Ani DeFranco came up with the idea over a decade ago.
It’s getting a lot more common to cut out the “labels”.
I think Radiohead did something really cool very recently - - they offered their latest CD by on-line downloading ONLY. Essentially for FREE.
Radiohead essentially put their album online for free but allowed downloaders to "set their own price." The result was that many downloaders paid at least a couple of dollars, which was more than what any record label would have paid them had they been selling copies for $15.98 at some shopping mall record store.
Some downloaders paid as much as $100 (obviously well-off fans who wanted to encourage the process).
As for those who paid nothing, the band has an opportunity to win more fans, especially since traditional radio isn't playing it (they are still too busy playing "flavor of the moment" acts like Timbaland, Britney Spears and Beyonce).
Performing artists offering their music directly to the fans is the wave of the future. That said, I'm dubious about the Eagles decision to market their music through Wal-Mart. No serious music fan goes to Wal-Mart to buy music.