We could have our stuff on Amazon today if we went through CDBaby.com. Only catch is, we'd have to get a bunch of CDs pre-made for a high initial cost. The cool thing about CafePress.com is, we have no initial startup cost, and the CDs are made to order. We may switch to the CDBaby method down the road, as the profit margins are better, but for now we are still earning more per CD than any band signed to any label, even on a made-to-order service like CafePress.com (sad and scary, but true.)
It's issues like that that make us reticent to sign to any label. If we do sign a deal, the label is going to have to give us far better terms than just about any contract in history. When I see a supposedly "huge" band like Lamb of God talk in recent interviews about how they may never be able to afford to purchase houses, it makes me seriously question the sanity of signing a record deal.
That being said, we're totally open to playing showcases and negotiating with labels. I have the belief that somewhere in the industry, somebody will have a stroke of genius that will reinvent the business model so that it actually makes sense.
Back to selling our stuff on "larger" retailers though, I don't think it's the size of the retailer that matters, it's the quality of the purchase experience. CafePress offers just as friendly of shopping cart features, etc. as any of the giant online retailers. Hell, even our own PayPal cart for the downloads makes it easy. The internet is highly democratic - if you type in Backmask into Google, we're the first thing that comes up. People will always be able to buy our music directly at Backmask.com, so I don't really think it's an issue. And the physical retail outlets like Wherehouse? They're all closing their doors anyway.
Hope that answers your question.
