> merely to get their music distributed That is correct. Distribution is such a small part of what a good record label does for you. Even if you want to beli

> merely to get their music distributed That is correct. Distribution is such a small part of what a good record label does for you. Even if you want to believe that an artist can do all of the things a label can do for them, that's not to say that they want to, or that they can do those things while successfully continuing to do what they do best - which is make music. Just because a handful of artists have achieved success without a label does not negate that the most successful artists today are still using them. Take it from someone who works with hundreds of labels - the best ones still add tremendous value. The RIAA fights for the rights of labels, and by default, some of those rights are shared by artists.