I think you still see the old spirit of 4AD in labels like Bella Union, but those labels have adapted and become more involved in promotion and management, as well as providing a general aesthetic credibility with a certain community, like SST, Alternative Tentacles, Touch and Go, Dischord used to, and still do to some extent.

I think if you look at SST, Touch and Go and Dischord in particular you see a business model a lot closer to what needs to happen now: keep recording costs low, cultivate solid distribution relationships, network like mad and treat the artists fairly and transparently.