The problem is George that most "Artist Websites" and shops are actually owned and managed by the Labels... and the Labels still take their majority cut, before passing the 20-25% onto the Artist.

The Licensing Agreement between the Artist and Label also covers these types of Sales Revenues (for many Artists) ... and as you might expect, the Agreement is always written in favour of the label.

Even the CD's sold at concerts are typically sold by the Promoters on behalf of the Label... which again ensures that the Label takes their cut, before the Artist benefits.

Artists like Radiohead and a minority of others are able to release their material from their own website and benefit accordingly... but that is far from typical for most Artists.

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