NIN’s Reznor Blasts Radiohead, Launches “Ghosts” Video Fest
In an interview with ABC, Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor question the manner and motives of the recent Radiohead pay what you want self-release. "I think the way they parlayed it into a marketing gimmick has certainly been shrewd," he told ABC’. "But if you look at what they did, though, it was very much a bait and switch to get you to pay for a MySpace-quality stream as a way to promote a very traditional record sale."
"There’s nothing wrong with that – but I don’t see that as a big revolution they’re kinda getting credit for…What they did right: they surprised the world with a new record, and it was available digitally first. What they did wrong: by making it such a low quality thing, not even including artwork… to me that feels insincere." Reznor’s criticisms would be seen as arrogant if hadn’t just come of one week sales of $1.6 million on his own self-release. (that story here).
He is also taking the new release Ghosts into the "visual realm" with a YouTube channel and online showing of fan created videos inspired by the release. Here’s Reznor’s introduction:
trent’s right… many radiohead fans wound up paying twice for the album.. their manager admitted it was a marketing ploy, which is ok, but let’s recognize it for what it was.. also, they did not ‘invent’ this idea of pay-what-you-feel..i believe it was charlatans that had announced this idea months before radiohead’s release
That’s the exact anaylisis I’ve made about the in Rainbows marketing operation. Low-quality files meant this was only a marketing plot.
At least Radiohead is putting out interesting music.
100% agreed. Great publicity stunt. Not so hot for the fans.
What Reznor did right?
Waited until he had a huge fan base – built using the ‘venture capital’ of the record labels he routinely pisses on – before launching his own direct-to-the-people offering.
Smart business man, that Reznor guy. Just wish he’d shut up about how he had to take it up the ass all those years. Life’s a little sweeter now that he can milk the customer base that has been built using the very system he constantly whines about, huh?
That’s bull. At least Radiohead gave the whole album away. You know what I call a bait and switch? Teasing people by giving away only 25% of an album free. He puts 9 tracks out of 36 up on torrent sites and proclaims himself a revolutionary hero. I tried to listen to his record but I lost interest after about 20 minutes of b-side grade instrumental wankery.