nine inch nails

[grand theft sparrow]

Source: nme.com

Nine Inch Nails do a 'Radiohead'
Saul Williams collaboration is available to download for free

Nine Inch Nails have followed Radiohead's recent unique release of 'In Rainbows' by giving their latest album away free.

Frontman Trent Reznor's collaboration with Saul Williams, 'The Inevitable Rise And Liberation Of Niggy Tardust', is available to download via Niggytardust.com for free from November 1.

Speaking about the way the album is being distributed on NIN.COM, Reznor said: "There are obvious similarities in how Radiohead just released their new record and they way we've chosen to. After thinking about this way too much, I feel we've improved upon their idea in a few ways that benefit you, the consumer.

"You obviously will be the judge of this in the end. One thing that is very different in our situation is that Saul's not the household name (yet!) that Radiohead is, and that means we need your support on this more than ever."

--------------------------------------------

Looks like they're giving you the option to pay $5 for the album to get your choice of 192kbps mp3, 320 kbps mp3, or FLAC.  If you get it for free, you get it in 192.  It'll be interesting to see how this works out.

[MacGuffin]

Trent Reznor and Saul Williams Discuss Their New Collaboration, Mourn OiNK
Source: NY Mag

Spoken-word and hip-hop artist Saul Williams toured with Nine Inch Nails last year, and Trent Reznor liked him so much that he decided to produce his new album. The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust!, a mind-boggling fusion of genres — think NIN meets Gnarls Barkley meets Justice, if you can do so without your head exploding — will be released tomorrow through Williams's Website as a free download (or you can chip in five bucks to support Saul). The two artists spoke with Vulture by phone from L.A. this afternoon, discussing the album's genesis, the imploding record industry, and how much they paid for the new Radiohead album.

How did this collaboration come about?
Trent: I'd come across Saul through his "List of Demands" video, and it really impressed me as strong piece of work, as an aggressive rock-type track that jumped out of the television. So I checked to see if he was interested in touring with me. And it impressed me that he could go in front of an audience that probably didn't know who he was. He won the crowd over, and I watched it happen every night. I said, "Hey, if you ever want to experiment on some tracks, let's see what happens."

How would you characterize the music?
Saul: Gosh, I don't know, ghetto gothic? I guess I'd characterize it as hard-core dance. I don't know if I'd include spoken word in it, actually. It's so danceable. I have a lot to say, but I wanted to find a way to say it that didn't get in the way of me dancing my ass off.

Did you ever butt heads?
Trent: There were times when we disagreed on things, certainly, but sooner or later he'd realize that I was right. [They both laugh.]

What inspired you to go the In Rainbows route with this album?
Saul: From the start, I remember Trent saying, "Let's give it away for free." At first, I was like, "This dude is out of his mind!" But then it really started making sense, and, of course, with Radiohead doing it, we were like, "What the fuck? The idea that we had was great, and we should really follow it through."

Trent: I think it's just an awkward time right now to be a musician. The reality is that people think it's okay to steal music. There's a whole generation of people, that's all they've known. I used to buy vinyl. Today, if you do put out a record on a label, traditionally, most people are going to hear it via a leak that happens two weeks — if not two months — before it comes out. There's no real way around that. I'm truly saddened because I think music has been devalued, so that it's just a file on your computer, and it's usually free. But we can't change that. What we can do is try to offer people the best experience that we can provide them. Will it work? I don't know. But I think it's a great way to get music out to people who are interested. At the end of the day, all I care about is the integrity of the music, and that the feeling of those who experience it is as untainted as possible. I'd rather it not be on an iPod commercial. I'd rather it not be a ringtone that you have to get with a free cell phone or any of that bullshit.

Are you using this project, Trent, to test the waters for a self-released NIN record?
Trent: There isn't a Nine Inch Nails record done. I'm starting one right now. If I had one that was done, I would [release] it today in exactly the same way. I won't have one done for several months. One of the things that started this in motion with Saul was me sitting around thinking about finally getting off a major label, which I think is the right move for Nine Inch Nails. I wasn't looking to jump right back into another binding contract with a big company, and I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't advising Saul to do that in today's climate. We decided to go the route we did, and we'll see what happens.

How long do you think before the labels are out of business?
Trent: I mean, who knows? I remember a time when it felt like, being on a major label, our interests were aligned. At times, it's a pretty well-oiled machine and the luxury is that I feel like I've got a team of people who are taking care of the shit I don't want to think about. I don't care about the radio guy, I just want to make music. But those days are gone. Because, mainly, that infrastructure is broken at the moment. How long before [record companies] are irrelevant? Who knows? They seem to be doing everything they can to make sure that happens as quickly as possible.

Saul: I had already had experiences with my first album, with Rick Rubin and Sony and everything, where the company basically sat on it for two years and told me it wasn't hip-hop. So, I was also very familiar with the infrastructure, and this just made the most sense.

