nin
”The Amazing Tech, Lasers and Lights Behind a Nine Inch Nails Concert
Trent Reznor, front man for Nine Inch Nails, is no stranger to cool tech, incredibly in-depth viral and ARG marketing campaigns, and new ways to entertain his fans live in concert. During their current Lights in the Sky tour, they let Wired writer Brian Gardiner and photographer Jon Snyder record and catalog basically everything that goes on behind the scenes to make things tick. That includes a system run entirely by Linux; hundreds of LED lights, lasers; intentional BSoD's, and "Stealth Screens"—huge, interactive marvels of tech and engineering that Reznor and his band mates can pass through and control in real time as the concert unfolds. "I'm not really a purist," Reznor told Wired. "If I'm in the studio working on an album, I try to only please myself. But when it's a tour, it feels a bit more like I have a responsibility to some degree to entertain people." No shit. [Wired]BSoD Repeatedly Strikes Nine Inch Nails Concerts
BSoDs have been plaguing NIN on their current tour. In fact, one has been popping up on the giant display behind them at just about every concert. So what's the deal? Will Trent be forced to fire his tech guy? Hardly. The truth is that it is all part of the act. The BSoD pops up for a split second near the end of the song The Great Destroyer, and there are videos after the break from two separate concerts to prove it. We all know Trent is a Mac man—so this is obviously a subliminal jab at Windows. I'm sure the nerds in the audience get a kick out of it.
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Radiohead Tells Freebie-Loving Music Fans: 'That's Yer Lot'
Any hope that the pay-what-you-want release of In Rainbows would set a precedent for Radiohead albums of the future has been dashed. Tortured treehugger and all-round good bloke Thom Yorke set the record straight yesterday, calling the band's decision to let their fans agree on a price on their last release a "one-off." More »
music industry
Universal's Legal Tangles With YouTube Kill Official Nine Inch Nails Fan Remix Site
If you picked up Nine Inch Nails'Year Zero remix album, 1337-ly titled Y34RZ3r0r3m1x3d, you probably noticed the second disc "halo 25 data," containing the multitrack master files for every song from Year Zero. Some of them had already been posted online not long after its initial release, and that experiment's success led to the full-blown version. It's obviously meant to spur fan remixes, with the last piece in the puzzle being an official site to organize and distribute them all.Radiohead, Saul Williams and the Inevitable Rise and Liberation of the Music Industry
While Radiohead basked in adulation for dipping its toe into the digital future with the pay-what-you-will In Rainbows pre-release, it wasn't the first major act to toy with the internet model, and certainly wasn't making a genuine move toward disruption. Had it truly boldly gone where a few have gone before, it potentially stood to lose boatloads of revenues the traditional distribution model guarantees an A-list act. On the other hand, Saul Williams, someone with a lot less to lose, took a dive into the deep end with his release of the Trent-Reznor-produced Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust.
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digital downloads
Radiohead Fans are Cheap According to Study
Data regarding the great Radiohead "pay your own price" experiment for In Rainbows is starting to trickle in, and according to a recent study by internet research firm comScore, only about 38% of those who downloaded the album actually paid. Of those that did pay, Americans averaged $8.05 while fans from other countries averaged only $6 with 17% paying only a penny to $4. Seems low, but it is important to keep in mind that Radiohead could have been earning only a few bucks from every CD sale under the old record label system. More »
digital downloads
Trent Reznor and Saul Williams Show the Music Industry How to Release an Album Online
Journos and music fans from all corners fawned over Radiohead for their bold release strategy for In Rainbows. After breaking with the majors, Trent Reznor and his parter-in-crime Saul Williams are taking that strategy and stepping it up to the next level of awesome. Saul's new Trent-produced album The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust is now available two ways: Free or $5. For zilch, you get the whole album in DRM-free 192kbps MP3 encoded with LAME 3.97 "and love," plus the digital booklet (take that, Radiohead). For $5, you get the digital booklet and a choice between 320kbps MP3 or FLAC lossless, meaning even audiophiles can feel good about purchasing a digital copy. More »
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