That's indeed a good example. Now we just need 4-5 more examples to prove it's repeatable rather than a fluke. :)

There are many examples in the open source world.

In music, why not bieber, rebecca black, and soulja boy?

Would DHH count?

Does Amanda Hocking count? (http://www.npr.org/2012/01/08/144804084/a-self-published-aut...)

That's just after a few minutes of thinking. I believe I could come up with several more pretty easily.

Add musician Jonathan Coulton to that list: makes ~$500,000 a year without having ever signed on to a major label.

True, in indie music that's possible, though that also predates the internet; e.g. Fugazi made millions in the 90s with self-distribution (Ian MacKaye's estimated net worth is something like $20 million these days). Would be curious if it's accelerated, decelerated, or remained constant in frequency.