What do you think about OiNK being shut down?
Trent: I'll admit I had an account there and frequented it quite often. At the end of the day, what made OiNK a great place was that it was like the world's greatest record store. Pretty much anything you could ever imagine, it was there, and it was there in the format you wanted. If OiNK cost anything, I would certainly have paid, but there isn't the equivalent of that in the retail space right now. iTunes kind of feels like Sam Goody to me. I don't feel cool when I go there. I'm tired of seeing John Mayer's face pop up. I feel like I'm being hustled when I visit there, and I don't think their product is that great. DRM, low bit rate, etc. Amazon has potential, but none of them get around the issue of pre-release leaks. And that's what's such a difficult puzzle at the moment. If your favorite band in the world has a leaked record out, do you listen to it or do you not listen to it? People on those boards, they're grateful for the person that uploaded it — they're the hero. They're not stealing it because they're going to make money off of it; they're stealing it because they love the band. I'm not saying that I think OiNK is morally correct, but I do know that it existed because it filled a void of what people want.

How much did you guys pay for the new Radiohead album?
Saul: I paid $7, which is like, what, fourteen pounds? No, wait, that's like three pounds!

Trent: I bought the physical one, so I spent a whopping $80. [Pauses.] But, then I re-bought it and paid $5,000, because I really felt that I need to support the arts, so people could follow in my footsteps. [Saul laughs.]

[Pubrick]

Trent: I'm not saying that I think OiNK is morally correct, but I do know that it existed because it filled a void of what people want.

shit for free.

[Stefen]

Trent's a cool dude. He understood that OiNK wasn't a place for chumps just to get stuff free, but a place where fans of music could go and hear music. Nobody was there to get the new Britney Spears record, they were all there to get stuff that would be impossible to get at a Best Buy or a Circuit City.

my only question is, I wonder who invited him.

[children with angels]

This is absolutely great news! How did I not hear about this before?! Saul Williams is absolutely fucking amazing, and I've been getting into NIN lately too. They've both got such abraisive sounds, but not afraid of experimentation - could be a match made heaven. Downloading very excitedly as we speak (for $5, obviously)...

[edison]

THIS IS AWESOME!

Nine Inch Nails has self-released a new instrumental album, Ghosts I-IV. Consisting of 36 instrumental tracks described as "music for daydreams" and released under Creative Commons, it is available in a wide range of formats: MP3, double CD, a package with: the 2xCD, multitracks on DVD, and a deluxe book, and finally the super-deluxe limited edition which includes all that as well as a copy of the album on vinyl.
The free MP3 download includes the first volume - nine tracks (each with unique artwork), wallpapers, and a PDF of the 40 page book. Available directly off nin.com, you also have the option to torrent it via official NIN profiles on Waffles, what.cd and The Pirate Bay. Absent from this release was any kind of leak of audio or information.

http://ghosts.nin.com/

can also dl it from amazon

[bonanzataz]

has anybody been able to listen to this more than once? i haven't even been able to get through the whole thing. it's good, but it's a little pretentious, and it more than borrows from bowie's berlin period. it feels like he made the album because of all the heat he was getting from fans saying he's not as artistically intriguing anymore, so he was like, "well i'll release an all instrumentals album, then, ha!" if it were more concise and thought out rather than a random smattering of shit he came up with when he was playing with protools, i'd like it more, but as is, an hour and a half of somber instrumentals just ain't my particular cup o' tea.

[MacGuffin]

New NIN track, Discipline:

http://dl.nin.com/discipline/nin

[MacGuffin]

Nine Inch Nails is touring the US and Canada this summer. Premium tickets for all NIN headline dates will be made available to registered nin.com members in advance of public on sales. Pre sale tickets are personalized with the members legal name printed on the face of the ticket and ID will be required for pickup and entry into the venue on night of show. Pre sale ticket supplies are limited and available on a first come, first serve basis. Our goal is to put the best tickets in the hands of the fans and not in the hands of scalpers and/or brokers. Register at nin.com and check the performance page for additional tour updates.

