Ani DiFranco started this label up on her own when no A&R person would give her the time of day. She started learning her way around a studio and then she begun to release her own albums as she went out on tour. This was in the late 80s/early 90s. Since then she has released 18 albums of original material and had NUMEROUS opportunities to sign to a major label and she said NO to every single one of them because she realized that there was nothing they could do for her that she couldn't do for herself. It was enough to make Prince jealous because she did what Prince should've done a decade and a half earlier. Ani will always be the "little folksinger from Buffalo" but she has certainly carved out her place in the world with her brilliant music and DIY attitude.