L.A. Reid

I was a James Brown junkie as a kid.

I'm personally looking for artists that are along the lines of today's pop stars. Whether it be a Rihanna or a Justin Bieber or a Kanye West or a Beyonce or a Lady Gaga, I'm looking for talent that's like that, that's what I love.

World events can shape culture. Music is either a soundtrack for or a narration of changing times. And who knows how that's going to go?

I live for opening doors for the young generation of creators. If we do nothing else with our success, let's open up some doors.

You always have to know when to bow out. You bow out while you are on top.

We don't sign an artist to fill a void, ever. I'll never find a Taylor Swift. You can't find a new Madonna, you cannot find a Prince, a Bob Marley, a John Lennon. You won't find another Kanye West. We simply deal with people as they walk in, and we say we either love them or we don't.

Listen, we're still selling stardom. That doesn't go away because MTV decides they can't play videos or they want to program themselves more as a traditional T.V. station. Vevo and YouTube are like MTV online, and on demand.

I am a record executive and I shall be right there in your face with my records.

I think of myself as a producer who tries to bring the best out of everyone, whether that be an artist, songwriter or a publicist.

I'm one of those foolish people who believe the glory days of the record industry aren't behind us. They're actually ahead of us.

The kids I talk to are convinced their generation will make the best music. And the greatest artists have yet to be discovered. I walk around with that thought every day.

Popular music has always been rooted in the blues, whether it's Adele or Led Zeppelin or Sam Cooke. It's just the beat that changes.

I'm not a good Samaritan, I'm a businessman... The goal is to read and react. If we sign an artist that has potential for a shelf life way out in the distance, then we'll stay. But if not, then we won't.

The deepest and most sincere feeling I get is when I meet an artist and they have that steel in their eyes and they have that fire and that passion and all they want is to be a star and to hear themselves on the radio.