TR's Blog

10/29/07 : ANOTHER MYSTERIOUS LINK IS FOUND...
Hmmn...

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=BHXQZPFX

Current Mood: Surprised
Currently Listening to: TR(N)IGGER

10/27/07 : Standing in the shower, thinking...
What I woke up thinking about today.
What I WANT to do is crawl inside my own head and just make music. I've begun work on a new NIN project and the door to the cave I will soon crawl in is open and beckoning, but these last few weeks I've had to be a businessman. On occasion I don't mind wearing that hat and becoming immersed in numbers and strategies and whatnot, but all I really want to do is make music.
Why have I been in business-mode lately? Glad you asked. See, the music business has imploded and nobody knows what to do. As an artist finally free from any obligations to a record company, I can do pretty much anything I want to - but what should that be?

How do you (in this order):
A. Be sure to place and keep yourself in a nurturing, creative space that inspires your art
B. Then determine how to present that to your audience in an appropriate fashion that's respectful to both you the artist AND them.
C. Ideally do that in a way where it makes financial sense.

I highly doubt whether the strategy Saul and I chose to release his new record will be a viable business model for the road ahead. We didn't do this as a "get rich quick" scheme. We did it because it felt (and feels) like the best way to get the most people to have the opportunity to hear what we consider to be an important record. It feels like the best approach as of October 2007 with the current set of circumstances in the "marketplace" (I hate that fucking word.) We did it because it kept the art PURE and it involved NO compromises regarding the content or the way it was presented to you. No iPod commercials, no ringtone giveaways, no billboards, no Best Buy exclusive content... and one could argue no exposure.
That's the problem. How do you get the word out to as many people as possible and maintain your integrity in the process?
We assumed that by releasing the record this way it would generate some press interest, and it has. We hope that people will be curious enough to download and listen to the record, and yes - we hope people will choose to pay for it.
I have to say I've been amazed at some lengthy conversations I've seen on fan BBs regarding the decision to pay or not. People who are interested enough to register and frequent boards dedicated to an artist's work really having to weigh out whether or not it's worth $5 for an hour of new music. Has music really and truly been devalued that much? $80 is a decision, $5 is not.

All of that aside, our secret weapon is the record itself. It is what it is and that's what people will be talking about long after the story of the business around it fades away.
Speaking of business... I'm done speaking (or thinking) about it for the day. I'm going to make some noise.

Good day,
TR

Current Mood: Sleepy

10/25/07 : a mysterious link appears...
http://thepiratebay.org/tor/3858980

Current Mood: Confused
Currently Listening to: BREAK

10/25/07 : NIGGYTARDUST!
The other half of what I was working on the whole time I was doing YEAR ZERO will soon be available. Head over to niggytardust.com for details. Your support on this project would mean a lot to me. It's a weird time to be an artist and it sure would be nice to show the corporate assholes that seem to run everything that an audience CAN be treated with respect.
Regardless of the boring mechanics of how you GET the record, the only thing that really matters is the music and if I didn't believe in this completely I wouldn't have dedicated the time or be saying this to you right now.
Many times throughout the process of making this the phrase "I can't wait to blow people's minds with this" was heard. Check it out!

Current Mood: Excited
Currently Listening to: The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!

10/08/07 : BIG NEWS, PT 1
Hello everyone. I've waited a LONG time to be able to make the following announcement: as of right now Nine Inch Nails is a totally free agent, free of any recording contract with any label. I have been under recording contracts for 18 years and have watched the business radically mutate from one thing to something inherently very different and it gives me great pleasure to be able to finally have a direct relationship with the audience as I see fit and appropriate. Look for some announcements in the near future regarding 2008.
Exciting times, indeed.

Current Mood: Excited

10/03/07 : hello
Hello everybody. Just getting back into non-touring mode and LOTS going on. I'll be making some big announcements soon...
I'm listening to the final mastered version of Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D as I write this and I'm very pleased with it - some cool stuff on it.
Oh yeah - Radiohead. I'm sure you are all aware of what they are doing with the release of their new record (inrainbows.com). I think it's a great move and if you're into them I highly suggest you support what they're doing with this.
More soon.

Current Mood: Happy
Currently Listening to: Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D

09/01/07 : FUCK
One of the problems that we seem to continuously encounter across Europe is the incredible incompetence and / or greed on the part of the promoters over here. I bring (and pay for) a substantial amount of production (sound and lights) to make the show something incredible for you to witness. Time after time these motherfuckers promise certain specific things that are required in terms of the size of the stage or the power necessary to use the stuff and guess what? You got it. We show up and there's a lot of finger pointing and excuse making. This happened tonight at the truly awful Rock AM See Fuck Fest in Konstanz Germany.
FUCK YOU.
FUCK
FUCK
FUCK
FUCK
FUCK

Current Mood: Mad
Currently Listening to: FUCK

08/20/07 : A few questions answered
Some of you have wondered how we perform "me, i'm not" and "the great destroyer" live. I have a MacBook running Ableton Live and I trigger loops, treat the loops, trigger video and play various virtual synths. Alessandro is treating various parts I send to him as well as my vocals and he manipulates the video I trigger. Aaron is playing slide guitar, electric guitar (processed by me) and also manipulates his own parts (that sounds dirty!)
All of this is live and can be extended or improvised as we see fit.

