“Record labels are still vital for many musicians. They get the CD in the bins; they advertise it; they put up the money to produce it in the first place.” But for established artists who are sick of the huge revenue chunk swallowed up by traditional labels, a new do-it-yourself method is emerging, and many artists are willing to put up their own money for production costs in return for having direct control of a web-based distribution network that brings in more eventual revenue.