An article at The Daily Express article shows how the music industry is tightening its belt. The days of high-maintenance divas, it insists, are over. Said one executive, "The days of record labels indulging artists are pretty much gone now. No more American divas coming in on private planes with teams of stylists, hairdressers, chefs etc." This part is funny.

"One of Warner Music’s biggest mistakes last year was an album released by socialite Paris Hilton. It sold just 13,000 copies, a disaster made worse by the money spent on the heiress and her entourage.

One source claims that she brought 14 people with her to the UK including three security guards, two tour managers (despite there being no tour) and three American publicists. A week’s accommodation at the exclusive Metropolitan hotel on London’s Park Lane came to around £160,000. The entourage was flown to Britain in either first or business class."

That was an expensive mistake. Only good things could come from labels behaving like cost-conscious businesses. Unfortunately, the belt should be been tightened years ago, and in ways other than laying off the lower-level jobs that are needed to put in enough the elbow grease necessary to properly work releases.