By now we have all heard about Radiohead offering their latest album In Rainbows basically for free. Of course you can pay whatever you wish for the album but you can also download it for free. This was viewed as a novel idea and people hoped it would change the way artists delivered their music and give one to the man. I'm not a Radiohead fan, I think I like only one of their songs but I liked what they are trying to do. This is why I was happy to hear Nine Inch Nails (NIN) is doing the same thing.

The difference is, and I think this will work better, is you just can't download the whole album for free. Trent Reznor obviously put some thought into this. The new album titled Ghosts I-IV can be downloaded for free but you only get nine out of the 36 tracks. Perfect for those of us who may be slightly interested in the new album but not ready to commit to a purchase. You also get the full PDF book that accompanies the album. For a mere $5 USD you can get all 36 tracks plus the PDF. The music is DRM free and you can choose your flavor from 320kbps MP3 to Apple lossless for you iPod people. The next option is $10 for a 2 CD set which includes a 16 page booklet. Next up is $75. With this you get Ghosts I-IV in a hardcover fabric slipcase containing: 2 audio CDs, 1 data DVD with all 36 tracks in multi-track format, and a Blu-ray disc with Ghosts I-IV in high-definition 96/24 stereo and accompanying slideshow. The ultimate package for any NIN fan is $300 and as of writing this have sold out (see how smart ole Trent is). With this you get a 4-LP set of Ghosts I-IV on 180 gram vinyl and three hardcover books that has all kinds of goodies in it.

NIN is going to win big with this. I am sure Trent and company will make more money doing business this way and hopefully pave the way for other brave musicians who are tired of the record labels. This is the future of music sales as far as I see it. I would be happy to pay five bucks for a new album. I see that as a reasonable price compared to the 20 bucks minimum it would sell for in a music store. I applaud NIN for doing this and I hope to see the rest of their albums delivered this way.

For more information and ordering details head on over to http://ghosts.nin.com