Production and distribution are the money pit. There are a lot of bands trying to market product produced in their basement, and most of it sounds like it came out of someone's basement. The highest production values still come out of a quality professional studio with talented engineers and producers. They need to get paid... a lot.
If you choose to ignore the hard copy market, distribution can be cheap. But there's still a large audience for cd's and dvd's, and designing and producing those ain't cheap... and cellophanediety needs to make a living, as well. The distribution industry has its own politics and economy, too... but that's what we're trying to bypass.
What I'd like to see is a streamlined conduit to the mass market. The pessimistic g-pod sees the record company's A&R bureaucracy making a lateral move, and the Indies facing the same struggles to get noticed. My un-grumpy self is hopeful that McBride and Co. can find a way to avoid that.
I'm trying to arrange for Timbo to come down to shoot video tonight. If something worthwhile transpires, I let you know
