Large labels Vs Independent labels

"Quality?"

It varies from artist to artist. Each band is different, each situation is different.

Big labels PLUS:
1. Can charge them up the wazoo for personal artifacts (i.e. LPs while on tour in Japan).
2. Get to see yr huge mug in the middle of Billboard magazine.
3. Get to talk with huge pop stars with a straight face. ahem.

Big labels NEGATIVE:
1. They intrinsically set up a financial situation whereas if you don't become a huge pop star overnight, you'll be in some serious debt-ola. Or touring the rest of yr natural born life.
2. Have to deal with strange battles on Planet Earth (i.e. do I want someone to announce our gig by saying "Clear Channel and Pepsi and Michelin Tires and Warner Bros records are proud to present..."
3. Have to deal with mafioso.

Small labels NEGATIVE:
1. Have to deal with phone calls to the like of: "hey man, I live in Podunk, Kansas, and I can't get yr new 10 inch! You guys are sellouts!"
2. Have to deal with lots of mods.

Small labels PLUS:
1. In most cases, have your art treated like art, with care and attention and concern. Have your monetary situation involving said art shown to you consistently and fairly.

does that work?

My biggest problems with Major lables, aside from the not paying the artist (due to recoupable spending vs earnings contracts) fall into two categories:
1. The artists often gets to work with a big time producer, who doesn't know what they sound like and by producing them the same way they would their regular cliants, the band loses it's sound. They end up sounding like someone else or sounding over produced. The addition of famious guest artists be a real downfall, if they are just presented to the band instead of working from some pre-existing relationship.(I reallly like Wayne Kramer's work but I'd be at a disadvantage just meeting him in a studio and expecting to colaborate on a track that is going to appear on my record. It could be great or it could be a disaster, especially if Wayne doesn't know what I'm going for.)
2. Majors have an army of liars working for them and they often decide This Artist won't sell enough, so they get "tax write off" status. You end up with a record they have little incentive to help you sell, defeating the benefit of having global distro. You end up touring your ass off and you still aren't on TRL.

Little companies might have less cash and less far reaching distro but they usually have a very vested interest in your success. You also end up working with engineers that really want your music to sound awesome (not everyone is that way, but you have a better chance of getting a true sound quality and working with someone who will hear what you have to play).

Little companies with a proven work ethic, that specialize or at least understand the type of music you want to create, that is the way to go.
Also if they do rip you off, because you didn't do you homework and signed with the untrustworthy, people that work for little companies are much easier to find.