Download Nine Inch Nails' Ghosts I-IV
We'd just finished reading Chris Anderson's Wired piece extolling the virtues of businesses' move toward making everything "Free!" when the tipline blew up saying Trent did just that. Again. So, wake up and start downloading, T. Rez is getting Niggy with it.
Tonight's NIN collection is "the first four volumes" of an instrumental work entitled Ghosts, and you can get yourself a download of Vol. 1 (nine DRM-free MP3s + 40 page PDF) for the price of nothing. A free agent's gotta eat, though, so if you are in a particularly charitable/completist sort of mood, dig into the higher tiers of participation: $5 gets you a download of all four volumes/36 tracks, $10 gets you the download + the collection on two CDs, $75 comes with a fabric slipcase and a data DVD and other crazyness, and for $300 he'll sign stuff and give you the collection on vinyl and probably cook you dinner if you ask nicely.
Choose your price plan at ghosts.nin.com ... and then confess/brag to the rest of us; we're curious to see if Trent will be less despondent after this one.
Posted at 11:57 PM
Tags: Nine Inch Nails
Site is already not responding!
I think Reznor just wanted to break the interwebs....
Score = 0
If the site gets working I will pay $0!
Score = -1
Personal commentary and tracks over here:
http://www.culturebully.com/new-nine-inch-nails-ghosts-i-iv
Score = 0
Is it just me? Or does anyone else feel like Reznor is pulling a fast one on us. Pay what you want for 2 hours of lyric-less studio experimentation? No thanks Trent.
But of course it bears the NIN insignia, and so will surely net him a few bucks.
Score = -1
If you hate Nine Inch Nails, you bitch about the lyrics first. This lack of a clear target may baffle some casual music listeners.
Watch the new backlash against lyricless Reznor material...now.
Ten tracks so far have been...alarming.
Score = 0
If you're into lyric-less studio experimentation though, it's a pretty fucking good deal, wouldn't you say? I don't see why there would be backlash against this. I'm not particularly interested in NIN but you'd have to be a pretty cynical jerk to get all smarmy about what Reznor is trying to do here.
Score = 0
This is some really good stuff. Reminds me of Eno at parts.
Score = 0
Like "Niggy" and "In Rainbows," I just bought the $5 version on general principle.
and to be honest, I bought it BECAUSE it was instrumental.
Score = 0
Off to pay my $10. Hope this is a sign of things to come.
Btw, some of NINs best work has been lyric-less, though I probably would go out and by just about anything Reznor puts out at this point. Trent's built up a lot of goodwill in the last two decades of his career...
Score = 0
This is great. There's a lot of depth to this material and I like it so far. I've actually been waiting for a while to see Trent do an entirely instrumental project, but I didn't expect something to this level.
$10...get it now, plus get the digipack when its out. Hooray for this! Shipping is a little steep - $16.99 after all of that - but I get instant gratification, the .pdf booklet, and many extras. Not a bad deal at all.
Score = 0
this is the Nine Inch Nails I've been missing!! Back to true form, hard, dark, experimental, layers and layers of sound oozing with distortion, some old-school NIN sounding industrial electro. I had been disappointed with his last 3 albums but this is some great music here....thanks Trent for keeping it real!!
Score = 0
amazing amazing amazing every song is brilliant!!
back to true form!!! Fuck Yes!
"13 ghosts" is my fave so far
GO TRENT!!!
Score = 1
I just paid the $10 and went to download the advance zip file and it froze, of course you can only download once, so Im pretty much screwed till its released April 8th.
Score = 0
I've only listened to a couple songs so far but I've been very impressed. Yes, I'd like to hear Trent singing but for this to come out so soon after his last album and for it to have so many good pricing options is a real treat (yes $300 is steep but have you SEEN the sexy packaging it comes in??).
erreur: I totally agree. I didn't hate the last couple albums but they seemed to be missing that contemplative NIN mood. They felt less "intelligent" I guess. This seems right on the mark!
Score = 0
ugh I just started listening and its so good pee myself! 28 Ghosts IV is my first favorite track at the moment ...
Score = 0
clarification: so good "I am going to" pee myself.
That's what happens when things are good!
Ok.
Score = 0
Holy shit, is this ever good. Consider me converted.
Score = 0
only trent reznor can sell a CD set for $300. he's a marketing genious and has set his career up in such a way that he knows all 2,500 copies will sell out very, very quickly. I'll be happy with my $10 version thank you very much.
Score = 0
I'm not saying that it can't be appreciated for what it is. There are a ton of die-hard fans who will absolutely love this, and that's cool.
I'm just suspicious that this is more exploitation than promotion of this new business model.
Score = 0
"I'm just suspicious that this is more exploitation than promotion of this new business model."
Based on what exactly? He's charging 5 bucks dude...going w/ the RIAA would be non-exploitive? He has fans, they like his music, they want to listen to his music, they like it when new music comes out. ANd its 5 bucks. I'm just suspicious that you're running out of things to slam Reznor about and maintain you hipster cred. Idiot.
Trent Reznor and Adrian Belew together again...hell ya!
Score = 0
I'm not worried about hipster cred, dude. I own a few NIN records myself and have always enjoyed most of what Trent has done. I'm worried about the future of music. This new business model shows a lot of promise.
