if i look up a band in google and the artists site is useless, i look down a few links and usually find a great fansite.
if the artist controls the site, then they can put whatever they want on it. if the label controls it, there's a 'buy it here' button on every page.
as much as i loathe tool's site, it's a great mix of both.. they've got a 'news' page (with with a bunch of pretentious shit no one cares about) and they've got merch and music samples, but none of it is shoved in your face.. plus they have a dedicated art site. i find the bands that have been around awhile seem to have less corporate sites (nine inch nails, radiohead) whereas all the pop/rap/corporate rock sites are just giant cash grabs with no emphasis on personal interaction