I see it the other way around - when idealists point at Louis CK's method of selling tickets, they claim it's a viable way to make a lot of money and cut out The Man in the process. It neatly sidesteps that that particular method only really works because he already had a big name.
But in contrast to the last sentence of CK's quoted there - music is different. It's not a long way to the top at all. It's a short way to the top, it's just that not many make it out of the huge amount trying. Look at how young so many of the top 40 are - these, by and large, aren't people out of their 20s.
There are two separate markets in music. If you want to be in the top 40, it's just a result of dumb luck. If you want a stable, sustaining career, it's pure hard work. For every Justin Bieber, there are dozens of artists and bands who are touring year after year, making a decent living without any real media interest.
He's helping to pave the way for this to become "the norm". If a few more big name entertainers followed suit, suddenly those contracts with TicketMaster and the like would stop looking quite as advantageous to the venues. The consumers would become familiar with this.
But in contrast to the last sentence of CK's quoted there - music is different. It's not a long way to the top at all. It's a short way to the top, it's just that not many make it out of the huge amount trying. Look at how young so many of the top 40 are - these, by and large, aren't people out of their 20s.