I had never really listened to NIN much in the past. Recently, however, I watched a video that had been going around the internet for a while that featured a NIN song on it: "Just Like You Imagined". I kinda got hooked on the song, so I decided to give some other stuff a listen. I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about most of Trent's music, but some of it is actually pretty good.
I decided to download this album just for the heck of it. Even if i don't like it, it was worth the download. Maybe if other bands see that it's a success they'll end up doing it as well. Radiohead's release of In Rainbows on the internet and the "pay what you feel it's worth" approach was really cool, I thought. It's a really great "up yours" to the record industry, and if it continues they'll hopefully see the need to change their business model and their approach to the internet and the fans.
The industry really has a way with ripping off artists and stripping them of their creativity. It's pretty sad when an art like music is treated as a commodity rather than as a medium of expression. Sure, the artists should be able to make a handsome living off of their music, but when executives are the ones walking away with most of the profit from album sales, there's a serious problem.
