It's not just about distribution. Production is extremely costly. Renting professional equipment costs a fortune every hour. You have to pay producers, sound en

It's not just about distribution. Production is extremely costly. Renting professional equipment costs a fortune every hour. You have to pay producers, sound engineers, technicians, etc. Music videos aren't exactly cheap to produce either. The costs of the production of an album can quickly reach five zeros. Record labels invest a lot in artists (on not very friendly terms for the artist, but that's a separate issue). Additionally, they provide them with connections. They help them getting performances in TV shows, getting their music played on the radio, etc. These days a many bands chose the alternative route of becoming independent. It's not impossible to succeed this way but if you go down that part you as an artist have to invest a lot more time in marketing yourself than you would had to if you signed up with a commercial label.