I've been gone for quite some time and I did some searching here and could not find any real discussions of this, so here it goes. Apologies if this has already been discussed here.

Trent Reznor released a 36 track collection of instrumentals called "Ghosts," divided into four 'volumes' with nine tracks apiece. You can get the first nine digitally for free, spend $5 to get all 36 digitally (several options - 320 kbps mp3, FLAC, etc), spend $10 to get the digital versions AND preorder the physical CD...

Then there are the nutso versions that cost a lot but have a lot of extras. In my mind, TR has outdone what Radiohead did with a better distribution model (though there was a ton more traffic at the onset then he thought there'd be). The ability to sample a quality chunk of the product for free as an enticement is also a nice move. He moved almost 800,000 in downloads and preorders in the first week, and that doesn't even COUNT the same free 9 track set that he released to torrents. The gross take after one week was $1.6 million. Wow. He obviously learned following his disappointment with response to the 'Free DL' vs. 'Pay $5' option from working with Saul Williams on Niggy Tardust

That said, the music is pretty awesome too. Definitely minimalist, definitely different, but still sounds and feels like NIN. Gotta recommend at LEAST getting the first nine for free.

Then he takes it a step further with this whole film festival thing...

Discuss?