CBS Corp. said on Friday it will revive its storied CBS Records music label to supply its television shows with less expensive music and to generate digital sales.

The company, home to the “CSI” crime drama franchise, inked a deal with Apple Computer Inc.’s iTunes online music service to sell the label’s music and videos, which will also be available at www.cbsrecords.com.

The new CBS Records aims to tap unsigned musicians who write and perform their own songs that will be used and promoted on prime-time TV shows. The strategy helps CBS reduce licensing fees for using music from other labels on its shows.

Owning the music also makes negotiating Internet video deals for CBS shows less complicated and more profitable, as TV show producers seek to strike deals with online video services such as Google Inc.’s YouTube. CBS’s online videos on the YouTube service were among the most popular in its first month of the deal.