Trent Reznor, the quasi sole musician and singer of the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, is taking action against major record labels and their sales policies. He is releasing his latest work, Ghosts I-IV, under a Creative Commons license. The first nine tracks are available for download on his homepage. All other songs from Ghosts II, III, and IV can be found, along with various graphics, on the torrent exchange site "The Pirate Bay" in lossless FLAC format or as MP3s at 320 Kbps.
For those who prefer to hold something in their hands, the double CD can be ordered for 10 dollars (approximately 6.80 euros), or as a deluxe edition for 75 dollars (approximately 51 euros), which includes a DVD containing the tracks as multitrack files and a Blu-ray disc order here. The limited edition of 2,500 copies, priced at 300 dollars, which also included an art book, four 180-gram vinyl records, and two high-quality Giclée prints, was sold out just one day after its release. This concept seems to serve as good advertising as well.
The disputes with his former label Universal over their distribution and pricing plans for the album "Year Zero" led Reznor in September 2007 to urge his fans to steal his albums and share them with friends and acquaintances. He criticized the greed of the major label as exploitation of his long-time fans. In October, he severed ties with the label and announced new distribution methods for his upcoming albums.
Shortly thereafter, he released the tracks from his last albums as single track MP3s on the homepage remix.nin.com. These can be broken down into individual tracks (e.g., bass or drums) with the appropriate software and re-released as new mixes on the same site. As a result, bands and DJs took on the challenge and transformed the typical NIN tracks into grunge, techno, and hip-hop.
More lesser-known bands should take this example to heart. Creative Commons licenses not only offer bands extensive options to regulate the use of their music, but fans also benefit. They are on the safe side regarding the use of the tracks, even if it is just copying them onto CDs or MP3 players without guilt.
For those who prefer to hold something in their hands, the double CD can be ordered for 10 dollars (approximately 6.80 euros), or as a deluxe edition for 75 dollars (approximately 51 euros), which includes a DVD containing the tracks as multitrack files and a Blu-ray disc order here. The limited edition of 2,500 copies, priced at 300 dollars, which also included an art book, four 180-gram vinyl records, and two high-quality Giclée prints, was sold out just one day after its release. This concept seems to serve as good advertising as well.
The disputes with his former label Universal over their distribution and pricing plans for the album "Year Zero" led Reznor in September 2007 to urge his fans to steal his albums and share them with friends and acquaintances. He criticized the greed of the major label as exploitation of his long-time fans. In October, he severed ties with the label and announced new distribution methods for his upcoming albums.
Shortly thereafter, he released the tracks from his last albums as single track MP3s on the homepage remix.nin.com. These can be broken down into individual tracks (e.g., bass or drums) with the appropriate software and re-released as new mixes on the same site. As a result, bands and DJs took on the challenge and transformed the typical NIN tracks into grunge, techno, and hip-hop.
More lesser-known bands should take this example to heart. Creative Commons licenses not only offer bands extensive options to regulate the use of their music, but fans also benefit. They are on the safe side regarding the use of the tracks, even if it is just copying them onto CDs or MP3 players without guilt.
