That is obviously a valid argument, I was just stating to the fact that this filter is getting worse by day. People who view music solely as a "product" just cannot be a good filter. If they got new Led Zeppelin and Abba as their sales pitch that helps developing lesser known bands, I really doubt the world would be bitching that much about their business practices. But they got themselves Britney Spears and NSync and that just doesn't fly anymore. I used to buy almost everything that was on the rach shack - not doing that anymore, and not because I'm out of money or because I can download it for free. It just sucks, that's the sole reason for it. So much for a filter
I believe that big labels would rather extinct than go back to their filtering business - in theory, they can change, but I do not see how the back transformation is possibe. Where they'd get people who have a taste for the good music and can work with real talent. They're all gone now, only suits left who got a taste of making money in the music business without having to deal with the actual music - just a PC generated tune and a monkey singer + 10mil for promotion and here we go.
I agree completely that the filtering system is necessary, but I do not agree that big labels are up to the task nowadays. Quite contrary, they're themselves the reason why the filtering system is necessary. I used to trust their filtering system - as I have already stated, I used to grab about anything that was on the rack shack because I knew there will be a quality product. I may not like it eventually, but quality product is a quality product - you may not like it but you do not feel being ripped off when you bought it. But it got worse and worse until I stopped buying new CDs completely. I was ready to pay for the filtering system - and I used to regard it as such - but it just doesn't work anymore, for me at least. Do not trust their rack shack promos anymore. So why should I pay them at all if they're not doing their job of finding good music and bringing it to my attention? Yes they're still filter of a sort because Britney is still better than Joe's Garage band, but that filter is not what it used to be and already got to the point where it is not worth paying for in my eyes.
They're not a useful filter anymore. They're just "business" that has no compelling reason to exist and is desperately trying defend it's right to sell me something I'd have no choice but buy. From what it looks like, music has grown to be an annoying factor for them that just stands in a way of getting more and more money - they'd better lobby some bill that orders everybody to simply send them a $150 check every month.
What will be a new filtering system, I don't know, there's plenty of room for speculations. Maybe community based websites, maybe something else.