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My opinion has been that publishers offered two things that writers generally can't supply for themselves: Access and Influence. A publisher can get their books on store shelves, thanks to their contracts with the stores. They can call up Oprah, CNN or The Daily Show and get an author an appearance. They can convince syndicated reviewers and columnists to interview an author or run an article on them. Their phone calls go through to publicists.
Most authors' calls get screened.
Fortunately, the traditional marketing methods are changing, and as the public switches from old to new, authors may find that some of the new marketing methods give them an equal footing against the publishers. But at the moment, publishers still get first crack at the consumers, and most consumers are still perfectly okay with that.
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