Are Industry Politics Necessary?

Yesterday I found myself in a conversation with a total stranger (as I often do), and this very nice guy was complaining to me about industry politics. Strangely enough, I heard myself defending politics to a certain degree, as a preventative measure of people getting "spammed" with too much material. Nowaday's with everyone having access to the tools needed to make music, 1 out of every 5 people is a "producer", which explains the high level of "junk" that's invading the radio today. Politics are a necessary evil; Evil because they interrupt the introduction of new true talent. Necessary because they block the pretender's from taking the spot of real talent. The grey area lies in who is qualified to determine what's junk & what's real?

What are your thoughts and do you think politics are necessary?

-- Sent from my Palm Pre