2008 Summer Tour

NOTE: all times are local venue time zone
7/25/08 Pemberton, BC [Pemberton Festival]
On sale: NOW

7/26/08 Seattle, WA [Key Arena]
Pre Sale: 5/7 (5:00PM)
On Sale: 5/10 (10:00AM)

7/28/08 Edmonton, AB [Rexall Place]
Pre Sale: 5/6 (5:00PM)
On Sale: 5/9 (10:00AM)

7/29/08 Calgary, AB [Pengrowth Saddledome]
Pre Sale: 5/6 (5:00PM)
On Sale: 5/9 (10:00AM)

7/31/08 Winnipeg, MB [MTS Centre]
Pre Sale: 5/6 (5:00PM)
On Sale: 5/9 (10:00AM)

8/2/08 Minneapolis, MN [Target Center]
Pre Sale: 5/7 (5:00PM)
On Sale: 5/10 (10AM)

8/3/08 Chicago, IL [Grant Park - Lollapalooza Festival]
On Sale: NOW

8/5/08 Toronto, ON [Air Canada Centre]
Pre Sale: 5/6 (5:00PM)
On Sale: 5/9 (5:00PM)

8/7/08 Uncasville, CT [Mohegan Sun Arena]
Pre Sale: 5/21 (5PM)
On Sale: 5/24 (10AM)

8/8/08 Worcester, MA [DCU Center]
Pre Sale: 5/14 (5PM)
On Sale: 5/17 (12NOON)

8/10/08 Baltimore, MD [Pimlico Race Course - V Festival]
On Sale: 5/3

8/12/08 Knoxville, TN [Knoxville Civic Coliseum]
Pre Sale: 5/7 (5PM)
On Sale: 5/10 (9AM)

8/13/08 Duluth, GA [Gwinnett Arena]
Pre Sale: 5/6 (5PM)
On Sale: 5/9 (5PM)

8/15/08 Oklahoma City, OK [Ford Center]
Pre Sale: 5/6 (5PM)
On Sale: 5/10 (10AM)

8/16/08 Houston, TX [Toyota Center]
Pre Sale: 5/6 (5PM)
On Sale: 5/9 (5PM)

8/18/08 Dallas, TX [American Airlines Center]
Pre Sale: 5/6 (5PM)
On Sale: 5/9 (5PM)

8/20/08 St. Louis, MO [Scottrade Center]
Pre Sale: 5/28 (5PM)
On Sale: 5/31 (10AM)

8/22/08 Cleveland, OH [Quicken Loans Arena]
Pre Sale: 5/7 (5PM)
On Sale: 5/10 (10AM)

8/23/08 Auburn Hills, MI [The Palace of Auburn Hills]
Pre Sale: 5/7 (5PM)
On Sale: 5/10 (10AM)

8/27/08 East Rutherford, NJ [Izod Center]
Pre Sale: 5/7 (5PM)
On Sale: 5/10 (12NOON)

8/29/08 Philadelphia, PA [Wachovia Center]
Pre Sale: 5/7 (5PM)
On Sale: 5/10 (10AM)

8/31/08 Lexington, KY [Rupp Arena]
Pre Sale: 4/30 (5PM)
On Sale: 5/3 (10AM)

9/2/08 Morrison, CO [Red Rocks Amphitheater]
Pre Sale: 5/7 (5PM)
On Sale: 5/10 (10AM)

9/3/08 Salt Lake City [E Center]
Pre Sale: 5/7 (5PM)
On sale: 5/10 (11AM)

9/5/08 Oakland, CA [Oracle Arena]
Pre Sale: 6/12 (5:00PM)
On Sale: 6/15 (10AM)

9/6/08 Los Angeles, CA [The Forum]
Pre Sale: TBA
On Sale: TBA

[cinemanarchist]

Oh and the new NIN album is totally free...if you guys are into that sort of thing.
http://theslip.nin.com/

[grand theft sparrow]

Oh, Robin Finck!  How I missed you so!

[MacGuffin]

Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor In Talks With HBO For Year Zero Series
'This is my grand ambition,' frontman says of project that would involve second album, alternate-reality game.
Source: MTV
   
Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor's paranoid, apocalyptic vision of worldwide chaos, nuclear war, bioterrorism attacks and the dissolution of civil liberties could be making its way to your television screen in the not-so-distant future.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Reznor has been in discussions with HBO about turning his Year Zero LP, and its companion alternate-reality game, into a two-season series.

"It's the most exciting thing on the horizon, [and] it's the thing that, when I wake up in the morning, it makes me say, 'God, it would be cool if that happened,' " Reznor told the Times. "This is my grand ambition. Will it happen? I don't know. It was fun sitting and telling [the HBO] guys and watching them shake their heads and having writers on board and producers that are into it. It's been a fun thing."

Long before the album's release, Reznor said he wanted to take the Year Zero concept even further and was toying with the idea of transforming the story into a graphic novel. He said he'd met with a number of companies, "but it didn't feel quite right." He then considered bringing it to the big screen, "but that has a different timetable and too many people need to say yes. That wouldn't line up right."

Reznor began mulling different types of media, hoping to create a more interactive experience. That's when he hooked up with 42 Entertainment, who'd developed an ARG for Steven Spielberg's "A.I.," and the result was the Year Zero game. Now he'd like to finish the story, which is where HBO comes in.

Reznor said he met with the network two weeks ago to discuss the project. And it sounds like a green-lit series could mean another LP.

