True to an extent but in business, you also take risks when you venture into something new or uncharted territory. Musical forms like jazz et al aren't as exposed. Creating the demand is difficult but difficulty should not stifle our desire to create the demand. It's just about educating people, feeding information and extensive exposure without let up. Major record companies do not take such risks (but I'd like to believe that just some of them don't) because they need to stay afloat. But let me say that they are not only the venues to put our songs out. Our presence in playing venues like bars et al will give the exposure we need to some extent. And that's not all, if we look a bit hard enough we'll be able to find indie labels who are more than willing to put out our songs. I don't believe that these big labels will always have all of the market. There are still people thinking out there and I'd like to believe that we are a part of it.
well, the risk-taking part is of course entirely their prerogative. while i'm also an advocate of change, i understand too where they're coming from. they need avenues that are 'more sure', because as it is right now, the record business is having a hard time surviving, and from what i know, the record industry is only doing a little better than the local film industry.
i agree with you about the need to 'educate' people. it'll always be gary granada over lito camo for me, although we all know who's selling more songs. you see, record companies won't keep on making 'lito camo'-type records if they didn't sell well. and you can say, they can always stop making those kinds of songs, so the public will have to listen to the 'better' songs, but you know what, if mr. camo didn't keep making them, i'm pretty sure somebody else will be happy to make a lot of money doing songs of that sort.
again, it's a question of supply and demand. sadly, there is a huge demand for those songs, and the people making money are those who provide the supply for that demand.
major record labels don't really carry a lot of bands, because there's just so much of them right now (at least that's their opinion), hence, there's a huge supply and there isn't a demand great enough to force them to sign up a lot of bands. that isn't to be taken against them. those record companies need to stay afloat too.
i agree with you that the best avenues to effect some change is through indie labels (which are also making money right now) and music venues such as bars, etc. -- the most significant changes happen when people take matters into their own hands anyway -- so if the major players don't want your music, and you firmly believe in it just the same, well, technology's never been cheaper, and now, it's already possible to make your own cd's without ever having to meet a record executive...