i'm not sure, but i have a feeling that all these examples have one thing in common: they come from an age before the democratization of information, namely: the internet.
As globalization comes hand in hand (and in fact can't be accomplished without) information flowing freely around the globe, i think music might actually benefit from that, allowing greater cheaper (indeed, for free) global exposure, unbound by corporate interests.
much as the print revolutionized the world and made us all readers (as written material was cheaper and everywhere), so the internet makes us all publishers...