Indie label Minty Fresh recently launched its own MP3 store at www.mintyfresh.com. The label joins a growing list of indie labels that sell their own tracks in the MP3 format at their own websites: Thrill Jockey, Arts & Crafts, Def Jux and Warp to name a few. Songs will sell for the now-standard rates of $9.99 for albums and $0.99 per individual track.

I asked Al Verik, the digital content manager, and Jim Powers, the label's president, about the label's motivation for selling MP3s at its own site. The scalability and ability to better serve its customers were what made a digital store attractive.

"Our feeling is the wider we can make our music available, the better; and we view our Minty Fresh digital store as simply another spoke in the distribution wheel. The digital store also creates limitless shelf space for additional items. Minty Fresh titles are already available online through iTunes, eMusic, Rhapsody, Zune and many others. We also maintain a strong brick-and-mortar presence through ADA. We want music fans visiting the Minty Fresh site to be able to obtain our music by a click of a button as directly and simply as possible. With our new digital store, now we can offer that."

If you take away anything, it should be the prhase Another spoke in the distribution wheel. One spoke (digital) isn't going to replace another (physical). Some spokes are gaining strength. All spokes are important. Some are vital.