Free Wins Again

Like I’ve been saying, making stuff for free on the internet is the new business model. People will pay you for something if they like it. Another artist released his music for free and is making bank.

Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails made headlines again this week as he released his new, four-part instrumental album Ghosts I-IV, at a variety of price points, including a $300 super-deluxe package. He’s also giving away Ghosts I at no charge, even throwing the tracks up on The Pirate Bay for anyone to download. And it appears to be working quite well for Reznor, who has managed to sell all 2,500 copies of his $300 package without major label backing or much in the way of splashy marketing. If Reznor’s earlier experiments in digital distribution failed to recoup their costs, he’s clearly learned his lesson: grossing $750,000 in the space of three days isn’t a bad haul for any businessperson.

The way to make money is sell people special versions and/or use advertisement money. There are lots of ways to do it and people are figuring them out. The bottom line is the consumers are winning.

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