Trent Reznor is the greatest musician to ever exist.
Two weeks ago he posted news on his website saying, “2 weeks.” Well it’s been two weeks, and he has released Ghosts I-IV, four volumes of 36 instrumentals. But the most important part of this release is the method of release: digital distribution.
Reznor experimented with digital distribution through The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! which admittedly was not… very good. What Reznor and Saul Williams did was release the album through two options: free download (192kbps MP3) or a $5 purchase (192kbps MP3, 320kbps MP3, or lossless FLAC). Reznor later said the results were disappointing, but he’s giving it another try with Ghosts I-IV.
Ghosts I-IV is available through five editions:
- Free download of Ghosts I (DRM-free; 40-page PDF and digital extras pack included)
- $5 digital download of Ghosts I-IV (DRM-free; 320kbps MP3, FLAC lossless, or Apple lossless; 40-page PDF and digital extras pack included)
- $10 two-disc set of Ghosts I-IV (DRM-free; comes in a gatefold digipak package with a 16-page booklet; includes everything from the $5 download set too; copies will ship in early April and be available through retail outlets around the same time)
- $75 deluxe edition package of Ghosts I-IV (comes in a hardcover book that includes the 2 audio CDs, 1 data DVD with multi-track formats of all 36 tracks, and a Blu-ray disc with stereo recordings in high-definition 24-bit 96Khz with an exclusive slide show; also includes a 48-page hardcover book of photographs by Phillip Graybill and Rob Sheridan; the discs and artbook are housed in fabric slipcover; includes everything from the $5 download set too; ships on May 1)
- $300 ultra-deluxe limited edition package of Ghosts I-IV (everything from the deluxe edition package AND an exclusive 4 LP 18-gram vinyl set AND two limited edition Giclee prints; the disc book, artbook, and prints are housed in a fabric slipcover; the vinyl set is in its own slipcover; LIMITED TO 2500 PIECES, NUMBERED AND PERSONALLY SIGNED BY TRENT REZNOR)
The album has been released under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license. The FAQ on the website also says, You can also purchase the download from Amazon’s MP3 store right now. The deluxe versions are available for pre-order from Artist in Residence (A+R) as well. Check out their other work. The same 2xCD you can purchase here and a $39 4x vinyl edition (on 130 gram vinyl in a double gatefold package) will be available at retail in North America (April 8), Australia (April 5), the UK (April 8), Japan (April 5), and most European territories (April 8).
The $5 version is available DRM-free through Amazon as well.
Support Trent please. He has even uploaded the torrents on ThePirateBay and other torrent sites himself. We need to show the RIAA that we aren’t taking this bullshit anymore.
This post is tagged Ghosts, Music, Music - Industry, Nine Inch Nails, RIAA
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One Comment
It’s hard to believe that, in earlier times, it took Reznor at least five years to crank a new album out…then Year Zero turned up in less than two! Ironic really, that it was miles better than With_Teeth (the tour for which consisted of a lot of older material, which went down better with the audience).
As with Radiohead’s new album, which I need to get a copy of sometime, Reznor is in a financially comfortable position that allows him to distribute his material without The Man hitting record buyers in the pocket, which he deserves respect for.
Even though he’s more, ahem, prolific in how quickly he records these days, 46 individual songs is pretty impressive.
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