I gave the same answer as most people. I doesn't matter to
me. However, one of the main ways I find out about books and authors is looking at public library new book shelves. And the acquisitions librarian may be influenced by publisher reputation. Or the reviewers that the acquisitions librarian follows may be influenced by publisher reputation.
About half the books I read are professionally edited, heavily researched, non-fiction requiring extensive and expensive author travel. In a few cases,
like the book I finished ten minutes ago, a lot of that support comes from a major newspaper. But when it comes to topics like 9/11 and its aftermath, few good books are going to appear without the backing of a major publisher. And researched books not ripped from headlines,
such as the one I am about to start, are even less likely to happen without the backing of a strong publisher.
Indie is mostly for books that are works of pure imagination or memory. Yes, such books are important.