EA
A Pound & A Prayer
I've seen both sides of the industry because of family members and I can truly say that it's damn near impossible to get any sort of buzz/exposure without either a label behind you or a benefactor. I know guys who have tried to do the indie thing without any money behind them and they lost a lot of money really quickly. Performing in places that won't even cover your expenses so you're out of pocket from travelling alone 
My boy paid to go to ATL for a competition that he won and he made some connections with producers and A&Rs but it's a lot of ifs, buts and maybes in this game.

My boy paid to go to ATL for a competition that he won and he made some connections with producers and A&Rs but it's a lot of ifs, buts and maybes in this game.