Taking a cue from Talkbass's own Benjamin Strange, Nine Inch Nails quietly released their(his) new album over the internet.

Here's the website:

http://ghosts.nin.com/main/home

Here's the torrent file:
Hello from Nine Inch Nails.

We're very proud to present a new collection of instrumental music, Ghosts I-IV. Almost two hours of music recorded over an intense ten week period last fall, Ghosts I-IV sprawls Nine Inch Nails across a variety of new terrain.

Now that we're no longer constrained by a record label, we've decided to personally upload Ghosts I, the first of the four volumes, to various torrent sites, because we believe BitTorrent is a revolutionary digital distribution method, and we believe in finding ways to utilize new technologies instead of fighting them.

We encourage you to share the music of Ghosts I with your friends, post it on your website, play it on your podcast, use it for video projects, etc. It's licensed for all non-commercial use under Creative Commons.

We've also made a 40 page PDF book to accompany the album. If you'd like to download it for free, visit http://ghosts.nin.com/main/pdf

Ghosts I is the first part of the 36 track collection Ghosts I-IV. Undoubtedly you'll be able to find the complete collection on the same torrent network you found this file, but if you're interested in the release, we encourage you to check it out at ghosts.nin.com, where the complete Ghosts I-IV is available directly from us in a variety of DRM-free digital formats, including FLAC lossless, for only $5. You can also order it on CD, or as a deluxe package with multitrack audio files, high definition audio on Blu-ray disc, and a large hard-bound book.

We genuinely appreciate your support, and hope you enjoy the new music. Thanks for listening.

Here's the Nine Inch Nails official torrent for the first nine songs.

http://thepiratebay.org/tor/4059158/Nine_Inch_Nails_-_Ghosts_I_(2008)

I for one am really glad that it's instrumental, 'cause that means that Trent doesn't have to write angsty, pre-teen-y poetry.

Aha. Here's that thread you were talking about. :)

It'll never work, Trent! You're going to go broke!

Have listened to it yet?


No singing?

No wonder why they are giving it away.

Nice!

no singing?!!! ***?!!
downloading NOW.

It'll never work, Trent! You're going to go broke!

Seems to be working so far. :D

It'll be interesting to see the revenue results for Ghosts I-IV.

Have listened to it yet?

I listened to the free one - Ghosts I - and it's really good. I've always been really fond of his instrumental work, and these new tracks are definitely crafted in the image of older NIN albums.

I already bought 2 CD set and downloaded the other three Ghosts sets, but I haven't listened to Ghosts II-IV yet. I'll get back to you on those.

It'll never work, Trent! You're going to go broke!

They've sold out of the $300 limited edition verison. 2500 copies x $300 = $750,000. That's a good chunk of change just from the one version. I'm sure they'll sell even more of the other versions.

Nice

I paid the $5 and d/led off piratebay since the official site was overloaded. I like it, some people apparently cant stand the idea of music without singing, but whatever lol

I thought it was a pretty good idea, I paid for the $5 one, Very good way to sell music I think, instead of tons going to record companies the musicians are ending with the cash which is well deserved.

Also digital distribution is a positive step for the music industry, the booklet was very good

I paid the $5 and d/led off piratebay since the official site was overloaded. I like it, some people apparently cant stand the idea of music without singing, but whatever lol

Instrumental music is what I mostly listen to.

To me, this is my opinion, a lot of the tracks come off to me as unfinished backing tracks, that were never used or designed as backing tracks for a film, which is fine, but not what I was expecting. It feels to me like not a lot of effort went into it.


Just my opinion.

They've sold out of the $300 limited edition verison. 2500 copies x $300 = $750,000. That's a good chunk of change just from the one version. I'm sure they'll sell even more of the other versions.

I imagine they aren't making that much profit per unit on that, though. Certainly they're making more than if they had a label to deal with, but you have to take in account printing and manufacturing costs and such. To stay on the safe side, I'd imagine that it cost about $100 to make every $300 unit, so NIN may have made about $500k on that. In a 10 week period, Trent could very easily spend that much in gear alone (I recorded an album at his studio once - his mixing board alone cost $1.2 million). Not to mention that he has to pay his engineer, programmer, runners, techs, musicians, mastering engineers, etc., etc., etc.

