I guess everything evolves. This has turned into "Will you listen to my music?" I honestly don't think that MD, MAB, or Brian could make a hit out of someone's song. Sure, they know people in the music business, but the days of someone being "discovered" are more or less over. Pop (Country) music is a machine just like the Brill building early 60's pop music. The songs are written by committees, and dispatched to established artists. MAB has written here that songs are written in a round table discussion. That's my take.

That doesn't mean that someone with enough talent can't break the barrier. John Prine has done it for 40 years as has Tom Waits.