The difference is that I can obtain music for free. Lamentably, I haven't ever seen a place offering free lasagne.
The point he is trying to make is to encourage musicians to skip the middle man, and make their music available on the internet by themselves. To make that possible we, consumers, need a change of mentality: "I can get music _now_ for free, but if I like it and want more, I should pay for it".
Also, regarding the mixing, I think it could be outsourced to some freelance producer, paid by song, or time, instead of being him the one that gives you cents on the dollar for your own creation.
Yes - I was thinking about the outsourcing part as I have friend who did exactly that and again without the record label in between. If you don't have good connections though its hard to tell who is good and who is bad - so gaining some knowledge about every aspect is essential to make proper decisions or choose proper people to help you.
