Reznor speaks directly and openly about what is happening in the music industry today and about his recent projects that have been released without a major record label. Some recent NIN music has been made available for free or for purchase directly from the band's web site and their most recent Ghosts I-IV project was the top selling album of 2008 on Amazon's MP3 store. Reznor has much to say about this direct distribution model and what it means for both record labels and artists trying to make a living in the future of the music industry.
Regardless of whether you agree with what Reznor has to say, to me there are two pretty amazing things going on here. First, you have someone who experienced a very successful career in the "old world" music industry now following a completely different business model. Of course NIN is not the only established act to try this type of distribution (Radiohead, Prince) but the Reznor interview makes clear that this is not a publicity stunt but rather a working model for how to bring art and commerce together.
Second, not only is an artist like Reznor willing to try something different, but he's also telling about how he does it and plans to do it going forward. This too has the feel of something far different than publicity or promotion. It's more like an open-source, collaborative effort to both entertain and interact, to teach and to learn. Kudos to Reznor for sharing and to Rose for giving him the platform.
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