Festival sets / production:
Sometimes we can't use various aspects of our production due to staging limitations. Set lengths are NOT up to us - they are determined by the various festivals. Sometimes festivals are great for us, sometimes they aren't. Sometimes great festivals are marred by us being booked in the wrong slots. Sorry about this when it happens.

Current Mood: OK  
Currently Listening to: grizzly bear

04/06/07 : blah
As we approach the end of this leg of the tour I find myself slipping in to a depression. Part of it is touring itself - I've really had enough at this point. Another factor has been the production headaches of this tour. I was busy finishing the record and didn't have the resources to dedicate to getting overly involved in the light show this time around, assuming my instructions had been followed... This led to multiple personnel changes and the end result - a poor light show which made / makes every show feel like a disappointment on some level to me.

And... as flattered and happy as I am regarding the interest in Year Zero, it's still frustrating to see that as hard as you try to make the experience as cool as it can be for fans, most people will still hear a poor rip and ugly scans of your artwork - ruining the excitement / secrets / experience. Blah blah blah. Weird position to be in.

Current Mood:Bored

04/04/07 : YEAR ZERO INFO
There is only one version of YEAR ZERO. There is no deluxe version - every version has the same package (which is cool). You should not be paying more for a deluxe digi-pak version because there is only one version - which IS a digi-pak.

Current Mood: Confused

04/01/07 : wave goodbye
George Watson Reznor
1916-2007

Current Mood: OK

03/22/07 : Here you go.
Q: Year Zero and it's entire concept, including the websites involved,the distribution of "leaked" material, the storyline, the code-breaking, and the use of many facets of technology in it's delivery are absolutely brilliant - where did you come up with the idea for such a project?

A: I came up with the concept, then Rob Sheridan and I sat and brainstormed fleshing it out for a few weeks into a detailed document.We then searched out and met with a company (42 Entertainment) that could help us execute our vision of how it would be presented to you.They are the smartest most creative group of people I've ever worked with and embellished our ideas in ways we couldn't have done on our own.

Q: Will "Not So Pretty Now" and "Non-Entity" be commercially released?

A: Most likely. After the next record I am out of my contract with Interscope aside from a greatest hits whatever, so I'm sure at some point they will scour the archives for tracks like these. I have no plans to incorporate them into any new real record, though.

Q: Do you plan on doing another album like Still?

A: I'd like to do a proper record of new material in a similar format at some point.

Q: Should I upgrade to a 17" MacBook Pro?

A: Yes!

Q: when you decide to tour the US to support Year Zero will the band line up be the same that you have now?

A: I have no reason to think it would change at the moment, but when that time comes I will address.

Q: and other band member's projects such as Jeordie's Goon Moon and Alessandro's Modwheelmood, have you listened to the music? and Do you like what they've done?

A: I have listened to them and enjoy them both. It's always weird when you know somebody and then hear their own music. I was surprised by both in a good way (that doesn't mean I expected them to be bad - you know what I mean).

Q: Trent, you were amazing at the Bridge School Benefit. Did you enjoy playing with such a diverse group of musicians? And would you do a show like that again?

A: Thank you, and yes I would. Meeting Neil Young was a great honor for me and I was proud to be involved. I was slightly terrified but glad Idid it.

Q: i know there's a lot going on with NIN right now and your focused on YZ... but now that the setlist are changing from night to night you should release some soundboard bootlegs...especially with this band(best nin live band imo). i assure you that if you release them online for $10 to 20 a lot of pepole will pay for them.

A: Good old Interscope said no. One more record and I'm free to do the many things they are too behind the times to accommodate.

Q: With the approach you've taken with YZ, do you see yourself one day working exclusively WITHOUT a record company. For example, releasing music via the internet, (or other methods) and promoting yourself primarily by touring? It appears this current method could reduce the need for the industry involvement and free the artist to explore and create as he wishes without regard for commercial viability. Any thoughts or comments?

A: Certainly. The entire industry is in flux at the moment, so it's hard to say what would be ideal for NIN as the state of things changes very quickly. I can say with absolute confidence that I would never enter into another one-sided arrangement with a record company again.

Q: Have you been surprised with how fast/slow "we" (as in not really me, but those other crazy fans out there) have been figuring out this Year Zero stuff?? do you increase/decrease the difficulty of the clues based on how quickly "we" figure each one out?? is it fun to read "our"ridiculous theories on the whole concept??

A: Yes, you are clever little buggers out there. It's been great fun watching this all unfold and we're all quite impressed. The funny thing is, we'll watch you collectively instantly solve puzzles we thought were hard while the "easy" ones get you tripped up.

A couple of answers to questions not asked:

For the record, I don't support (and never have) the idea of the multi-part single (see the UK for details). They feel like a rip-off tome and Survivalism was done without my consent.

