And as for John Mayer, he was never, NEVER Indie!!   He was hand-picked by the majors for his talent, catchy hooks, youth and clean cut image (pssst...he has a tattoo...don't tell anyone, and probably inhales on occasion, no.. wait, he holds it in his mouth and takes some time to smile a little before he lets it go..).   And it wasn't 2 years ago, more like 5 or 6 years ago that his first CD was released....uh by a MAJOR 'indie" label.

Here is what I wrote I think you missed something
Ok you got me on the Shins. I was listening to John Mayer when he was "indie" about 2 years before the record deal so I've been to those sites but not lately.  The weeds are many and the wheat is few. This site can be a treasure trove

It was not 2 years ago but rather about 6 or 7 years ago or (2-3 years before the record deal). A friend of mine downloaded it off one of the sites and he popped it in as we were headed somewhere. I thought Mayer was pretty good but sounded way to much like Dave Mathews.
Most of the 1st album had been recorded previously but I heard them as live cuts from my buddy and off Mayer's site. You are right though Mayer was a good commodity to sell and it was obvious when I went to his 1st show (my last) what market he was attracting