I just learned this weekend that a number of Mike Marshall's Artistworks courses are available in the Linked In Learning e-course library (formerly known as Lynda.com).

The courses are missing a little bit of contexts and some of the resources appear to be missing, but there's a fair amount of content in there that would be valuable for a beginner. I don't think it's a replacement for his courses as you're missing the video exchange and probably 90% of the content, but if you have access to the library through your work, it is worth peeking into. There's a lot of the foundational skill stuff that Mike does better than anyone (how to hold a mandolin, pick stroke, etc) that is in there plus there are selections from the intermediate and advanced courses.

Not sure how many of you have access to the Linked In learning library, but I hadn't seen it mentioned in here yet.