NO LABEL, NO PROBLEM AS MAJOR LABELS FOUNDER, MORE ARTISTS ARE BLENDING NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND OLD-FASHIONED TOURING TO GET THEIR MUSIC RELEASED.

Byline: Fred Shuster Music Writer

The struggle for autonomy in the pop world has broken out all over the map. While the corporate music machine grinds on, too big for what was once considered a street art, musicians of all types are shipping out to parts unknown to produce and market their own albums.

In the old days, the goal of most would-be music stars was to enlist with one of the dozen or so major labels that sold popular music to the masses. But with just five money-losing global corporations dominating mainstream music, self-sufficiency has become the mantra of performers who find they can live just as well or better setting up shop on the Internet, at gigs or through independent distributors.

``For an indie artist to get their music in a store in, say, Omaha was a big production 20 years ago,'' said Steve Stolder, managing editor at Web retailer Amazon, which has a special program called Amazon Advantage for indie artists. ``Today, the CD doesn't even have to be in a store. People might imagine indie artists are playing to college crowds and sleeping on couches while on tour, but with the acceptance of Internet marketing, you can reach comfortable sales levels.''

The fight is being waged on several fronts. Disgruntled artists such as the Dixie Chicks and Incubus claimed their record companies cheated them and held them to long multi-album deals akin to indentured servitude. Last year, California state legislators joined the fray, opening contentious hearings on the topic. No new laws were passed, although two majors floated ideas on reform of royalty agreements. State Sen. Kevin Murray, a former music agent who led the attack, plans to introduce four bills this year that could change how the industry pays artists. Musicians have long complained that labels refuse to account for the exact number of CDs manufactured, leaving no way to tally how much money was earned.

``There are certain frustrations to doing it yourself but, by God, it sure is exciting and rewarding when you achieve something,'' said Houston singer-songwriter Sara Hickman, who began releasing her music (sarahickman.com) after disappointing stints with two majors.

To a big label, a half-million copies sold is small change, since the money covers recording, manufacturing, distribution, promotion, legal fees, staffing, publicity and even postage, not to mention the buildings that house the labels in Los Angeles and New York. Meanwhile, artists have increasingly become savvy to the once little-known fact that the label recoups these expenses from record royalties - and forever retains ownership of the finished recordings. Of the 35,000 CDs released last year, only 5,000 titles sold more than 1,000 copies.

For an indie artist like Hickman, if 15,000 people shell out for a record, it means the difference between Merlot and plonk or perhaps between making the rent and taking a job at Box Bros.

Grabbing the reins

At a time when the music business sold 104 million fewer CDs and cassettes in 2002 than in 2000 and file-swapping and counterfeiting are a way of life for a generation, labels are reacting by cutting rosters and signing fewer artists. Suddenly, going indie is a viable alternative for artists ranging from reflective folk-rocker Natalie Merchant and New Age instrumentalist John Tesh (who sells millions of his records from a tiny Sherman Oaks office) to club favorites Charlotte Martin, Lexicon and Cafe R&B. All are making strong inroads outside the usual channels.

Amazon isn't the only Internet dealer doing a brisk business in indies. North Hollywood's Miles of Music (milesofmusic.com) and Oregon's CD Baby (cdbaby.com) both specialize in independently produced records along with major label product.

The economics are striking enough that Merchant, who gained fame with 10,000 Maniacs before hitting the top with her solo work, recently chose not to re-sign with a major after 17 years with Elektra Records. Her next album, a set of traditionals called ``The House Carpenter's Daughter,'' is due in June from her own Myth America label. Recorded for a modest price, the disc will be sold through Merchant's Web site.

Others produce and market their own music for experimental reasons while striving for mainstream acceptance at the same time. Martin, a popular Los Angeles singer-songwriter, spent four months making an eight-song album at home in order to work out ideas for the record she's cutting for RCA.

Recording with the computer program Pro Tools on her iMac, Martin finished ``Test-Drive Songs'' in January and had 500 copies pressed. The CD, which has been likened to Tori Amos and Kate Bush, is on sale at Martin's gigs, through her Web site (charlottemartin.com) and at CD Baby, where the disc retails for $9.97, from which Martin collects about $6.

``I've just started seeing a return to recoup the cost of buying hard drives and pressing copies,'' she said. ``It makes a huge difference how a little piece of product and a Web site can get your name out there. I know musicians who make a living through online marketing and playing shows. If you're an unsigned act, you do whatever you can to get your music out there until someone else picks up the tab.''

Gideon and Nick Black, known as the rap duo Lexicon, might agree. The Los Angeles siblings made a name in the hip-hop underground after their album ``It's the L!'' came out two years ago on the small Spy-Tech label. During a well-attended West Coast tour, the group moved 6,000 copies at $10 each.

