Ray,

I don't know what part of Doom and Gloom you think I am talking about. But the music business has always been this way. Brian Epstein didn't go out and find an existing group. he found four guys that were just starting out. That was the Beatles. Col. Tom Parker found a young kid just starting to make his reputation. That is true with every artist that has ever been around.
I don't know what many people are thinking the music business is but more than half are doing the equivalant of throwing darts at cars going ninty miles an hour while blindfolded. Writing songs and just throwing them out there willy nilly with some pitching services, catalogue or publishers, never have really worked too much. It is about getting to know people at every stage of the game.
Nobody knows who is going to be the next big thing. Millions are spent each year on people who aren't. And again, none of this is new. It has been this way.
What have changed are the delivery system, the changes in the way people make money in the music business. That is why you get to know people and get on ground floors.
If Sony wants pubilshing on a song, That is great. It is better than Sony not wanting publishing on a song. But you still have to get to artists, still have to get it into the pipeline. And the chances have dropped significantly because of the advent of writer artists and the economics of the industry, fueled by the lack of sales and more illegal downloading. The doom and gloom comes from there, not me.
This is all about keeping dreams and goals realistically based. There is nothing wrong with dreaming, we all do it. and even if there were NO cuts, people are still going to write songs. All I am suggesting is that everyone learn about the realities of the modern music industry and adapt their stratagies accordingly, primarily seeking out artists in their own areas and trying to partner up with people before they become stars instead of waiting around for lightning to strike in an established artist.

In the words of one of my friend's who is a very successful producer who said, "Before anyone ever thinks about getting a royalty check, they first better get a reality check."

Nobody quits. But they do adapt to changing rules in the game and being observant about trends that have been coming for a long time.

MAB