The king of surf rock Dick Dale agrees with the Arcade Fire that bands should blow off record labels and go it alone – but only if they can handle their own CDs, merch (T-shirts, posters, etc.), marketing, and touring. (Maybe what's really needed is a shrunken-down, one-person operation to take the place of the record label on an as-needed basis.)
If you're in a band with major label aspirations, this video should be required viewing, but it's short and informative enough to qualify as entertainment for the general music fan as well (video below the fold).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJNnLIPZ_n4
