Nine Inch Nails: “Steal away, and give it to your friends”

Posted by aubin on Monday, September 17, 2007 at 10:00 PM (EDT)

In case some of you didn't get the message from his previous actions, Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor came out at a recent show complaining again about what he calls the "greed" of record companies. He asked the audience if prices for his band's album were too high and when they replied, he said:

Steal it. Steal away and steal some more. Steal it and then give to your friends.Keep on stealing.

Reznor has been at the forefront of digital distribution online, making not just singles from his album available but high quality GarageBand-compatible files to encourage remixing. He then took his favorite remixes and made them available on file sharing networks using BitTorrent.

Universal Music Group (32 comments)

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

skaboom (September 17, 2007)

Can't get much more punk than that.

Aubin (September 17, 2007)

It's remarkable to hear a major label artist make a statement like this, but the problem is that Reznor has had his multi-platinum albums and currently asks like $60 for tickets, for smaller bands that don't have his leverage or fanbase, "steal music" isn't quite as helpful.

sickboi (chris) (September 17, 2007)

I'd be interested to hear how much he sells t-shirts at these shows for, and if he'd have a problem with anyone selling bootleg t-shirts outside...

-chris

MedioCore (September 17, 2007)

I think t-shirt prices at shows are more based on how much of a cut the venue requires, especially at the types of places NIN plays.

I went to see Rise Against/Strung Out/Lagwagon this past weekend at the Long Beach (CA) Arena; shirts were $20 and hoodies were $40, about double what they usually are.

I'm sure bands have some sort of say in pricing, but they have to keep it close to a break-even point or it isn't even worth it.

But I agree with Aubin -- seems like a cool thing to do/say being on a major, but this is coming from someone who's already made his money through the system he now decries.

To each his own I suppose...

XkingbuzzoX (September 17, 2007)

Not to mention the fact that he releases a million different versions of his singles, calls them all Halos and numbers them so that real fans spend tons of cash to get everything they want from him.

Cos (September 18, 2007)

Doesn't anyone have Bad Religion's 80-85? In the linear notes, Greg Hetson says "listen to it, tape it, and then trade it in"

PS. Trent has always bitched about his record label. This isn't new.

Cos (September 18, 2007)

Honestly, I don't have much of a problem with NIN charging $50 for a ticket. Your favorite bands sign to a major, go into crippling debt to make a record, then tour on $20 tickets and don't make any money, only to come home to the same debt to the record company.

I'm not saying I can afford to go to a $50 concert every weekend, but a band has to pick up money somewhere if they're going to keep touring and making records. So few people buy music anymore that actually going out and purchasing a CD feels like making a donation to a good cause.

Did you see Against Me's video? You know that goes into their debt too. I doubt they're going to challenge Daughty on the Billboard charts. So where's the money?

Again, just so everyone can read how little bands make off of selling CDs on a major (and think about how few CDs are being sold today):
http://www.negativland.com/albini.html

Mental_Decay (September 18, 2007)

I see what you're saying. I don't know much about NIN or Trent Reznor, but if he's always been this way, then the band does have to pick up money somewhere. Everyone needs money to pay bills, buy food, pay for band expenses, etc. and Trent and NIN have the same needs as everyone else. Money drives this world, as sad as it is, and it's probably how it'll always be.

AAHHHH (September 17, 2007)

http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0A003EF8ABB257BF?artistid=7357 62&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=60

unfortunately, you cant steal $50 concert tickets

VStoriesFallen (September 17, 2007)

He's one of those musicians that if he does lose all of his luxuries as a rock star because of fans stealing music, he'd be cool with that.

More power to him. I just wish I could get into his music so I could actually support him. Too bad...

aorta (September 17, 2007)

Actually, a more punk move would actually be buying and supporting the punk bands you support.

niveK82 (September 17, 2007)

How much does his cd sell for at shows?

I know the shirts are a rip off at $30 a pop.

JerryCola (September 17, 2007)

Big artists don't sell their CD's at shows

But yeah they sure like selling t-shirts for $30+ and concert tickets at ridiculous prices and making ticketmaster your only online option to buy the tickets so you can get fucked again with a ridiculous fee.

givemeamuseumandillfillit (September 18, 2007)

Way to miss the point. Trent is talking about how a record which sells for $10 in the states is being sold for $40-50 in Australia.

johnrambo (September 17, 2007)

rambo > steve mcqueen > the fest V > trent reznor > indiana jones > sex > tom gabel > burt reynolds

hitlerbadzakgood (September 17, 2007)

somewhat misinterpreted i think. i'm pretty sure hes referring to major record companies like the one hes on, or his own music, where the big part of HIS money probably isnt made anyways. i somehow cant picture everyone at punknews throwing cash at hookers and out limosine windows.

randomhero323 (September 17, 2007)

or download it.

