NEW: Nine Inch Nails “Ghosts I-IV”
Following the model set by the Trent Reznor/Saul Williams Niggy Tardust project released late last year, Reznor has just released a startling two and a half hours of new Nine Inch Nails audio via the band’s web site entitled “Ghosts I-IV.” Introducing yet another innovation in audio release via the web, Reznor has made the first nine of the collection’s startling thirty-six tracks available for free with hopes that they may entice each user to pay the minuscule $5 for the entire set.
Not to be outdone by last year’s release by Radiohead, Reznor has made a number of fantastic physical versions of the release available for sale as well; via Billboard, “There are several other ordering options available for Ghosts I-IV, each of which come with immediate access to the album in digital form. The standard double-CD set is retailing on Reznor’s site for $10, while a $70 deluxe edition in a hardcover fabric slipcase includes the audio CDs, a DVD with multi-track files for the music and a Blu-Ray disc with high-definition stereo mixes.
For $300, devotees can opt for the ‘ultra-deluxe limited edition’ package, which features all the elements in the deluxe edition plus a four-LP vinyl set and two Giclee prints amid ‘luxurious packaging.’ This edition is limited to 2,500 copies and is autographed by Reznor.”
Slightly under two hours after the release hit the internet the flurry began with digg.com bulging with feedback (well over 2000 “diggs”), one user commenting, “It’s released under Creative Commons! In FLAC, Apple Lossless, MP3, CD, Vinyl, DVD, Book, Art Prints… everything. This is AMAZING.” Not surprising that within a the first two hours the site was temporarily down after feeling the stress from the weight of such incoming traffic.
Personally, I find it grinding when a minimal out-of-the-box action hits mainstream outlets in defiance of corporate music moguls and some overreact calling for “the end of the recording industry as we know it.” As such I’m hesitant to say that this will create much of a ruckus, if any at all, especially considering the recent tallies suggesting a questionable success rate regarding the Niggy Tardust release…but then again, this might be one of those points in time where we may look back years from now and gawk, “Looks like we should’ve believe’d ‘em.”
amazing tunes
go trent!!
Judging from the overloaded servers, I don’t think anyone is gonna be dissapointed w/ the numbers this time. The music is amazing, love Adrian Belew on this, based on what I’ve heard…still waiting for the servers to catch up to demand.
I felt that, to some degree, there was a bit of a let down after the brilliant marketing campaign that accompanied the nin release last year. The tracks that were ‘leaked’ were really good but the rest of the album failed to hold my interest. I’ve enjoyed everything that I’ve heard from the release thus far. To help ease the weight on the server, Reznor has uploaded the first disc to The Pirate Bay:
http://tinyurl.com/yrn398
Take a look at this other professional Creative Commons initiative http://thenyouwin.yooook.org/
Being an avid NIN fan, I never saw this coming. Was surfing the Internet and found out that Trent has released a “new NIN album” titled GHOSTS I-IV.
What a shocker. I’m not computer savvy by any stretch of the imagination, so I am hoping and praying this comes out on standard CD (I hear on April 8th to be exact.)
I think that an all -instumental release is brilliant. YEAR ZERO was a phenomenal album ~ a return to form ~ but Trent is getting too old and mature for singing songs about self-hatred, pain, and despair.
He has ALWAYS composed music that is disturbing, sinister, spooky and goosebump-inducing; an all instrumental album comprised of his many temperments and moods and colours is divine. This sounds like the perfect segue from YEAR ZERO, and brilliantly encapsulates Reznor and the men he surrounds himself in the studio’s raw talent and ability to make distortion and ambient soundscapes into a uncomfortable but worthy listen.
Can’t wait to hear it!!!
There’ve been ruminations of something like this for a while…Reznor gave the date out a while back as a time when something big would go down. You can pre-order the CD and get the digital downloads immediately from the site (as one of the few options given for the physical release). I took some time and listened to all four discs yesterday…there’s some unique stuff mixed in amongst the tracks, though after a while they start blending together a bit. Guess that’s bound to happen on a near-three hour instrumental release though.