than just having been in the Runaways. And even though I'm really, really proud of what the band accomplished,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-fuchs/there-is-more-to-me-than-just-having-been-in-the-runaways-and-even/) [Jackie Fuchs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-fuchs/) > [I like the bad-boy types. Generally the guy I'm attracted to is the guy in the club with all the tattoos and nail polish.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/i-like-the-bad-boy-types-generally-the-guy-i-m-attracted-to-is-the/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) > [Bass guitar is the engine of the band.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzi-quatro/bass-guitar-is-the-engine-of-the-band/) [Suzi Quatro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzi-quatro/) > [I just became accustomed to being all the members of the band. That was something that was really exciting to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-collier/i-just-became-accustomed-to-being-all-the-members-of-the-band-that/) [Jacob Collier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-collier/) > [I guess because we're essentially a two-man band, we're attracting Wham's crowd. But Wham! are more of a businessman's band.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curt-smith/i-guess-because-we-re-essentially-a-two-man-band-we-re-attracting/) [Curt Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curt-smith/) > [I'm about as privileged as you can get. I'm a white, male, heterosexual front man of a rock band.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-reynolds/i-m-about-as-privileged-as-you-can-get-i-m-a-white-male-heterosexual/) [Dan Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-reynolds/) > [I'd been playing in bands for something like seven years at this point. And we were always trying to get ahead, trying to rehearse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aerosmith/i-d-been-playing-in-bands-for-something-like-seven-years-at-this/) [Aerosmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aerosmith/) > [Metallica's the only band i've ever been in. I'm not sure that when it ends in five, ten years, I'm going to put an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-ulrich/metallica-s-the-only-band-i-ve-ever-been-in-i-m-not-sure-that-when-it/) [Lars Ulrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-ulrich/) Browse all 6,497 Band quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Bands are more willing to take risks and we don't need this big label over us anymore telling us what it means to sell records and get into magazines.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mat McNerney" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-mcnerney/bands-are-more-willing-to-take-risks-and-we-don-t-need-this-big-label/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Band" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-mcnerney/bands-are-more-willing-to-take-risks-and-we-don-t-need-this-big-label/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af9/mat-mcnerney-23931_band_bands-are-more-willing-to-take-risks-and_2746923.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af9/mat-mcnerney-23931_band_bands-are-more-willing-to-take-risks-and_2746923.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af9/mat-mcnerney-23931_band_bands-are-more-willing-to-take-risks-and_2746923.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Bands are more willing to take risks and we don't need this big label over us anymore telling us what it…” — Mat McNerney", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Mat McNerney", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-mcnerney/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Bands are more willing to take...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-mcnerney/bands-are-more-willing-to-take-risks-and-we-don-t-need-this-big-label/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-mcnerney/bands-are-more-willing-to-take-risks-and-we-don-t-need-this-big-label/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```