And the Music Industry Changed

In case you didn't know already, Trent Reznor (NIN) made history on Monday. He released an album of 36 instrumentals called Ghosts I-IV. Now this wouldn't really be that historical at all, except that he chose to do four very interesting things:

1. He released the album himself instead of through a record company.
2. He released the album in a variety of formats, from $5 DRM-free MP3s to a limited edition of sets of vinyl &etc. selling for $300.
3. He released the first quarter of the album as a free download and seeded the torrent with The Pirate Bay.
4. He released the album under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial Share-Alike license.

And despite him doing everything that the RIAA is telling America is evil and bad for business, he succeeded.

The limited edition sold out. Completely. It alone made him $750,000.

And the license means that any musician can use any part of his music - can remix to his heart's desire - as long as he in turn makes his music available in the same manner.

Copyright? Fuck your copyright.

The handwriting has been on the wall for years. But this proves that the business model is possible. Certainly it won't be easy, but eventually there will be a thriving post-copyright culture, and the mad claims of the 20th and 21st century robber barons to actually own information will be viewed as a temporary aberration. Only when we can stand on the shoulders of those who came before us can we reach the highest.