As the Tapeworm Turns

"Financially, it was tough when an unknown band or artist went out of state with nothing more than a cassette to sell," adds Boudet. "But now CDs cost so little to press that you can actually have something to sell and make it worth your while. Granted, when you first go out, you can't expect more than to break even, but you've got to take some risks. And the bands have realized that to sell some discs, they have to sound good. Before, it was, 'We got $100, let's record a CD.' Now bands spend their time and money and put a lot of effort into getting it to sound like a real record.