In a surprising move, Pearl Jam has apparently found a new partner in retailer Target. The news comes as the band wraps up their lengthy contract with Sony Records who released all the band's material since 1991's Ten.

Like Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails, the deal effectively makes the band label-free, with Target acting as more of a distributing partner than a label. The band's management commented:

Target ended up allowing us to have other partners. We'll be able to take care of all levels of the Pearl Jam fan…We wish we could tell the whole story right now, but all the deals aren't done. Target was cool enough to realize that little independent record stores are not their competition.

This is an ongoing experiment, Every time we do something it's new for us, and were not trying to tackle the whole world at once. All we've been searching for forever is independence and control over our own stuff. The way of releasing records is changing every day. This is the best way we could do it ourselves in America. Right or wrong, we'll figure that out and make it better the next time.

You can find more details via the original Billboard report.