Pop music seems to be coming more and more of a promotional medium for corporations and to sell merch. Starbucks, Pepsi, etc. and now Denny's:
Denny's 'Adopts' Up And Coming Bands
360 deals aren't helping the artist either. Big labels want more pounds of flesh every year to make up for uncreative and outdated practices. It seems that getting corporate sponsorship is more important than a label deal at this point, assuming that you can get it without being on a large label.