Trent Reznor introduces his latest album The Slip with a note that reads, “Thank you for your continued and loyal support over the years — this one’s on me.”
He means it. The album is available for free in what could be the perfect array of digital formats: MP3, lossless (FLAC or Apple) or 24-bit, 96-kHz WAV files that sound better than the CD would have, if Reznor had bothered to release one yet. Vinyl and CD versions will go on sale in July, according to the Nine Inch Nails site.
Not only is The Slip available for free, but it was released under the Creative Commons “attribution noncommercial share-alike” license. A note on the NIN site says: “We encourage you to remix it, share it with your friends, post it on your blog, play it on your podcast, give it to strangers, etc.” The MP3 version of the album is available as a direct download from a server, while the larger files (lossless and high-resolution) are available as torrent downloads.
stream | download / via wired
The Future Of Viral Marketing
After you enter your e-mail address for the download link, a new screen appears asking if you would like to send this album as a gift to 3 friends. The thinking here is that the distribution will expand exponentially as each person will tell 3 people who tell 3 people and so on. With this model Trent gets their email address for future promotions and a lot of music into listeners computers. / gregrollett
Vinyl and CD versions will go on sale in July, according to the Nine Inch Nails site. Reznor’s direct-to-fans approach extends to his upcoming tour. Tickets will be available through the NIN website in the 72 hours leading up to the show (updated). Each ticket will have the name of the buyer printed on it, so they will not available through scalpers.
:. Nine Inch Nails
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