``We always felt we had a good feel for the game and we're comfortable doing it on our own,'' Gideon said. ``There are times when we think it would be great to have a bigger budget, but we were able to grow on our own like this. We pass out fliers for weeks before our shows and we see results. We're self-contained and there's really no reason to spread it too thin. The money we make at our shows is money back into our pockets.''

For some, money isn't the only reason to turn away from the assembly line. Veteran folk singer Joan Baez says the last major she worked for didn't do much more than send out for coffee. ``They never did anything for me anyway. I mean, oh great, I got a big label - but you have a way better chance of being heard with a couple of people in an office who care enough to take your record in hand and do something with it.''

The road to success

Minus huge budgets that cover radio, MTV and print exposure, self-motivated artists must depend on long-standing forms of promotion - word of mouth and the quality of their live shows. That's how Jack Johnson, String Cheese Incident and No. 1-selling rapper 50 Cent gained early notice and Amazon and other Web retailers carried the self-produced work of each of these top-drawing acts before they became internationally known.

Studio City indie rock guitarist-singer Neal Weiss isn't aiming to be snapped up by a major label. His album ``Maybe the Brakes Will Fail,'' for which he used the band name Weed Patch, is designed to get his songs heard by the people who would most appreciate them. At this point, the 11-track CD he recorded in a friend's garage in Sherman Oaks is available only through Miles of Music, a North Hollywood music site (milesofmusic.com) specializing in alt-country, Americana and indie rock.

``It depends how much of the game one wants to play,'' Weiss said. ``Are you trying to be a rock star or is your music a creative outlet or hobby? I've been writing songs most of my life, and I've been in various bands and never really did anything. I totally recognize I'm not going after a big piece of the pie. This isn't about making a profit, it's about getting people to hear the songs.''

Weiss, who is in the process of assembling a band for gigs in the next two months, has friends who've signed with a major and then worked for a year in the studio only to see the project shelved when their group was dropped - all within 18 months.

``For me, this is a creative outlet,'' he said. ``At first, it was about playing 'Sweet Jane' on guitar, then it was about making noise in a garage, then playing in a club and getting my songs heard. This is the next step.''

Creative outlets can sometimes turn into cottage industries. Composer- musician Tesh - famous for his 10-year stint as co-host of ``Entertainment Tonight'' before quitting to pursue his love of music - records, books tours, manufactures and sells his music with the help of seven staff members based in a Sherman Oaks garage. While he uses a major worldwide distributor to get his records to stores, Tesh has complete control of his product, doing a healthy business through his Web site (www.tesh.com), where he also sells autographed copies of his albums.

``My biggest piece of advice to anyone who wants to do this is to play live,'' said Tesh, who normally sells about 1 million copies of each new title. ``Play anywhere they'll take you. Look, I've played Nordstrom's shoe department at Christmas. When you do it like this, the overhead is really low. You don't have to pay radio promotion or hire a giant staff.''

While some indie travelers make records exclusively for the generally interested souls, others like local powerhouse Cafe R&B use their self- produced discs to further careers and reputations made on the road and in crowded nightspots.

``We get the CD out there but we sell quite a lot at the gigs,'' said Byl Carruthers, the Encino quartet's guitarist and leader. ``We're a live band and that's where our foundation is. I want to have a say in how the music is presented and marketed. Would I like to be on a major label? Sure, we'd like to have tour support and a budget for promotion. But we've all seen how a career can be over because of a few wrong moves or some cost cuts. This is the best way for us right now.''

A lot of other artists are feeling the exact same way.

The CD by numbers

Who needs Universal Music Group when you can put out your own album? Most artists may not be able to buy a Hummer H2 with the profits, but it doesn't take an enormous amount of sales before you're in the black. Here's an economic breakdown of a typical do-it-yourself project.

Title: ``Maybe the Brakes Will Fail''

Artist: Weed Patch (Neal Weiss)

Label: Ohgrowupalready

Recording cost: $4,000, includes producer and studio costs

Mastering: $1,200

Art and design: $1,200

Manufacturing: $1,000 (500 shrink-wrapped CDs with bar code)

Time spent: 200 hours over one year

Total cost: $7,400

Price of CD: $10

Return to band: $6 per sale if sold through milesofmusic.com - which takes $4 per copy. $10 per sale if sold at a Weed Patch show

Return if Weed Patch was on a major label: $1.50 per CD

- Fred Shuster

CAPTION(S):

4 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) Taking control - and the CASH

From Natalie Merchant to John Tesh, musicians are dumping their labels and keeping the profits

Jennifer Blatz/Staff Designer

(2) L.A. singer Charlotte Martin has recouped the expense of pressing 500 CDs by selling copies at concerts and online.

David Sprague/Staff Photographer

(3) Neal Weiss spent $7,400 making his Weed Patch CD, which he's selling for $10 each on the Web and at performances.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer

(4) Brothers Nick, left, and Gideon Black of the hip-hop duo Lexicon.

Box:

The CD by numbers (see text)