Nine Inch Nails releases Internet album

[bob]

I didn't see this elsewhere, but given the conversation regarding the method Radiohead used on its most recent album, thought this might interest some of you:

Trent Reznor, the man behind the rock group Nine Inch Nails, continued his foray into self-distribution by releasing a 36-track instrumental album over the Internet.

The album, Ghosts I-IV, went on sale Sunday on NIN.com, the band's Web site, and was available in a varying range of price packages.

Reznor is giving away the first nine songs of the album for free. The entire album in a digital version is available for $5. Nine Inch Nails' fans can order separate disc-sets of the album (with varying bonus materials and merchandise) from $10 to $300.

[Maple Leafs]

The entire model for this album, including the free version that he personally uploaded to piratebay, is pretty much exactly what the "music should be free" crowd has been loudly demanding for years. (Which probably means they'll have to change their loud demands now.)

From an e-marketing perspective, he's got the right idea here -- give it away free to the people who weren't going to pay anyways, charge the regular fans a low but reasonable price, and try to get the hardcore fans to pay big bucks for something exclusive. We'll see if it works.

(The album itself is pretty good, but as an intrumental I think it will be a pretty niche offering as opposed to the semi-mainstream appeal his recent work has had.)

Reznor recently produced a Saul Williams album that was offered either for free or for $5, it was up to the downloader. It turned out that 80% of the people who downloaded chose "free", so the album didn't end up doing well financially. He was pretty vocal about his dissapointment with that ratio, so it will be fun to see if this one works out any better.

[Anthony]

this is a great model, and is paving the way for the demise of record labels (or ushering in their demise quicker, as 50 years from now or sooner there won't be any record labels).

[Subby]

Cool - thanks for posting this..definitely worth $5...

[JetsIn06]

Got this yesterday. Haven't had the chance/been in the mood to listen to it yet, but I'm sure it's worth it.

NIN is one of my favorite bands.

[Groundhog]

Reznor couldn't pay me to download one of his albums.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

Reznor couldn't pay me to download one of his albums.

No doubt he'll be crushed to hear this.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

No doubt he'll be crushed to hear this.

I hope so.

[Maple Leafs]

One week in, the good news is that they sold out the limited edition $300 version in three days.

The bad news (which may not be so bad depending on your view) is that the even though the full album only costs $5, it's still the most "shared" album on BitTorrent right now. Some of those people may end up paying and some would have never bought anything in the first place, but it does make the common claims that "We'd be buying if you weren't overcharging us" sound sort of suspect.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03..._gift_spurned/

[Anthony]

people are so cheap.


what this shows is music isn't worth much to people, and it certainly isn't worth as much as record companies are used to charging. record companies and society in general may just have to come to grips that the world doesn't value music as much as it used to, there's too many other forms of entertainment and regardless of what people say there's just too many people who don't want to pay for something they can get for free.

[Ksyrup]

What made the Radiohead thing so successful is that it was billed as a radical and new distribution method, but in reality, all they did was control the leak of their album that was going to inevitably happen. They wouldn't have done that if they weren't going to follow it up with a proper, physical CD release a few months later. The comparison is apples to oranges. Reznor is selling the album as a download at the same time it's being released on CD. There's no ramp-up, no "leak," just a sale. And I think we all realize that in digital form, music simply has very little value. Radiohead was only content to offer people the ability to pay for the leak because they knew it was essentially a money-making opportunity to cash in on the dead time between leak and the CD release. Anything they made was $1 more than they would have made otherwise. But it was never intended to be a replacement for the physical CD sales. It was profiteering on damage control, basically.

Blame the industry's inability to transition to a new model quickly after Napster's demise, or the fact that music sharing has always occurred, and with new technology, this was inevitable, but whatever you believe, the fact is, once you place music in digital form, it loses its value to consumers. It's freely tradeable, and you don't even have to see it or hold it. It's not like taking a CD out of a store. It's like trading stocks - you may buy and then sell a piece of a company, but you don't necessarily think of it in those terms because it's not something you can touch or hold in the interim, it's just a transaction in cyberspace. It has an ethereal quality to it, even though it's real. Same thing with trading/stealing music.

