Ray,

Waylon is also the guy who told a wanna be after hearing a song that the writer thought would be "perfect for him" who said
Hoss, yeah, that sounds just like me. But I could write the same song and keep all the money." Your heroes were absolutely as devoted to the dollar as the people you are disparaging.
They all like to eat, pay their bills and have their lifestyles. That is not greed. That is self preservation. The day you open your record label, publishing company, sign and develop artists, pay money to get airplay, do advertising, find the right political connections, play golf on the right committees, devote 18 hours a day for years making no money only to get to years of a little money or even some medium money, is the day you, myself or anyone can make informed decisions about those companies.

I don't disparage TAXI. I think they are very good to encourage discipline and good demos. But they, as all catalogue companies, and many song pluggers, even some publishers, are throwing darts at cars going ninety miles and hour, on an interestate blindfolded.

I was in Washington DC with Micheal Laskow, the owner of TAXI.
I asked him "What do I say to these people that ask if you are worth the money?" he said.

"We are based in Los Angeles so we have a better track record with film and TV. And Nashville is very cliquish. But it is all dependent upon the songs and the quality of demos."
What that means is yes, they have a lot of postings. But how many actual cuts are they getting? Not many if any. The reason is they are simply not plugged in. And no one is plugged in to the current music industry outside of the inside circles of these artists. Nobody.

The reasons for better or worse is that artists are writing their own stuff. They are encouraged to do so by the publishing companies and record companies who put up the INVESTMENT MONEY for these writers and artists.

So whoever you want to blame for the current state of the industry, it is basically the same way it has been for about the last 80 years of recorded music. If you check out Broadway, Tin Pan Alley, the California Movie television, rock world of the 60;s, the folk world, the Beatles and English invasion, the 70's drug induced hippie invasion, the corporate rock of the 80's, the 90's grunge movement, Hip hop and Rap, the country music from the 20's-to the present day, name when there has ever been the random "throw something at the wall and see if it sticks" mentality. It has never happened. And it never will.
Do any of us have a chance? Sure if we are working all the angles and not closing off avenues. Sometimes the avenues that are not totally visable.

MAB