For the second time, Nine Inch Nails has released an album off of its website. The newest album, titled "The Slip", is entirely free. Says Reznor on the site, "thank you for your continued and loyal support over the years - this one's on me." This represents the first time an artist has distributed an entire album without providing fans any opportunity to pay for it. The development is particularly exciting for me as I have been working directly with the technology team in developing a spin-off closely related to "Ghost I-IV" and "The Slip".

I also think NiN embracing "free" is a very wise move, given the particular climate of the music industry. Earlier today, a friend expressed curiosity at the new release: "What is the business model?" I would call the business model community relationships 2.0, one in which the model is fundamentally based on built and fostered trust between artist and tribe following. Reznor already proved that he can cater better to his fan base than any major record label could do in the old model, by allowing fans to pay anywhere from nothing to $300 based on their individual loyalty, audiophile status, and economic flexibility. Given that he raked in over $1.7 million on Ghosts, it seems like the perfect strategy to reward fans for sustaining his model. We are quickly shedding the mentality of music as a one-for-one commodity, into one where music begins to gain value precisely because it is free.

The Slip is being released with a Creative Commons license. Stay tuned for my review of the album...

Tags: Nine Inch Nails, NiN, Reznor, The Slip, Free, Ghosts I-IV, Creative Commons