It sucks that he's put himself out there as a proponent of this and might end up getting burned, but the end result was largely obvious. Sites like Weedshare tried something very similar to this a few years ago and went out of business. The fact is, no one has to pay for an MP3 if they don't want to. We all know that people will take the easiest route to get what they want, and technology just makes it that much easier. People would walk out of stores with all the CDs they could carry, too, if the doors were wide open and no one was watching.

[MikeVic]

I will be trying the $10 option. Get to download the digital version, and get CDs.

[Maple Leafs]

The full (physical) CD actually doesn't come out until next month, so it's not everything coming out at once.

[Ksyrup]

Is it an in-store release, or mail-order through the internet?

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Is it an in-store release, or mail-order through the internet?

Good question. I'd assumed it would only be online but I'm not sure I've seen that stated anywhere.

[Ksyrup]

Reznor released "Ghosts I – IV" online on March 2. The two-hour collection of 36 untitled instrumental tracks was made available in various high-quality DRM-free formats at different price levels. According to a press statement, a total of 781,917 copies of the project were transacted at NIN.com in the first week of release, including paid and free downloads, plus pre-orders for physical editions of the set. The total gross earned was reported as $1,619,420.

By contrast, the top-selling CD on the Billboard album chart this week, a new record from country star Alan Jackson, sold 119,000 copies.

Reznor's announcement of the sales figures was in contrast to RADIOHEAD, who did not release sales figures for their "pay-what-you-want" digital version of their latest effort, "In Rainbows". Reznor will not, however, release traditional sales figures to SoundScan, which provides numbers for the Billboard chart.

The expensive "ultra-deluxe" limited edition of "Ghosts I - IV" sold out almost instantly despite a steep $300 price tag. A digital version is available for five dollars, along with a $75 limited edition "deluxe" package. A $10 double CD version and a $39 vinyl edition will be available at U.S. retail on April 8.

[MikeVic]

Seems like a success?

[Ksyrup]

New album up on nin.com this morning called "the slip" - and it's free.

[PurdueBrad]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

New album up on nin.com this morning called "the slip" - and it's free.

Thanks for the heads up, listening to it now before I teach my first hour. Tracks 2 and 3 are pretty impressive.

[Icy]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

Seems like a success?

$1,619,420 made and not having any kind of distribution or manufacturing cost seems a good success to me as it's almost pure profit.

[JetsIn06]

Anyone planning on trying to see them on this next tour? Most tickets go on pre-sale May 7th and on sale May 10th.

[Ksyrup]

They are coming here, but no.

[Maple Leafs]

Not a bad album on the first listen. Nothing in there that really grabbed me, but worth the listening time and the price was right.

Not sure how long Trent can keep up this pace. By my count that's three albums in a year, pretty odd from a guy who used to take five years between full albums.

You have to wonder if it's starting to wear on him. I can't quite put my finger on but there's something sort of odd about the latest video:

[MikeVic]

Originally Posted by JetsIn06

Anyone planning on trying to see them on this next tour? Most tickets go on pre-sale May 7th and on sale May 10th.

Yes I want to try and make it.

[JetsIn06]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Not a bad album on the first listen. Nothing in there that really grabbed me, but worth the listening time and the price was right.

Not sure how long Trent can keep up this pace. By my count that's three albums in a year, pretty odd from a guy who used to take five years between full albums.

You have to wonder if it's starting to wear on him. I can't quite put my finger on but there's something sort of odd about the latest video:

Heh, I saw that video on their site the other day.

And yea, it really is kind of strange. Thing is, back then when he was taking five years between albums, he was recovering from a heroin addiction and just in a very, very bad place.

