Trent Reznor Lashes Out At Record Company

Happy-go-lucky Nine Inch Nails leader Trent Reznor has been the sunshine of American music since the early 1990s. Whether in the delightful pop melodies he has crafted, the positive and optimistic worldview offered in his art, or the always-smiling demeanor that has become his trademark, Reznor, from the very beginning, has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that happiness has a place in rock and roll.

Okay, so none of that’s true. He’s a sullen, angry, black-wearing genius with a tortured soul and a deeply pessimistic worldview who did much to bring nihilism to the American public. But hey, sometimes it’s fun to play dress-up.

To the surprise of no one, Reznor is railing again, but this time he’s doing so on behalf of his fans. What a guy.

According to NME, Reznor, in a posting on the band’s Web site, is speaking out against his label Universal Music Group’s high pricing and general handling of NIN’s new album, Year Zero. He calls the album's price absurd and says the label is ripping off longtime fans.

Reznor wrote, “As the climate grows more and more desperate for record labels, their answer to their mostly self-inflicted wounds seems to be to screw over the consumer even more.”

Reznor’s main point of contention is Year Zero’s Australian price. Down under, the album retails for $34.99 Australian dollars (just over $29 American). “Shame on you, UMG,” Reznor went on to write. “No wonder people steal music.”

When Reznor sought out a label rep for an explanation for the album’s high price, the rep confirmed his worst suspicions: “…his explanation was, ‘It’s because we know you have a real core audience that will pay whatever it costs when you put something out – you know, true fans. It’s the pop stuff we have to discount to get people to buy.’ So…I guess as a reward for being a ‘true fan’ you get ripped off.”

Reznor ended the post by saying the band plans to release a full-length remix collection sometime soon.

Thirty dollars for one album? For a release that is neither double nor live? With no gold-embossed packaging? No special liner notes, no special mix? No special nothing except the music contained within?

That is pretty insane. Yes, Nine Inch Nails have hardcore fans, but those people are truly hardcore. Some poor cashier at FYE is going to lose an eye because of this.

Furthermore, it was incredibly ballsy of the label rep to tell Reznor the reasoning behind the high price, but even ballsier for Reznor to take that conversation public. He’s always been earnest, though, in his own dark way. Add a further acknowledgement of the culture that lead to the creation of file-sharing and Internet piracy (and tacit encouragement of such behavior), and what you have here is a huge rock star bending his record company over his knee and paddling them something fierce.

Not to mention another signal that the music industry as we currently know it is on the way out.

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