Young and Naïve, Yet in Control
They looked at A&M, a small boutique record company with a large number of talented people – talent that the big record companies didn’t have any interest in. So, Geffen and Roberts simply had their pick. They managed to build their own stable of artists and picked out some of the best artists from larger labels by offering the singers and musicians more creative control.
David Geffen and Carrie Fisher 1996. Photo by Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times / Getty Images
“I was young and naive,” Geffen confessed. “When we started Asylum, we never expected it would turn into the company it became.” As he explained it, he and Roberts were just as excited by its unfolding as the artists were when their records came out and did well.