"We would have a second ARG tying into the second album and [that] ties into the series, and they all happen together with a budget needed to pull that all off. There would be a tour down the road," Reznor said. "The record completes the story — the ending that no one knows. I know what happens. I knew when I started it. And it's not what people think."

[MacGuffin]

Trent Reznor saying goodbye, with Jane's Addiction?

A small consolation to those not seeing Jane's Addiction at the Echo tonight: It sounds like you'll get another shot to see the original lineup.

But here's the catch: It will probably be on a much bigger stage, and it may be the last time you see Trent Reznor -- at least for a while. Reznor posted today on the official Nine Inch Nails website that he's plotting a major world tour, with Jane's Addiction as a co-headliner.

After the outing, which will commemorate the 20th anniversary of Nine Inch Nails' debut, "Pretty Hate Machine," Reznor writes it will be "time to make NIN disappear for a while." While Reznor doesn't offer too many details as to why the time is ripe for a hiatus, he notes that 2008's "Lights in the Sky" tour was the "culmination of what I could pull off in terms of an elaborate production. It was also quite difficult to pull off technically and physically night after night and left us all a bit dazed."

A proposed tour with Jane's, he writes, would be "much more raw, spontaneous and less scripted." He promises further details soon, and credits Jane's Addiction for giving Nine Inch Nails one of the act's first big breaks.

However, nothing sounds too set in stone, although there have been some Trent/Jane's rumors circulating for a bit now. "I reached out to Jane's to see if they'd want to join us across the US and we all felt it could be a great thing," Reznor writes. Pop & Hiss has requested a comment from the Jane's Addiction camp.

Reznor's announcement to take a hiatus comes as Nine Inch Nails has seemingly been on a creative surge. Last year saw two Web-first releases, the  instrumental "Ghosts I-IV" and the more fierce "The Slip." Both albums saw Reznor not only experimenting in the studio, but also toying with new distribution models.

But expect it to be a while before the break comes -- Nine Inch Nails will be playing the Bonnaroo festival in Manchester, Tenn. Also, here's betting Reznor isn't completely silent during the hiatus. He's spoken in the not too distant past about developing a TV series inspired by 2007's "Year Zero."

[MacGuffin]

Nine Inch Nails, Jane's Addiction set tour dates

The pairing of Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addiction will hit the Los Angeles area May 20 with a date at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine. The itinerary was released late Tuesday night on the Nine Inch Nails website, and a "here's what we can tell you" note up top hints that more dates are to come.

An on-sale date has not you been announced, and the dates don't yet appear to be in either the Ticketmaster or Live Nation databases. Thus far, 22 dates have been revealed. The concert, which Trent Reznor threatens will be his last before he "makes NIN disappear for a while," will open May 8 in West Palm Beach, Fla.

There's a May 18 date in Las Vegas for road-trippers, as well as a Friday-night performance tabled for May 22 in Mountain View.

Friends of Pop & Hiss who live in Chicago will see Nine Inch Nails sans Jane's, which will fuel suspicion that Jane's Addiction will appear at this year's edition of the Windy City fest Lollapalooza, which is set for Aug. 7-9.


May 8: West Palm Beach, Fla. [Cruzan Amphitheatre]
May 9: Tampa, Fla. [Ford Amphitheatre]
May 10: Atlanta [Lakewood Amphitheatre]
May 14: Albuquerque [Journal Pavilion]
May 15: Phoenix [Cricket Wireless Pavilion]
May 16: Chula Vista [Cricket Wireless Amphitheater]
May 18: Las Vegas [The Pearl]
May 20: Irvine [Verizon Wireless Amphitheater – Irvine Meadows]
May 22: Mountain View [Shoreline Amphitheatre]
May 26: Englewood, Colo. [Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre]
May 27: Kansas City, Mo. [Starlight Theatre]
May 29: Chicago [Charter One Pavilion] (no Jane's Addiction)
May 30: Noblesville, Ind. [Verizon Wireless Music Center]
May 31: Clarkston, Mich. [DTE Energy Music Theatre]
June 2 Toronto [Molson Amphitheatre]
June 3 Darien Lake, N.Y. [Darien Lake Amphitheatre]
June 5: Camden, N.J. [Tweeter Center at the Waterfront]
June 6: Holmdel, N.J. [PNC Bank Arts Center]
June 7: Wantagh, N.Y. [Nikon at Jones Beach Music Theater]
June 9: Columbia, Md. [Merriweather Post Pavilion]
June 10: Burgettstown, Pa. [Post-Gazette Pavilion]
June 12: Charlotte, N.C. [Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre]

[MacGuffin]

The NIN/JA 2009 tour site is now live at ninja2009.com and features a FREE download with exclusive, previously-unreleased music from Nine Inch Nails, Jane's Addiction, and Street Sweeper. You can also browse tour dates, photos, videos, and listen to streaming music. http://www.ninja2009.com