NIN are famous for their industrial music and their independence from mainstream record companies.
A couple of years ago Trent Reznor bought out the rights to most of his songs and paid off his former record company due to conflicts in their contract. Now he is fully independent and can do what ever he wants. Last year, in celebration to being free, he released his latest album “The Slip” for free (which is still available from theslip.nin.com).
At the end of last year he toured around North America with a battalion of HD camera operators and filmed the live shows. He has now released that raw footage on the internet via bittorrent, for free. He is encouraging the internet community to come together and join groups who can help out on the projects of editing, mixing and producing a full length masterpiece. He also encourages people who have their own footage to submit so others can use it.
But why the hell would he do this? Just give his video away for free like that?
Well, the answer is pretty easy. Getting someone or company to edit and produce the DVD/BD would take a lot of money. And fans would become eager for the eventual 18+ month release. Trent realises that fans want the stuff here and now. As soon as it becomes available. Like, why do studios finish an album and wait 4 months for its release on iTunes or the shelves… The album is usually leaked on the internet by then anyway. This way both sides win, trent gets a (likely) well produced and high quality master of his tour – for free. And fans get it for free. Trent still owns the rights to sell the final master as DVD or BD for fans who would want it. Just like The Slip. Its a free download, or you can buy the physical package (which I did).
quote via NIN.com
The wealth of live tour footage that recently surfaced was released with the hope that fans will come together to edit a wide variety of video content, from music videos to full DVDs. Several different projects to this effect are already underway, and we’ve created a new forum to help everyone keep organized.
In the new forum you can find downloads of materials, seek out others who may have footage of their own, and join groups of fans who are working on various editing projects. And if you just want to view the results, keep an eye on the nin.com video galleries – particularly Victoria, Portland, Sacramento, and the fan video gallery.
And watch nin.com, as we’ll be highlighting some of the best video creations we come across as we find them.
