Well, if they screwed us while they made fat profits, they are only going to screw us harder as their profits diminish. There are FAR fewer development deals out there now their profits are down, labels expect the bands to self-promote and even self-produce in many cases. This didn't use to be the way things worked. So many artists are web-based now because they HAVE to (very little A&R money left after piracy drops profits 30%+), not because they want to... And, so far, without a major label, few ever reach the top that way.

And while, yes, I've seen many artists get screwed over by their record companies, I've also seen many an artist screw up, and lose millions of their record company's money, too. That door swings both ways...

If it was so easy to start a record company and make a profit while staying honest, there would be a boatload more successful labels out there... There's an awful lot more to it than just screwing your artists!