"Therefore anyone can make a record that sounds like an 8. If you want to stand out, you either make it sound like a 4 or raise money somehow to put out a 9-10

"Therefore anyone can make a record that sounds like an 8. If you want to stand out, you either make it sound like a 4 or raise money somehow to put out a 9-10 sounding record." I agree that good recording sound is important. Gone are the days of Buddy Rich: 1 mic over Buddy and 1 over the remaining 14 guys. However, the sound quality difference from 8 to 9 to 10 is well past most listeners' interest and possibly capability (sensitivity of the ear drums and processing of the messages they send differs in individuals). To get through the barrage of songs with looped lines from Top40 (regardless of the chart used) songs, a band needs to have a truly unique style. What makes a recording stand out is interesting music elements like song form, rhythm, tonality, etc... A band stands out to me when they use any polyrhythms and song forms away from the basic AABA or ABABC. I'd like to hear instrumentation other than the standard bass/guitar/vocals/drums. Something interesting and polished from non-Western 5-note scales mixed with our 7-note scales. I'd also like to hear songs get a little longer. While I don't need Rush Hemispheres length songs I want something more meaty than 3.5 minutes. Low-key venues is where every musician should start out. It's where you develop your skills as an entertainer and learn the business before there's a lot of money and legalities on the line. I choose to pay for songs because I want proceeds, however small, to go to the artists. My qualm is being restricted to a particular medium for the song and its implications.