(1) The major labels are hiring fewer and fewer A&R executives because the volume of acts, and more importantly the types of acts, being signed have dramatically decreased.
(2) The A&R process used to be about the discovery, signing & nurturing of the act. Not anymore. Nowadays, A&R executives are not looking for talent per se. They are looking for an ongoing business.
(3) Labels want an artist that has developed some kind of traction and awareness on their own. Today, acts need to be "developed" or at least developing in a business sense for any label to have even the slightest amount of interest. The idea that today's A&R executives will discover an unknown act / artist and develop that artist is an illusion. They have neither the desire, time or money for that matter in 2011.
This is why from an A&R perspective, only the most generic, ubiquitous type of acts get any attention from labels today. There is only a certain type of act these days that major labels are willing to sign.
So if you happen to have those specific skills (mentioned above) these days - great! If not, don't sweat it, indie is the way to go!
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