Let's remember last month; Reznor was pissed about sagging Niggy sales, had lost faith in the general public, and proposed an internet tax that would go to recording artists to compensate them for illegally downloaded music.
Now...voila! He unloads 2 hours of stream-of-consciousness style jams onto his massively loyal fanbase.
I think all of that justifies a little suspicion that he's taking us all for a bunch of suckers.
Score = 0
"and proposed an internet tax that would go to recording artists to compensate them for illegally downloaded music."
Uh, wrong, he was misquoted...he was only thinking out loud and CNET used it for the headline. You don't seem a stickler for details though. Lets review, NIN has fans, they are fans because they like his music, they like to listen to his music, they like it when there is new music to listen to. Follow along I know its complicated. So he releases what you call a 'stream-of-consciousness' which happens to be pretty brilliant to my ears, charges 5 bucks, lets you sample it via streaming before purchase and gives you the option of download 1 volume for free. I don't think the word exploitation means what you think it means. Could you explain what possible 'non-exploitive' means Reznor could have followed here? Also, you want exploitive? How bout when Radiohead released what everyone thought was gonna be an internet ONLY release only to find out it was just a publicity stunt and they're sticking w/ labels.
Score = 0
I'm gonna give the guy credit... No, I wasn't a huge fan of Year Zero or his angst over Niggy Tardust, but he's doing something pretty amazing and brave here.
No, I'm not talking about the packaging or the download model. I'm talking about how he's totally rethinking his own music. In an age where 90s groups are damned determined to recapture old glories by making carbon copies, Reznor does it by doing something completely different.
The $300 package for the vinyl set is way out of my budget, but I must say that his personal take on what his music really is... is darn progressive!
Good going!
DwD
Score = 0
I have to agree that 36 tracks for $5 hardly sounds exploitative. Even cheap, hardcore punk albums don't give you that kind of value.
I really dig Year Zero, personally, and I can't wait to listen to this, either, even if it doesn't come on a hypercolor CD.
Score = 0
One thing though... If the site doesn't get their download act together, all four Ghosts will be out on the illegal circuit and no one will bother trying NIN's legal route.
DwD
Score = 0
I went to pay Trent on principle. I haven't been too into the last couple of records.
It was MORE than worth it. This is the best NIN stuff in years. Yes, I am a synth freak. Buzz off.
Awesome stuff.
Score = 0
Is it me or do all of these comments seem fake as hell. Looks like Trent paid the interns with pizza to go talk him up on the sites! Nice try you internet rebel!
Score = 0
Pitchfork rating won't crack 5.
Score = 0
I don't see what everyone is arguing about. He's just released some cool stuff onto the web, he's given us plenty of choices on how we purchase this material from him. he's not a con man, he's just a normal guy who makes music and is experimenting with new ideas. Give him credit. Plus, Ghosts rocks... I've liked it, and the only album from NIN i haven't got is Pretty Hate Machine. It's pretty accessible, for anyone cautious about the whole 'instrumental' issue.
Score = 0
I went for the $10 option, since I'm in the UK that means it's dirt cheap - take that weak American dollar!
Score = 0
NIN does Godspeed.
Cool.
Score = 0
the best NIN has released in a long time.
With Teeth and Year Zero weren't complete shit, but they left a lot to be desired. but this is brilliant.
also, in response to one topic: i don't see how Trent is acting "suspiciously." he made music, he released it for people to buy if they want to. you get 2 hours of music for as little as $5, and a double CD for $10.
i just don't see how he could be taking us for suckers, as there's nothing that seems in any way suspicious about that. not trying to pick up a fight here, i just don't follow the logic, that's all.
what i think it comes down to is that some people are puzzled by him releasing 2 hours of instrumental music, as if he just farted into a microphone and is now charging us for it.
but since when were instrumentals a cause for upset? especially since NIN's were always so good.
i've actually been waiting for this for a long time. since I first heard "Still" in 2002.
Score = 0
I feel like this project is another experiment to see if people suck or not.
I hope as a whole we do better this time in his eyes.
Score = 0
http://www.ninmix.com/ghosts-i/
Score = 0
I went the cheap route on this and rarely comment on boards/forums but I have to say this is one fantastic piece of work. I'd be proud to ever compose something of this magnitude, perhaps pride in this accomplishment is why Mr. Reznor chose to offer it the way he has? The first 9 tracks are just a taste of the goodness to come yet as much as I enjoy it I believe the concept would have been severely criticised as a "general public release". NIN doesn't get alot of airplay in my part of the USA, instrumentals wouldn't make a week on the airwaves. Can't wait for a wicked spring thunderstorm with a seat at my picture window and Ghosts for the soundtrack.
Score = 0
I've chosen the $5 option and the download timed out on me. I contacted the support site 4 days ago and have yet to receive a response. I really want to be positive about what NIN are doing here but with the download issues they're simply encouraging people to use free torrents. It's great that different channels are being used to get music out there but it still needs to be done properly, I had no problems with the Radiohead download and haven't heard any complaints. Come on NIN, support your customers who are willing to pay through the official channels!!
Score = 0
You are not right.
Score = 0