All the interviews I've seen lately, he's just a middle-aged guy who is really enjoying what he's doing. I think he'll eventually slow down but right now, it seems that he's loving it and I wouldn't doubt seeing another album come out after this next tour.

[Anthony]

what's so weird about the video? i just thought it was in keeping with the "do-it-yourself" kinda low-frills vibe he's got going on with releasing his music on his own and not having a slick, ultra packaged and mainstreamed product distributed via a corporate channel. that is, if i was to make my own music and put it out myself, i'd be making my own silly videos to go along with it.

[JetsIn06]

I don't think it's their real video...

On their site it said "Our stage production for the upcoming tour has been leaked on the internet, so we'll give you a sneak peak.."something along those lines. Didn't say it was their video or anything, seems like a joke to me.

[Maple Leafs]

This article is a month old, but I hadn't seen it before. Interesting breakdown of the Radiohead approach vs what NIN is doing.

http://www.wired.com/entertainment/m...znor_radiohead

[MikeVic]

Great concert last night over here.

[JetsIn06]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

Great concert last night over here.

Their production looks great. Did you see them in Calgary?

[MikeVic]

Nope, Winnipeg. We were at the side a bit, so I don't think we got the full effect of the three screens. But it still looked cool.

The opening act (Crystal Castles) had a strobe light on the stage pointed right at my section, and it was so trippy.

[Maple Leafs]

They cancelled their Ottawa show at the last minute in 2006, and aren't coming back through this time.

I hate this town.

[MikeVic]

I have to say that even from the side view, they had a really cool thing for one of the songs where it looked like Trent had a giant beat machine on the screen, and there was a tempo marker that glided across the beat, playing drums/bass/whatever wherever Reznor marked that it should. So he changed teh beat a few times before settling on the beat for the song. Looked really, really cool.

[JetsIn06]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

I have to say that even from the side view, they had a really cool thing for one of the songs where it looked like Trent had a giant beat machine on the screen, and there was a tempo marker that glided across the beat, playing drums/bass/whatever wherever Reznor marked that it should. So he changed teh beat a few times before settling on the beat for the song. Looked really, really cool.

Saw that in one of the videos. Looks insanely expensive .

Also, I was listening to an interview last night. Sounds like he's trying to put together some sort of TV show for Year Zero backstory stuff. If that doesn't work, he said a graphic novel of some kind could show up.

[JetsIn06]

Just got back from seeing NIN at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia. It was absolutely unreal. The production was incredible.

[Arctic Blast]

Originally Posted by JetsIn06

Just got back from seeing NIN at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia. It was absolutely unreal. The production was incredible.

Saw them earlier this year when they played Edmonton...some of the things they did with those digital effects screens were incredible. Really, really good show, too, as Trent seems to have become more comfortable performing than he was when he was high as a kite.

[JetsIn06]

Woooo....show tomorrow in Atlantic City. Small venue, should be pretty different then when I saw them in Philly. Already saw them at this venue and it was awesome.

[JetsIn06]

Oh btw...excellent article on how they pulled off the crazy production on this tour.

NIN Dazzles With Lasers, LEDs and Stealth Screens

[Maple Leafs]

You're killing me... they're in town here next week and I didn't get tickets because I couldn't find anyone who wanted to go.

[MikeVic]

I'll go ML.

[Maple Leafs]

Interesting...

The Long Tail - Wired Blogs

The best selling MP3 album of the year was free

Cool news: The best-selling MP3 album at Amazon in 2008 was Nine Inch Nails’ Ghosts I-IV, which was released free under a Creative Commons license.

The album made more than $1.6 million in revenue for NIN in its first week, and hitting #1 on Billboard’s Electronic charts, Last.fm has the album ranked as the 4th-most-listened to album of the year, with over 5,222,525 scrobbles.

