As NotJim already mentioned, I really appreciate the new ways of content discovery, yet I still value the old approach of a bunch of music loving people hand-pi

As NotJim already mentioned, I really appreciate the new ways of content discovery, yet I still value the old approach of a bunch of music loving people hand-picking releases. This is one of the jobs labels do very well and some startups hooking into the EchoNest API can't replace that functionality yet, however it adds additional options to the discovery process. Other things labels do well is marketing and artist support - again, we're talking about the smaller, passionate labels here. While I am very involved in music and may find and listen to your bandcamp releases, others rely on third-parties to get recommendations. Now try getting your bandcamp album reviewed by Pitchfork - it can happen, but it's not very likely. With easier access to production tools and simple ways of sharing and showcasing your work, there is a lot of noise when it comes to searching for music. Bandcamp won't mind as that's of course the nature of the service and absolutely ok. However there's value in a place that filters out the noise and provides the good stuff only.