OTlevel7 (September 17, 2007)

it should be noted that this was said on an Australian stage to Aussie fans who pay $40+ for the same cd we buy for $10-12. the last time NIN was there he said something to the AUS media about cds being too expensive there...his label got pissed...he confronted them personally and they basically told him they charge it because they can. the video is a followup to that issue.

with that said....yes, $50/ticket is a bit salty. i paid it because i knew it would be one of the better performances/visual shows i'd see....i was right. but i can understand how people would be turned off by that. but what still remains is there is no excuse for a cd to be $40 with no additional proceeds to anyone but the label so if he'd rather get his music in more ears than make a little more cash...more power to him.

Cos (September 18, 2007)

This completely changes everything. $40 is outrageous for a CD. $15 is reasonable.

Of course, now everyone feels they are entitled to free music...

aorta (September 18, 2007)

Yeah, this sort of background would've been helpful in the initial article.

rupson (September 18, 2007)

It seems like EVERYTHING is more expensive in Australia if it is imported from the US or other parts of the world. Shipping related costs? Government control? I dunno.

IDontHaveAnAccountYet (September 18, 2007)

I hope my friend doesn't give it to me. That would make me sad.

Citizen_Crack (September 18, 2007)

This just in:
Trent Reznor is more punk than Tom Gabel.

MsJustinChris (September 18, 2007)

Tom Gabel is more punk than anyone, just for writing The Politics of Starving. I really love that song.

AndyPonch (September 18, 2007)

He's quite the millionaire rebel isn't he? Yeah, the music is bad and I wouldn't pay for it, but I wouldn't necessarily steal it either. Does he mean steal it from stores or just online? If you get caught stealing from a store, is he going to bail you out if you get arrested?

necktattoo (September 18, 2007)

CDs really aren't that expensive. they're cheaper than they have ever been.

Guy_Incognito (September 18, 2007)

I'm really not sure how charging $14.99 for a CD that you get to keep forever for unlimited hours of play is greed compared to charging $50.00 for a concert that lasts one night. Granted, I don't think either of the above has anything to do with greed but I don't think you can associate one practice with greed without lumping in the other.

It's easy for Trent to advocate stealing music now that he no longer needs the label marketing dollars and tour support to pack his concerts at $50 a pop.

Of course, for new bands that need a label to enhance their reach and fund their studio time this isn't very helpful. The bottom line is that record labels still fund new artists and new albums and give them the chance that they would never have on their own. Record labels get the capital to do new projects from CD sales, they have few other sources of revenue.

Trent saying that people should steal his album and then charge $50 for a concert is akin to saying "Screw new artists, I've already got mine!"

There is WAY more money in touring than there ever was in CDs. I don't see how Trent has any leg to stand on here.

Guy_Incognito (September 18, 2007)

Ooops, just read the clarifying post above about $40 per CD in Australia...ok I can see how that is a bit much.

My prior statement still stands for reasonably priced CDs in the $10 to $15 range.

roobster (September 18, 2007)

keep in mind that his live production is very big...it cant be cheap to tour around with that stuff...the big ass screens, the whole equipment, etc etc etc...

Guy_Incognito (September 18, 2007)

I'll grant you that much and it's probably a good value at $50, but I still think he is living quite well at that price point. Just take the $50 times however many people attend each show.

Even if he only nets 1% at the end of the day he's making way more than your average 9 to 5er. In all likely hood I'm sure that percentage is considerably higher than 1% despite all the production costs.

I'm not holding that against him of course. I hope he makes all the money his talent can earn him.

I'm just saying that it's a bit hypocritical to criticize the greed of the companies that allowed your career to happen and then go on yourself to make profits well in excess of a normal living.

Yes, most major labels are a bunch of donkeys that don't have the finger on the pulse of music and fans. That said, nobody pointed a gun at him and made him sign with one. I'm sure at the time when he was first offered a record deal and NEEDED their help to get off the ground it sounded like a great deal.

Labels serve a purpose as a source of "venture capital" for new music. It's not right to encourage people to steal from them. Music is getting worse these days because labels can't afford to take chances on new sounds anymore. With declining music sales they are forced to stick with a formula.

Do you think it is any coincidence that the creative explosion that occured in the 90's with alternative music came at the same time that labels were flush with capital from the sales boom generated by the adoption of CDs?

Guy_Incognito (September 18, 2007)

New thought:

Technically, wouldn't buying his CD legitimately encourage his label to sign more GOOD bands and less garbage?

I mean if all of us "hip-scenster-know-it-alls" steal good music and all of the "wal-mart-computer-illiterate-middle-americans" buy crappy music legitimately doesn't that only encourage labels to keep signing crappy artists?

Labels were more than happy in the early to mid 90's to sign and spend copious amounts of cash on innovative artists like NIN to "try out" new sounds in the marketplace...back when people almost universally paid for albums.

If everyone steals good music, who is going to invest in recording and releasing good music in the future?

I really think you get what you pay for and music is only going to get worse and more generic as the industry declines as a result of piracy. Instead of hundreds of trying new sounds they'll stick with the formulas that work to milk out what they can before it's all over.

spoon_of_grimbo (September 18, 2007)

a good point well made. i hadn't thought of it like that before...