Celebrities, Web, Social Networking
Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails Waves Goodbye to Social Networking
nine inch nails posts
Celebrities, Web, Social Networking
Rock Bands Use Twitter to Raise $850K for Fan's Heart Transplant
Some musicians have criticized Twitter for being the "highest form of narcissism," but, over the last few weeks, Twitter users have given thousands of reasons to prove that the microblogging community will overwhelmingly come to the aid of others. Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, with the help of the band Jane's Addiction, has managed to raise $850,000, thanks in part to Twitter, for a fan in need of a heart transplant.
Eric De La Cruz was recently denied a transplant in Nevada, so his sister, former CNN anchor Veronica De La Cruz, began a campaign on her own site two weeks ago to raise donations for his treatment and to also raise awareness of Nevada's need for more transplant centers. Reznor became involved by posting a letter on the Nine Inch Nails site last Wednesday and, with Jane's Addiction, by offering incentive packages to concerts for varying levels of donations. A regular tweeter, Reznor -- with the help of his nearly 600,000 followers -- managed to light up the Internet with awareness of the cause. The bands have already had to stop distributing VIP passes, which came with a $1,200 donation, because of the high level of demand.
As we've reported, Reznor has previously urged fans to "steal" music because record labels are, in his words, "ripping people off," and has also allowed free downloads of his own band's music. In an era when many bands and musicians gripe about how fans are killing their profits with free downloads, we applaud Reznor for putting his money where his tweet is when a fan is truly in need. [From: Mashable]
Audio/Video, Celebrities, Downloads
Nine Inch Nails Gives Away New Album Online
Trent Reznor and his conspirators in Nine Inch Nails are hard at work trying to destroy the music industry as we know it. Following a year in which Reznor told his fans to steal his music and then produced an album for Saul Williams that he gave away for free, the dark Prince (as in Prince, the artist, not Satan) has cobbled together a new album of material and is offering the first installment of it as a free download.
Unlike the Radiohead free album experiment of last year, Reznor is covering all his bases. The first part of 'Ghosts I-IV' is available as a free download both from the official NIN page and via torrents (file-sharing networks) uploaded by the band themselves to popular sites such as Pirate Bay. The band encourages fans to share the album via peer-to-peer (P2P) methods such as Bit Torrent, on Web sites, and in podcasts.
If you don't mind throwing a little cash the band's way, you can get all four volumes in a variety of DRM-less formats -- including the lossless FLAC format that audiophiles love -- for only $5. And if you absolutely must have a physical copy, then you can shell out $10 for the two-CD version, which is quite a steal compared to other two-CD special editions. For the truly fanatical, check out the $75 or $300 deluxe editions that include data DVDs, hardbound fabric booklets, Blu-ray videos, and, in the case of the more expensive version, limited-edition prints of album art signed by Reznor himself.
From TorrentFreak
Related Links:
Audio/Video, Computers, Celebrities, iPod
Artists Ditching Record Labels, Offering Music for Free Online
British pop rock stars and Beatles worshipers Oasis recently parted ways with their record label. The band has already announced that their next single, 'Lord Don't Slow Me Down,' will be available only as a digital download for 99 pence.
Jamiroquai and Madness are also rumored to be following in Radiohead's footsteps, offering their next albums for free (or cheap) directly to their fans. Meanwhile, The Charlatans have powered their comeback in part by offering their new album for free through the website for XFM Radio.
Last, but certainly not least, yesterday Trent Reznor, of Nine Inch Nails fame, announced that he had left his record company behind and was looking forward to bringing his music direct to his audience. He gave no specific plans, but did say he would announce details soon about 2008. He then summed up our feelings about the whole situation quite well -- "exciting times, indeed."
From The Telegraph and Machinist
Related links:
Audio/Video, Celebrities, YouTube
Trent Reznor Tells Fans to Steal Music
Warning: Video Contains Some Explicit Language
Perennial geek idol and gloomy music star Trent Reznor is not making any friends at his record label, Universal Media Group (UMG). At a concert Sunday night in Sydney, Reznor let loose on the music industry. Commenting on the fact that CD prices had not dropped after an outburst in May (see below), he asked, "Has anyone seen the price come down? Okay, well, you know what that means - STEAL IT. Steal away. Steal and steal and steal some more and give it to all your friends and keep on stealin'. Because one way or another these mother****ers will get it through their head that they're ripping people off and that's not right."
Back in May, Reznor commented in an interview with the Herald Sun in Australia on the ridiculous prices of CD's saying, "You got record labels that are doing everything they can to piss people off and rip them off."
He then lashed out at his record label saying, "I've garnered a core audience that you feel it's OK to rip off? F--- you'. That's also why you don't see any label people here, 'cos I said, 'F--- you people. Stay out of my f---ing show. If you wanna come, pay the ticket like anyone else. F--- you guys.' They're thieves. I don't blame people for stealing music if this is the kind of s--- that they pull off."
It's good to see that some musicians understand the dilemma we fans face. Reznor even admits to stealing music: "I steal music too, I'm not gonna say I don't."
From Slashdot and the Herald Sun
Related links:
_thumbnail.jpg "Vintage Keyboards")
