Music doesn't get heard unless you tell people about it. At it's most basic level, that's what marketing is. Of course it can and often is much more sophisticat

Music doesn't get heard unless you tell people about it. At it's most basic level, that's what marketing is. Of course it can and often is much more sophisticated or manipulative, but that's the core of it. So if you have music you want people to hear, you need to get it on the radio, get it played in clubs, have it reviewed etc. Most people don't _hunt_ for music, they find what they like passively. So if you want more ears, you have to work to get the music in front of them. That takes expertise and time. Artists don't necessarily have either -- not if they're giving the music the time it deserves. Hence labels. They understand marketing, have money to pay for studio time, handle the technical details -- engineering, mastering -- and have the distribution channels.