Log Out
Visit kymlee's column >>

KYMLEE

Home Page
My transformation is not yet complete
Articles Posted: 83  Links Seeded: 745
Member Since: 9/2006  Last Seen: 5/10/2011

Nine Inch Nails Releases New Album Using Radiohead's Model, but With an Upgrade

Tue Mar 4, 2008 3:31 PM EST
, , , , , , , ,
By kymlee

Ghosts I-IV cover

This is a Listen In feature.

Advertise | AdChoices

Nine Inch Nails (NIN) is now a big time rogue band - since its contract with Interscope expired in October - with a cult following and in what some have likened to a Radiohead-esque move, have released their latest album Ghosts I-IV, on their official website only. Ghosts is an instrumental collection of "almost two hours of new music composed and recorded over an intense ten week period" and what Trent Reznor called "a soundtrack for daydreams."

While there are certainly parallels to Radiohead's In Rainbows release, how quickly people forget that just under a year ago, NIN made a revolutionary move by making Year Zero available for streaming on their website as well as allowing fans the opportunity to "Listen. Change the tempo. Add new loops. Chop up the vocals. Turn me into a woman. Replay the guitar. Anything you'd like." Make no mistake, NIN is no stranger to pushing the boundaries of the music distribution.

So what's the difference between the release of Ghosts in comparison to that of Year Zero and why is it being compared to the release of In Rainbows? Not attached to any label this time, NIN and has decided to distribute their album themselves, via the NIN site. For free anyone can download Ghosts I, which contains the first nine songs of the collection, for $5 you get the full 36 song download with 40 page digital booklet, and for $10 you get the download plus 2-disk CD set in the mail. For die-hard fans, there are a couple, more pricey deluxe packages including a sold out limited edition package for $300.

With this price hierarchy, NIN distinguishes themselves in terms of more sophisticated business savvy by setting the value of the collection. I expect that like Year Zero, this album will remain available on website and even if all physical formats sell out, it will stay available as a digital download. If this is the case, it is certainly a departure (and upgrade) from what Radiohead did with In Rainbows, removing it from their website after the release date and eventually releasing a physical CD through an independent record label.

Pushing the intellectual property and copyright envelope even farther, NIN has also released Ghosts using a Creative Commons license, which is far less restrictive than traditional album copyrights, and will make the album available for remixing. Thousands of fans have already shared their deconstructed versions of NIN songs as part of the NIN remix community, the same concept will be applicable to this latest release.

I'd say Nine Inch Nails has definitely made some improvements on the model presented by Radiohead and incorporated them quite nicely into its own mission to bring fans closer to the music.

Edit: The New York Times reported that NIN also uploaded Ghosts I to BitTorrent, a haven for illegal file sharing. That's a pretty big deal, and even though that particular part of the collection is available as a free download on their website, a move like this goes a long way to lending some credibility to the file sharing site.

Check out more music news, reviews and opinions by Kymlee.

This article is cross-posted to Vinyl Notes

© Kymlee for Know More Media and Newsvine Music: Listen In. Some rights reserved.

  • Enjoy this article? Help vote it up the 'Vine.

Back To Top | Front Page

Published to:

kymlee

I've already ordered the CD set and downloaded the album. I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet but I am thoroughly looking forward to it. I think its pretty funny that people are acting like Radiohead is the first big name to distribute their own music and do anything revolutionary in the industry. Prince has been distributing his own music ever since he left Warner Bros. Granted, the pay what you want experiment was definitely new but why does everyone have to be compared to that model now?

*shrug* I think the way NIN did it is much smarter anyway.

  • 2 votes
Reply#1 - Tue Mar 4, 2008 3:44 PM EST
Eric Atienza

I personally think this shouldn't be looked at as "this thing that Radiohead did." I think bands have been looking for ways to circumvent majors since the first indie label put out the first indie record. They did what they did in high profile and dramatic fashion, sure, but bands have and will continue to look for ways to record and release music taking advantage of new technologies.

  • 2 votes
Reply#2 - Tue Mar 4, 2008 3:57 PM EST
kymlee

I personally think this shouldn't be looked at as "this thing that Radiohead did."

Agreed.

  • 1 vote
#2.1 - Tue Mar 4, 2008 4:08 PM EST
Reply
Adam Hobson

how quickly people forget that just under a year ago, NIN made a revolutionary move by making Year Zero available for streaming on their website as well as allowing fans the opportunity to "Listen. Change the tempo. Add new loops. Chop up the vocals. Turn me into a woman. Replay the guitar. Anything you'd like."

