Well....

why was it different years ago and that sort of thing doesnt work now? (relating to your comment about going out to buy records that were unknown and underground).

????

money, and lots of it.....greed.....economics and business.

you see, when something that is new and uncharted grabs the attention of the commercial world it goes from obscurity to popular overnite. suddenly its no longer Ok to just do short runs for very little or no profit in order to just get tunes out there.

Originally it was a DJ who needed a track so he went....ummm....I really want this track but its gunna cost me like $200-$500 to get pressed.....well, why dont you press 100-500 and sell them to your mates to share the cost....OK thats a great idea, I'll do that.

So, then suddenly he sells 100-500 easy....he then thinks well why dont I try 1000 or 2000?? coz i know a dude who can get them put into shops everywhere, even OS.

Thats why now its no longer a cottage industry and selling vinyl is an expensive and risky business.

Digital has made it a boutique/cottage industry again coz the overheads are less and it doesnt matter if a tune doesnt sell coz if the A&R is big enough or quality enough there is money in it for the label as everything ebbs and flows according to taste and trend.

get it?