The Creative Commons blog notes:

NIN fans could have gone to any file sharing network to download the entire CC-BY-NC-SA album legally. Many did, and thousands will continue to do so. So why would fans bother buying files that were identical to the ones on the file sharing networks? One explanation is the convenience and ease of use of NIN and Amazon’s MP3 stores. But another is that fans understood that purchasing MP3s would directly support the music and career of a musician they liked.

The next time someone tries to convince you that releasing music under CC will cannibalize digital sales, remember that Ghosts I-IV broke that rule, and point them here.

[JetsIn06]

Hell yea.

Couple news items:

Year Zero TV show on HBO possibly happening...
Amphitheater tour next year could be the last...
Trent hinted at a small "gift" that will be ready soon...

[MikeVic]

I think a second part of The Slip was coming out soon? Is that the gift?

[JetsIn06]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

I think a second part of The Slip was coming out soon? Is that the gift?

No idea...I haven't heard about a Slip 2, but have heard about a Year Zero 2. He recorded the first YZ on tour, so who knows.

Maybe a live recording or video?

[Maple Leafs]

A Year Zero sequel and/or TV show would kick ass.

I'm still a little disappointed that the game just ended. Sounds like Trent has a real ending in mind, he just needs something to work it into.

[MikeVic]

Game?

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

Game?

The online game with the web sites, hidden messages in songs, etc.

[MikeVic]

Oh yeah, before Year Zero came out right?

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

Oh yeah, before Year Zero came out right?

Before, and during. It went on for several months, but then it just "went dark". There was talk of a part two, which hasn't happened yet.

[Maple Leafs]

Leave it to a NIN-alumni to take the whole thing to another level...

You know how Nine Inch Nails tie the digital goods (which can be duplicated ad infinitum) to scarce goods (merch, collector’s items, signed items, etc) to engage their audience and give them a chance to choose how much they’re willing to spend and what exactly they’re getting for their money?

Well, their former drummer Josh Freese has a new album, and he has decided to take the concept a couple of steps further. I’m not sure whether he’s joking or is this for real, but what he’s offering to his fans is definitely funny as hell. Here goes (courtesy of soundcheck.freedomblogging.com):

$7

* Digital download of Since 1972, including 3 videos

$15

* CD/DVD double-disc set
* Digital download

$50

* CD/DVD double-disc set
* T-shirt
* “Thank you” phone call from Josh for buying Since 1972. You can tell him what you like about the record that you purchased, or what you thought sucked. Ask whatever you want, like “Is Maynard really THAT weird?” or “Which one of Sting’s mansions has the comfiest beds?” or “Are Devo really suburban robots that monitor reality or just a bunch of dads from Ohio?” or “Why don’t the Vandals play more stuff off the first record?” It’s your 5 minutes to yack it up. Talk about whatever you want.

$250 (limited edition of 25)

* Signed CD/DVD and digital download
* T-shirt
* Signed drum head and drumsticks
* Go on a lunch date with Josh to PF Changs or The Cheesecake Factory (whatever you’re into)

$500 (limited edition of 15)

* Signed CD/DVD and digital download
* T-shirt
* Signed cymbal and sticks
* Meet Josh in Venice, Calif., and go floating together in a sensory-deprivation tank (to be filmed and posted on YouTube)
* Dinner at Sizzler (get your $8.99 steak and “all you can eat” shrimp on)

$1,000 (limited edition of 10)

* Signed CD/DVD and digital download
* T-shirt
* Signed cymbal, drum head and drumsticks
* Josh washes your car OR does your laundry … or you can wash his car
* Have dinner with Josh aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, Calif.
* Get drunk and cut each other’s hair in the parking lot of the Long Beach courthouse (filmed and posted on YouTube, of course)

$2,500 (limited edition of 5)

