Nine Inch Nails is throwing another digital strand of pasta at the wall to see if it sticks.
This time, Trent Reznor is giving away the band’s new album, “The Slip,” to anyone providing their e-mail address at its Web site, NIN.com.
Below the link to download the 10-track album, Reznor wrote, “Thank you for your continued and loyal support over the years — this one’s on me.”
The DRM-free album includes several format options — including MP3 and high-quality, lossless options like FLAC — and a PDF of all artwork and credits. The site, which posted the freebie just after midnight Monday, says a physical version of the album will be out in July.
The album uses a Creative Commons license, allowing fans to remix, share and post music as they like.
NIN also is streaming the entire album from its iLike profile and promoting the free album download via the free single “Echoplex,” available to post on Facebook.
Manager Jim Guerinot said the timing for the free download felt right because “we just put a record out (and) we’re going on-sale with tickets.”
He said Reznor has “been in a prolific phase, and we didn’t want ‘business’ to get in the way of getting the art in the hands of the fans. We’ve looked at the climate and the many advantages of being able to do whatever we want without bureaucracy.”
“The Slip” features Reznor on vocals and various instruments, as well as Josh Freese, Robin Finck and Alessandro Cortini. Guerinot said Reznor “worked again with his team of Alan Moulder and Atticus Ross out of his garage.”
Demand for the new music appeared to be immediate and heavy. Just after 9:30 a.m. EST, the site slowed to a crawl because of traffic.
Billboard’s Antony Bruno reported from Denver, and Susan Visakowitz reported from New York.
