Jdoris,
While I agree that on the smaller labels you're finding much more 'creative music", the big problem is selling this music, beyond the few fans that actively seek this music out. Fewer places that sell these CDs/records, problems with people stealing downloaded copies of their music, recording budgets being cut for those artist that actually still have a label, extremely limited advertising budget, are just a few of their problems. Not that long ago I talked to one artist who records for a well-known blues label, and he told me that most of his CD sells anymore are from people buying them at his gigs or off his website. Great to see the middleman get cut out, but nevertheless it still severely limits the number of CDs that get sold, as only the "choir" is buying them. Add to that the number of venues that used to book him and his band (and other blues artists) that have either closed down or changed music formats makes it much more difficult for people like him to tour.
