Hi Cheyenne I agree with most of what you say. With regards to Soundclick and other sites where "amateurs" post music I have heard some wonderful songs there that IMO are far better than most of the top twenty crap we hear on the radio. I sometimes wonder what would happen if the roles were reversed and the so called stars posted on Soundlcik and the amateurs were given the hype and exposure awarded to the stars. I bet the Soundclick stuff would be classed as amateurish rubbish and the pop charts would be full of great songs.
Just to clear up on a point raised earlier Marc answered the question perfectly. Booking agents, mine included, are only interested in booking live acts for live gigs. The will not even listen to original music and have no clout in getting it cut or recorded.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/songInfo.cfm?bandID=687727&songID=5238055