New NIN record released five times

March 3, 2008 12:16 p.m. by Nat Weiner

While Radiohead was recieving buckets of "THE FUTURE IS NOW" download hype, Trent Reznor and Saul Williams quietly pulled their own In Rainbows, only better. Saul Williams's "The Rise and Fall of Niggy Tardust" was available for free at 192kbps, and for a measly $5 you got 192kbps, 320kbps, and FLACs. Now Reznor has stepped up his label-free release game even further. His new project, entitled Ghosts I-IV, will be available five different ways.

For $0, you get 192kbps MP3s. For $5, you get 320kbps, FLACs, and Apple Lossless, plus a PDF of artwork. For an extra five bucks you get two CDs, all the download options, plus "digital extras" like wallpaper and icons. If you drop $75 you get the two CDs, a DVD of the download options, a Blu-Ray of 96khz/24bit audio, and a hardcover book of photography. Finally, for three hundred bucks, you can snag all of the above plus 4xLP 180g vinyl.

In an age of limitless options bottlenecked by record execs with zero imagination, Reznor is certainly leading the way in terms of creative packaging. These options show a clear understanding of what informed music fans want, in addition to some much needed fresh thinking. As for the music, I really have no idea what it sounds like.

5 Responses

March 3, 2008 at 12:53 p.m.

noise redux

Note that for $0 you only get NINE of the THIRTY-SIX tracks, though.

March 3, 2008 at 4:29 p.m.

bbak

This is exploitation of the new business model, if it didn't have the NIN logo on it, no one would want 2 hours of studio drivel.

He's taking his fanbase for a bunch of suckers.

March 3, 2008 at 5:01 p.m.

kabb

no idiot, exploitation is charging upwards of 20$ for an album as was done with previous nin release year zero by universal records. 5$ for an album, let alone a 36 song album is not too bad if you ask me. Besides noone is forcing you to buy it if you consider 2 hours of studio drivel, you can listen to the fist nine songs for free and decide whether or not to buy it.

So shut the f**k up.

March 3, 2008 at 6:29 p.m.

zombielynx21

The only reason Trent Reznor is able to "take his fanbase for a bunch of suckers" is because he has consistently performed brilliantly in the past, barring a few missteps. Not only can you get 9 of the songs for free, but there's a player on the website that allows for further free previewing.

Trent is on the cutting edge. And his music is damn good, too.

March 4, 2008 at 11:59 a.m.

dr meng

Attn Download mofos : Note that it's great to have 9 tracks for free. What do you want? The whole album for free? The limited deluxe version for free? C'mon!