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Sufjan Stevens seems to have built a reasonably successful music career without having a major label deal. His CDs are issued by an indie label (Asthmatic Kitty) he reportedly co-owns with his stepfather (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asthmatic_Kitty), and while he doesn't seem to come close to Dave Matthews in concert revenues, his tours seem to do all right.

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Good example. I wasn't aware he did everything on his own. I've been to see him live and the crowds are always large and very excited.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah achieved widespread popularity in the indie scene through MP3s with a self-release debut, no record deal of any kind.

How much of that do you think depends on location? How critical is having a local (e.g. tri-state) scene?

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