Trent Reznor speaks out about music piracy

Trent Reznor speaks out about music piracy
In his latest blog entry, Trent Reznor, lead singer of the popular band Nine Inch Nails, speaks out about music piracy and how he feels the consumer is being screwed over by the desperate record labels. It is a very interesting read with some good points I feel.

Here is the complete blog entry:



As the climate grows more and more desperate for record labels, their answer to their mostly self-inflicted wounds seems to be to screw the consumer over even more. A couple of examples that quickly come to mind:

* The ABSURD retail pricing of Year Zero in Australia. Shame on you, UMG. Year Zero is selling for $34.99 Australian dollars ($29.10 US). No wonder people steal music. Avril Lavigne's record in the same store was $21.99 ($18.21 US).
By the way, when I asked a label rep about this his response was: "It's because we know you have a real core audience that will pay whatever it costs when you put something out - you know, true fans. It's the pop stuff we have to discount to get people to buy."
So... I guess as a reward for being a "true fan" you get ripped off.

* The dreaded EURO Maxi-single. Nothing but a consumer rip-off that I've been talked into my whole career. No more.

The point is, I am trying my best to make sure the music and items NIN puts in the marketplace have value, substance and are worth you considering purchasing. I am not allowing Capital G to be repackaged into several configurations that result in you getting ripped off.

We are planning a full-length remix collection of substance that will be announced soon.


Source:
NIN.com

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 14 May 2007 7:29
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  • 15 comments

  • ZippyDSM

    Wish more artists would make a fuss over the insanity in the corporate side of things but then they probably have hush orders in their contracts...

    14.5.2007 08:36 #1

  • Paladore

    thats brutal, i live in Canada and bought Year Zero for $11.99. Music for thta price is worth buying. NIN is one of my favorite groups and if they keep producing music im going to buy their stuff.

    14.5.2007 09:29 #2

  • ZippyDSM

    Originally posted by Paladore:thats brutal, i live in Canada and bought Year Zero for $11.99. Music for thta price is worth buying. NIN is one of my favorite groups and if they keep producing music im going to buy their stuff.corporate marketeering is running rampant pushing stuff 5X "profit" or more to keep them cocaine, you want to make a normal profit thats fine by me you want to make a "profit" off selling something 5X over normal screw you you want to play games I wont buy from you and since you are selling at 5X "profit" you wont be hurt by my boycott until its too late...its like losing your head only to find out later you lost it....

    14.5.2007 09:58 #3

  • pigfister

    Originally posted by ZIppyDSM:Wish more artists would make a fuss over the insanity in the corporate side of things but then they probably have hush orders in their contracts...many artists have spoken out about the record industry, most notable in the uk was Chris Martin from Coldplay, stating that he was put under extreme pressure to churn out albums negating his artistic talents over hurried sales. He also was very outspoken about contracts that companies are issuing, that only give the artist an average of 4% of total media sales and new talent is being duped into extortionate & excessively long contracts just to get a break with no rights over any media that they produce.
    What annoys me is the pure spin in the media about artists having their records stolen, when the record companies have already blatantly conned them in the first place which you rarely hear about.


    14.5.2007 10:23 #4

  • AlmostOz

    [url=http://archive.salon.com/tech/feature/2000/06/14/love/][/url]

    cournet love wrote this its an awesome read too

    "What happens to that million dollars?

    They spend half a million to record their album. That leaves the band with $500,000. They pay $100,000 to their manager for 20 percent commission. They pay $25,000 each to their lawyer and business manager.

    That leaves $350,000 for the four band members to split. After $170,000 in taxes, there's $180,000 left. That comes out to $45,000 per person.

    That's $45,000 to live on for a year until the record gets released. "

    "Add it up and the record company has spent about $4.4 million.

    So their profit is $6.6 million; the band may as well be working at a 7-Eleven. "

    14.5.2007 11:23 #5

  • Paladore

    i cant quote this but i read somewhere that bands make most of their money from touring.

    14.5.2007 11:36 #6

  • ZippyDSM

    Originally posted by Paladore:i cant quote this but i read somewhere that bands make most of their money from touring.ya the media mafia takes half their moeny to "promote" them and bully everyone else, anything they make on tours is theirs.

    14.5.2007 11:42 #7

  • Paladore

    it must be exhausting, they spend 3 or 4 months on the road every year or other year just to maintain their lifestyle..i know they make lots of money in the long run but its gotta be taxing.

    14.5.2007 12:43 #8

  • ZippyDSM

    Originally posted by Paladore:it must be exhausting, they spend 3 or 4 months on the road every year or other year just to maintain their lifestyle..i know they make lots of money in the long run but its gotta be taxing."lifestyle" aside it can't be cheap to run a tour pay for gas and employees insurance and all that other sht.

    14.5.2007 12:47 #9

  • PeaInAPod

    Low prices work, it's just sad that the bands,not the record labels understand this. For example, I had was recently lent a My Chemical Romance CD and loved it, and within the week went out and bought it. Now that CD cost me $18.99 being a new release a bit pricey but I thought worth it. I download and listen to some of their older works and loved them. Those other albums were no more than $12-$13 each. Would I have bothered if the albums were priced like the ones in these articles? No way I would have just made do with a copy from a friend, I would much rather have the actual cd but when they cost $20-$30 their effectively shooting themself in the leg.

    14.5.2007 13:24 #10

  • borhan9

    The record label it seems is making a killing on both sides of this saying that it will over charge etc.. but as consumers we do not get what we paid for and the artist do not get paid rightly.

    14.5.2007 13:33 #11

  • ZippyDSM

    borhan9
    thats the trick with profiteering they a over sized profit at selling stuff at marked up prices, if they sold stuff at "normal" price they would cut their huge profits in half, corporations by default live off all the moeny they can get so it would be like removing half of thier money if they were forced to sell twice as much stuff for half price....oh the poor chain cocaine smoking dears...

    14.5.2007 15:42 #12

  • Vios

    i am a fan of NIN and everything that trent has done. for him to speak out on piracy is a good thing. if anyone knows about the creative advertising he has introduced to promote his latest ablum , you would realize that he doesnt need paid advertising.he created these " phone call" messages taped from 911 emergency call center . i looked around on the net and found these " another version of the truth " military style messages from captured ppl in like bag-dad. the crazyness and the idea's if even somewhat true would reveal interesting things about how we operate as a country. that made me want to but the album. i pay for bands like NIN , Tool , Switchblade Symphony, kidneythieves , ..... others not so much. i have been visiting afterdawn for a while just havent made any notes lately. i like that the forum exists .

    _ vios

    <(Vios)>

    " Mess with the Best, Die like the Rest"
    - Hackers

    14.5.2007 18:15 #13

  • Unfocused

    These are the words of a true "artist."

    15.5.2007 20:56 #14

  • ivymike

    You tell 'em Trent!

    15.5.2007 23:56 #15

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