givin your music away for free will definitelly give you back your artistic freedom, and as you are not earning money from sales, cause they are shite as you said, then you wont looose much.
i guess if you will be smart while advertising your free releases, you can find new audience and build new fanbase. Then you can back it up with some clever merchandising, and you are profiting. Not financially, but in other ways. Last but not least, musical wise your artistic fredom won't be limited by labels, which regardless money, will be the biggest benefit for yourself, imo.