I'm not exactly sure how revolutionary that is considering many artists have been streaming their entire albums for a while now, while way back in 2002, The Dismemberment Plan made the tracks and loops from their 2001 record Change available for anyone to remix and play with, even releasing some of the best fan-made remixing in their 2003 album A People's History of The Dismemberment Plan.

  • 2 votes
Reply#3 - Tue Mar 4, 2008 4:10 PM EST
kymlee

I've never heard of The Dismemberment Plan (although I'll be looking them up since you mentioned them), so I don't know how popular they are. Perhaps the only difference between what NIN and Radiohead did is related to there levels of commercial success. I have no doubt that many indie bands have been circumventing the major labels for a very long time, that was kind of my point.

Thanks for adding that to the conversation; I learned something new today. :D

  • 2 votes
#3.1 - Tue Mar 4, 2008 4:26 PM EST
Eric Atienza

Though a band this big releases under a CC license is kind of a big deal. A lot of people at this point probably still don't know that Creative Commons exists.

  • 2 votes
#3.2 - Tue Mar 4, 2008 4:27 PM EST
DamianKD

Didn't Harvey Danger release their last album for free too? Not sure about the distribution or licensing, but it was free if memory serves.

I grabbed NIN's Ghosts I off TPB last night (from the NINOfficial user, no less). I just finished listening to it for the first time on my iPod this morning. First impressions: Definitely a NIN sound; mechanical in places (like a cold, heartless factory in the dystopian future), and also warm tones featuring electric guitar and piano. There are no vocals, and no crescendo/build towards some musical release. This album is exactly as advertised, and unless someone is familiar with the NIN sound, they might not identify it as such if asked.

  • 1 vote
#3.3 - Thu Mar 6, 2008 1:29 PM EST
kymlee

DamianKD,

I downloaded the album too (the whole thing though). I'm sort of surprised I like it so much because I'm selective about music without words; I like something I can sing along to. Your description is accurate, Ghosts has a very NIN sound. I like the juxtaposition of the industrial sound against the softness of the guitar and piano. I was having trouble sleeping last night (because a disturbingly odd dream) and listening to Ghosts helped sooth me back to sleep. I've already picked out a few favorites; none on Ghosts I though.

My question is this: if artists give away the music, how do they make money? *stirs pot*
NIN only gave away a portion of their newest album for free, but there are other artists who give them away; the ones you guys named above...Tim Fite...I'm sure there are plenty of others...My guess would be that touring becomes of the utmost importance in terms of making a profit.

  • 2 votes
#3.4 - Thu Mar 6, 2008 2:26 PM EST
DamianKD

My question is this: if artists give away the music, how do they make money? *stirs pot*

First, I think a reputation is of the utmost importance for this to really work. A band has to have a following. No name bands pimp their stuff on MySpace all day long, but unless they have some recognition it won't do any good.

Second, I think that the opportunity for making money occurs when you offer something that can't be downloaded. Notice how NIN gave away the first CD, makes you pay for the rest to download, and has incremental packages for various fan levels. That's where the highest margin/profits are -- even touring has an overhead that must be accounted for. Producing something with a smaller overhead (and limiting its supply) can really increase demand and drive money up. That's why shirts and such were always the money maker on tours.

  • 2 votes
#3.5 - Thu Mar 6, 2008 4:48 PM EST
Adam Hobson

My question is this: if artists give away the music, how do they make money?

First off, except for the really big names, most artists really don't make all that much money off of their album or single sales. Royalties from the major labels suck (plus they know how to get much of it back through recording session fees and the like), and most indie artists just don't sell enough.

Albums should more or less be thought of as promotional material for tours, which are real money makers (again, relative to the bands size). Big names like the Rolling Stones can make tens of millions of dollars on a single tour, far more than even a platinum album would ever make them. Even smaller indie acts that tour nationally can make a couple of thousand per show. Any money an artist makes off the album is almost a bonus.

  • 1 vote
#3.6 - Thu Mar 6, 2008 4:58 PM EST
Reply
Jacob Nicolas

Brad Sucks releases all his music under the creative commons and lets you download it for free.

  • 1 vote
Reply#4 - Tue Mar 4, 2008 4:16 PM EST
Leave a Comment:
You're in Easy Mode. If you prefer, you can use XHTML Mode instead.
Newsvine Privacy Statement
As a new user, you may notice a few temporary content restrictions. Click here for more info.