NIN Making History

Another band is making musical history and shaping the future of music. Following in the spirit of Radiohead who released In Rainbows for “whatever you want to pay” from their website (for a limited time : : : no longer available), and Madonna’s move to sign with Live Nation –a company that has never sold an album—NIN (Nine Inch Nails) is making a bold move that has the potential to start a trend and cause a stir.

NIN has released the album under a Creative Commons License. What does that mean?

It means you are free

to Share — to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work
to Remix — to make derivative works

Of course, there are some restrictions regarding the resale and commercial use of the art but . . . this is huge.

The NIN website describes the new release:

Nine Inch Nails presents Ghosts I - IV, a brand new 36 track instrumental collection available right now. Almost two hours of new music composed and recorded over an intense ten week period last fall, Ghosts I - IV sprawls Nine Inch Nails across a variety of new terrain.

Trent Reznor explains, "I've been considering and wanting to make this kind of record for years, but by its very nature it wouldn't have made sense until this point. This collection of music is the result of working from a very visual perspective - dressing imagined locations and scenarios with sound and texture; a soundtrack for daydreams. I'm very pleased with the result and the ability to present it directly to you without interference. I hope you enjoy the first four volumes of Ghosts."

Recently I posted regarding Larry Lessig speaking to TED about “How Creativity is Being Strangled by the Law.” The presentation focuses on outdated and dusty pre-digital intellectual property laws and challenges policy makers to revisit some of the archaic laws in the wake of YouTube, blogging, Garage Band, Pro Tools, and well . . . the internet.

Check out Lessig’s presentation and think about the NIN decision. This move by NIN is a very creative landmark move.