But now the PepsiCo soda brand is preparing to launch an iTunes storefront that will allow listeners to purchase music from certain Green Label Sound artists -- and Mountain Dew is waiving the usual label share of the revenue, leaving all income, minus iTunes processing fees, to the artists.

The first act to be part of the initiative is Chicago hip-hop group the Cool Kids, one of the first talents featured on Green Label Sound, which will release the group’s new full-length, “When Fish Ride Bicycles,” in the spring. (A release date hasn’t yet been set). It will be the act’s first album since its 2008 debut, “The Bake Sale” (Chocolate Industries), which reached No. 8 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Albums chart and has sold 61,000 units in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. New track “Bundle Up” will be released as a Green Label Sound single for free download on Feb. 23.

“Labels suck,” the Cool Kids’ Chuck Inglish says with a laugh. “What can they do that Pepsi can’t do? We had a good experience with Green Label Sound — we got more from that single than we got from our previous album. I was tired of the album sitting around and just wanted to get it out." - Billboard.com