Quoting the press release, because it’s easy …
"Nine Inch Nails presents Ghosts I - IV, a brand new 36 track instrumental collection available right now. Almost two hours of new music composed and recorded over an intense ten week period last fall, Ghosts I - IV sprawls Nine Inch Nails across a variety of new terrain."
"Trent Reznor explains, "I've been considering and wanting to make this kind of record for years, but by its very nature it wouldn't have made sense until this point. This collection of music is the result of working from a very visual perspective - dressing imagined locations and scenarios with sound and texture; a soundtrack for daydreams. I'm very pleased with the result and the ability to present it directly to you without interference. I hope you enjoy the first four volumes of Ghosts."
Reznor was involved in the last Saul Williams record and like that album Ghosts … has been released online with a number of pricing options depending on how much you want to hear/splash out on. For zero cash money you get 9 DRM free 320kbps MP3’s as well as "a 40-page PDF book covering the whole release" and a "digital extras pack, with wallpapers, icons, and other graphics for your computer, website, profile, etc.".
$5 gets you "all 36 tracks in a variety of digital formats" plus the PDF and "digital extras".
For the low low price of $10 you get the above plus to your door you will receive two CDs "in a six panel digipak package with a 16 page booklet" that will be shipped on April 8.
And finally for the hardcore obsessive $75 will get you all the digital stuff AND "Ghosts I-IV in a hardcover fabric slipcase containing: two audio CDs, one data DVD (for remixing) with all 36 tracks in multi-track format, and a Blu-ray disc with Ghosts I-IV in high-definition 96/24 stereo and accompanying slideshow." PLUS a 48 page book of "photographs by Phillip Graybill and Rob Sheridan - visual aesthetic accompaniments to the music from the recording process and the outside world." That ships on May 1.
But if you’re beyond a hardcore obsessive and fall into the “idiot” category $300 gets you "ultra deluxe limited edition package" which is limited to 2,500 copies and includes the $75 package plus "an exclusive four-LP 180 gram vinyl set in a fabric slipcase, and two exclusive limited edition Giclee prints in a luxurious package."
The album is being released under Creative Commons Licence the terms of which say that people are free to share the files on a non-commercial basis. That’s an interesting development but I suspect that it’s down to Reznor wanting to say “Fuck You” to the RIAA after his recent unhappy label experience .
Now I couldn’t give a shit about NIN musically but the way this album is being released is really interesting, not quite the Radiohead In Rainbows pay what you like then fork out big for the boxset model but the various payment/extras model could, I suspect be something that happens more and more in the future. The idea looks, to me, to have more legs then what Thom and co. did. I suppose labels have been doing it for some years with the basic CD/deluxe package release strategy and charging an extra few quid for an extra CD/DVD/nicer box but giving away the basic package online will I think become a far more common occurrence.
Of course, this will only work with bands that have significant audiences built up, probably thanks to label support over a number of years. And no doubt Reznor will strike a licencing deal with a label to distribute the physical CD in the shops.
You can get the album here.
Monday, March 3, 2008
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7 comments:
colours move had considered this up until he realised no one would want to buy his music
all this publicity... does this mean the album's actually shit and he's just trying to get headlines?
;)
No clue Leigh, I'm not going to fucking listen to it anyway.
the $3oo sold out, meaning that trent is $750,000 richer today
Jesus, That's the album more than paid for so. And then some.
Do you reckon? He seems like the long-time-in-expensive studio type, plus the amount of pointless diverse media going out with the thing have to have cost money. It'll take AT LEAST more idiots buying the $75 version to pay for it.
Fair play to him for his business savvy though, he saw the Radiohead boxset being a better idea than the Saul Williams thing - cater for the lunatic with the wallet.
I would have assumed that at this point Reznor would own his own studio (one which his last label could well have paid for as part of the production costs for the previous albums) which would have cut down on overhead.
The record was recorded in 10 weeks which isn't all that long by some standards.
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