Topic: Digital Download

[Dasmos]

Radiohead did it with In Rainbows, some rapper (who was working with Trent Reznor) did it and now NIN has released Ghosts I-V as a digital download.

In Rainbows was a massive success with many fans opting to pay for the album, NiggyTardust not so much (only 1 in 5 people paid for the album) and it is yet to be seen if Ghosts is sucessful.

Can you see this being the way of the future with album releases? I can definitley see this catching on, maybe it's a better path for already established bands to take rather than somebody releasing a debut album.

[vudu]

NiggyTardust was amazing.  I never would have given it a shot if it was released any other way.  (I couldn't even be bothered with acquiring it through illicit means.)  Which brings me to my response.

NiggyTardust not so much (only 1 in 5 people paid for the album)

You have to keep in mind that a lot of people downloaded NiggyTardust just because it was Nine Inch Nails related.  Most of these people (like me) wouldn't have given the album a second thought had it not been free to download.  So even if only 20% of people download it, if 1,000% more people check it out than would have otherwise, Saul Williams (aka some rapper who was working with Trent Reznor) comes out ahead.

[Dasmos]

I guess coverage-wise it was a success, but I think read somewhere that more people had purchased his last album than they had paid for it this time. I guess we'll just have to see his next release to see how much an effect it has made on the whole thing.

[Shift Key]

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20080304/162842435.shtml

Seriously, its about better marketing. The music industry is no longer the "turn the crank, money comes out" cash cow that it was.