RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
The comedian Louis C.K. says he has sold out a 39-city tour in less than two days. And he did it by bypassing traditional ticketing services, like Ticketmaster. He started selling the tickets on his website Monday for a flat $45, and has taken in $4.5 million in sales.
For those not familiar with C.K.'s comedy, one of his best-known bits, here with Conan O'Brien, is a rant about people's expectations for new technology.
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MONTAGNE: The ticket sales aren't the first time that the comedian has subverted the entertainment industry standard practices. He let fans download his hour-long, stand-up special for only $5 last year, and said the proceeds more than paid for the cost of producing it. It's a pretty good week for the comedian. The third season of his TV series, "Louie," starts tonight. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.