I was kidding about the going broke comment, but the truth is that it's getting harder and harder to make a buck selling music. Only 18% of downloaders of Radiohead's and Saul William's records saw fit to pay anything at all. These guys are all big names, and still people refuse to pay for art that enhances their lives.

Managed to DL the demo track (Ghost I)

Overall impression: Good

But then again, i love intrumental music anyways.... especially if its kinda industrial :D

Cheers, didn't know about this. I listen to a lot of instrumental music, in all honesty, I've never made a big separation between music with and without vocals, and do not understand the big deal. Unless you're talking about basic radio/pop music, which is something I do not care to listen to.

I'll probably just get the $10 version. I still love NIN, but I think his Best Days are long past. 5 years ago and I would have been all over the $300 version, I do own every one of the Halos after all. :smug:

God, has he not given up yet?

I imagine they aren't making that much profit per unit on that, though. Certainly they're making more than if they had a label to deal with, but you have to take in account . . . . .

I'm confused benjamin - you acknowledge that they're making more than if they put it out on a label - but then still run thru the list of expenses they had to make the project. Those expenses are hard costs for physical media with or without a label. So I'm not sure why list them if they're still making more per sale than in the old model.

I think the problem most people are having is they're trying to judge this new thing against the old thing and wonder if it's THE new thing.

That's mistaken in my view. The one sized fits all artist model is gone.

I don't know much about tr - but from watching him - the dude knows HIS fans. This release is about HIS fans. He's not playing the radio game, the label game or the promotion & publicity game. The ARG he ran last year wasn't about the old system and finding new listeners. He was super-serving HIS fans.

He's not out trying to find fans for his music using the old system

He's making music and putting together packages for his FANS.

moving forward every artist is going to have to figure out their OWN model. NIN built the fan base on the old system - the system that doesn't work for that audience anymore. you go where your fans go.

the real question is for indie artist who are still trying to build a fan base they can earn a living super serving.

God, has he not given up yet?

it's a horrible trait of the insatiably curious and routinely successful.
:smug:

I imagine they aren't making that much profit per unit on that, though. Certainly they're making more than if they had a label to deal with, but you have to take in account printing and manufacturing costs and such. To stay on the safe side, I'd imagine that it cost about $100 to make every $300 unit, so NIN may have made about $500k on that. In a 10 week period, Trent could very easily spend that much in gear alone (I recorded an album at his studio once - his mixing board alone cost $1.2 million). Not to mention that he has to pay his engineer, programmer, runners, techs, musicians, mastering engineers, etc., etc., etc.

I was kidding about the going broke comment, but the truth is that it's getting harder and harder to make a buck selling music. Only 18% of downloaders of Radiohead's and Saul William's records saw fit to pay anything at all. These guys are all big names, and still people refuse to pay for art that enhances their lives.

I downloaded the Saul Williams album for free but I'm very broke right now. I just finished school and I'm looking for a job. I would have loved to give Saul some money for his music but I need to eat and he offered it for free so I don't feel bad.

it's a horrible trait of the insatiably curious and routinely successful.
:smug:

Sigged. :D

Sigged. :D
Nice :D

a lot of the tracks come off to me as unfinished backing tracks...It feels to me like not a lot of effort went into it.



I agree. I like it when a label whips that stuff into shape :hiding:

A week after releasing his four-volume instrumental work “Ghosts I-IV” through his Web site, Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor is reporting that he amassed more than $1.6 million in orders and downloads

http://digg.com/music/Reznor_s_one_week_take_for_Ghosts_1_6_million

It hasn't been announced on NIN.com yet, but if true this seems pretty amazing.

My wife is a NIN fanatic. I checked this stuff out because Adrian Belew is on several tracks. I liked it. It sounds like some dudes with expensive toys messing around in the studio and not really coming up with complete ideas. But that's OK. I dig it. Kind of reminds me of some of David Torn's solo discs.

I studied for my population genetics test with it in the background. I'll see if it had the same effect as classical music when I get my test back...

Well, ive just done something ive NEVER done before.

I bought the album online.

Just the Basic 10$ cd set, nothing special.

Its nice that you get all 36 tracks right away, even when you buy it.