Tangible records?

I wrote some music/festival related articles for Red Bull Music a good five years ago, and the creative control was... kinda okay. Of course titles and intro's needed to be changed to conform the Search Engine Gods, but other than that, I had the freedom to write about any artists in any way I liked. Just had to keep it positive, which was fine for me as well.

However... These are still big brands, and i don't trust them for a millisecond. The moment they get the chance to make their own pockets deeper, they will. They are not genuinely 'in on the music' at any given moment. 

To me, honestly, its in the music industry like its in any major industry.. Doing it local is best. Labels from your own town, with real people. Or 'local' in a broader sense, like doing it with a close community like the AEtherwaves compilations. Of course, it's hard to make a living out of that, but in Belgium its also hard to make a living as an artist signed to a major label! Everyone I know who is signed to the big suits, still serves drinks in pubs, or sells clothes in a store..

Some cool Ghent based electronic/ambient/experimental labels: bwaa. and Marcel Records.