How record can labels fuck things up, part 776:

The "thermo-chrome" details being discussed a month before the record comes out. If you know what I'm talking about, great - if not, I'm not going to call more attention to it.We came up with that idea as something that would be cool to experience as the consumer. The label blabs about it way ahead of it coming out as a marketing gimmick. "Put a big sticker on the front advertising it!"No. This was meant to be experienced and discovered - not announced ahead of time and ruined. This is the reason nobody at the label knew anything about the ARG (for lack of a better word) before it started -and they still don't know anything about the contents or what's coming.We would have had people discussing "make sure to go see the mural in London coming next week" type shit.They just don't get it. They sell plastic discs.

Q: Do you get time to watch any movies while on tour? What are your favorite films?

A: Yes, we tend to spend bus rides watching various films, etc. I have many favorites but I can't recommend "Children of Men" enough. I saw it in LA before I left two days in a row - blew me away. Lots of similar themes as Year Zero and the art direction felt like it came out of my head. If you haven't seen this film go check it out.

Q: "This is not a particularly friendly record and it certainly doesn't sound like anything else out there right now."

A; "By FAR this is the most ambitious multi-faceted project I've ever undertaken."

Q: I'm sure this is not the top of your concerns, but how is Interscope reacting to all of the tracks being "leaked"? What was their reaction to the idea of setting up the whole Year Zero experience? As an avid fan of "Lost", I've noticed that the Year Zero experience is very similar to The Lost Experience. Did you get the idea from that?

A: I am a big fan of Lost, although I think this season has really sucked. I am aware of the Lost Experience but only in passing. My main inspiration is this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beast_%28game%29 This is also where Lost got the idea.

Q: I'm just wondering what your stance and / or thoughts are on the RIAA, DRM, and the current state of copyright issues regarding music sales and use.

I've come up with an equation on that topic.
RIAA = shite
DRM = shite

Current Mood: Happy

02/16/07 : everybody's got one
Exciting times. Maddening times. Somebody needs to get the internet working in Europe for one. The term "marketing" sure is a frustrating one for me at the moment. What you are now starting to experience IS "year zero". It's not some kind of gimmick to get you to buy a record - it IS the art form... and we're just getting started. Hope you enjoy the ride.

Current Mood: OK

02/10/07 : onward
On my way to the first show! I can't believe I'm back on tour right now... what am I doing?? Regardless, aside from some jetlag we are ready to go! See you soon.

Current Mood: Excited
Currently Listening to: Deerhunter

02/05/07 : a good evening
I've come to appreciate the fleeting times in life where one can feel truly satisfied and at peace. For me, listening back to your finished record for the first time is one of those moments. I've just had that experience and I feel good. REALLY good! I am excited and proud and I can't wait for you guys to see and hear what's coming...

Current Mood: Excited

02/05/07 : AND THAT IS THAT.
I am sitting at mastering, which means "year zero" is finished!

Current Mood: Happy

01/31/07 : THE TRUTH
Sex! Lies! Leaks! Videotape! Who knows what to believe anymore?

Here's two facts for you:

1. I've read a bit of what you're expecting the record to be like or about, and none of you have any idea what you're in store for.
2. We're finishing the last song right now.

Current Mood: OK

01/15/07 : progress
Halfway done!

Current Mood: Excited
Currently Listening to: year zero

01/11/07 : THAT'S WHAT I GET
While mixing, I spend most of my time NOT in the control room to allow myself some objectivity when it comes time to listen to the progress of a track. During that time, I'm working on the new set list, tour production, thinking about tracks that aren't being mixed yet, working on a few things NIN related I can't tell you about yet, finishing Saul's record, and occasionally checking in on you people online.Let me clear a few things up so some of you don't kill yourselves (or maybe you now will). This is not a fucking hip hop record for fuck's sake. I imagine my referring to old Public Enemy records as an influence and the fact I'm working with Saul sparked that. To clarify what I meant by being influenced by Public Enemy: Hank Shocklee's Bomb Squad had a unique and highly influential way of constructing tracks -layers of samples and loops that combined together to form something chaotic and new. Do not expect Flavor Flav to appear here. While we're at it, I wouldn't consider Saul's record to be labeled hip hop either.Certainly there is an influence there but his record reaches far beyond the confines of what I consider a dying genre.

As far as the sound and content of my new record, you'll see and hear soon enough. I am certain some of you will HATE it. I am also certain some of you will find it the best thing I've ever done. It is different in a number of ways and it is who I am now.I am creating right now and I do not care what the record label or marketing people think about what I'm doing. I also do not care what the public think about what I'm doing. I certainly appreciate your patronage - and I HOPE you will get and enjoy what I'm working on, but I will not patronize you or pander to what you want. I assure you I am pouring every ounce of my life, heart and soul into this and it will be the best work I am capable of - and that's all I can do.

Current Mood: Confused
Currently Listening to: lots of whining

01/10/07 : new record info
nine inch nails: year zero
coming april 2007.
it could be about the end of the world.

Current Mood: Excited