* Signed CD/DVD and digital download
* Get a private drum lesson with Josh, or for all you non-drummers, have him give you a back and foot massage (couples welcome)
* Pick any 1 member of the Vandals or Devo (subject to availability) to accompany you and Josh to either the Hollywood Wax Museum or the lunch buffet at the Spearmint Rhino
* Signed DW snare drum
* Take 3 items of your choice out of his closet (first come, first serve)
* Change diapers and make bottles with him for an afternoon (after hitting the strip club)

$5,000 (limited edition of 3)

* Signed CD/DVD and digital download
* T-shirt
* Josh writes a song about you and makes it available on iTunes
* Co-direct a video with him for the song about you and throw it up on the YouTubes
* Josh gives you and a friend a private tour of Disneyland
* Get drunk together. If you don’t drink, we can go to my dad’s place and hang out under the “Tuba tree”
* Stone Gossard from Pearl Jam will send you a letter telling you about his favorite song on Since 1972

$10,000 (limited edition of 1)

* Signed CD/DVD and digital download
* T-shirt
* Signed DW snare drum from A Perfect Circle’s 2003 tour
* Josh gives you a private drum lesson OR his and hers foot/back massage (couples welcome, discreet parking)
* Twiggy from Marilyn Manson’s band and Josh take you and a guest to Roscoe’s Chicken ‘n’ Waffles in Long Beach for dinner
* Josh takes you and a guest to Club 33 (the super-duper exclusive and private restaurant at Disneyland located above Pirates of the Caribbean) and then hit a couple rides afterward (preferably the Tiki Room, the Haunted Mansion and Tower of Terror)
* At the end of the day at Disneyland, drive away in Josh’s Volvo station wagon. It’s all yours … take it. Just drop him off on your way home, though, please.

$20,000 (limited edition of 1)

* Signed CD/DVD and digital download
* T-shirt
* A signed drum from the 2008 Nine Inch Nails tour
* Maynard James Keenan, Mark Mothersbaugh from Devo and Josh take you miniature golfing and then drop you off on the side of the freeway (all filmed and posted on YouTube)
* Josh gives you a tour of Long Beach. See his first apartment, the coffee shop on 2nd Street where his buddy paid Dave Grohl $40 to rip up tile just weeks before joining Nirvana. See the old Vandals rehearsal spot, the liquor store he got busted at using a Fake ID when he was 17 (it was Dave from the Vandals’ old ID). Go check out Snoop Dogg’s high school. For an extra 50 bucks see where Tom and Adrian from No Doubt live. For another $25 he’ll show ya where Eric from NOFX and Brooks from Bad Religion get their hair cut.
* Spend the night aboard the Queen Mary and take the “Ghosts and Legends” tour. (Separate rooms … no spooning.)
* Josh writes 2 songs about you and both are made available on iTunes and appear on his next record (you can sing back up on ‘em, clap, play the drums, triangle, whatever)
* Drum lesson OR foot and back massage (once again … couples welcome and discreet parking available)
* Pick any 3 items out of Josh’s closet

$75,000 (limited edition of 1)

* Signed CD/DVD and digital download
* T-shirt
* Go on tour with Josh for a few days
* Have Josh write, record and release a 5-song EP about you and your life story
* Take home any of his drum sets (only one, but you can choose which one)
* Take shrooms and cruise Hollywood in Danny from Tool’s Lamborghini OR play quarters and then hop on the Ouija board for a while
* Josh will join your band for a month … play shows, record, party with groupies, etc.
* If you don’t have a band he’ll be your personal assistant for a month (4-day work weeks, 10 am to 4 pm)
* Take a limo down to Tijuana and he’ll show you how it’s done (what that means exactly we can’t legally get into here)
* If you don’t live in Southern California (but are a U.S. resident) he’ll come to you and be your personal assistant/cabana boy for 2 weeks
* Take a flying trapeze lesson with Josh and Robin from NIN, go back to Robins place afterwards and his wife will make you raw lasagna

Now, if this isn’t changing the way music business works, I don’t know what is.

Former NiN Drummer Takes Album Promotion A Step Further