Available for download
at RCRD LBL

To promote its "support of music and music culture," Nikon has become an inaugural sponsor for RCRD LBL.

RCRD LBL is an online music label that proffers sponsor-supported MP3s at no cost to the consumer.

It is the result of a joint venture between founder Peter Rojas of Engadget and Downtown Records, which signed the band Gnarls Barkley.

The sponsorship includes a Nikon-designed custom photo widget. RCRD LBL site visitors can peruse images taken of, or taken by, musicians, and add the widget to their own sites. It will also be used in tangent with artist and RCRD LBL staff blog posts.

"Nikon’s partnership with RCRD LBL is a true extension of our commitment to the synergies between music and photography," says Senior Communications Manager Lisa Baxt of Nikon.

"We know that thousands of passionate music fans are utilizing the Web to find a way to better connect with artists they love."

Recently, Peter Rojas aired his thoughts regarding RCRD LBL on a podcast hosted by Nikon.

That Nikon tapped a DRM-free online label to demonstrate its support of music and its culture suggests even traditional brands possess little faith in the continued dominance of record labels or DRM-oriented efforts.