The New Music Equation: Radiohead, Trent Reznor, Etc.

It seems that the business model of giving music away and relying on voluntary payments boils down to the following equation: A x B x C = D. where A = the total # of people who acquire the work ; B = the percent who actually pay for it ; C = the average amount each person pays ; and D = the total revenue. received. In theory, the beauty of the equation is that -- if all else remains the same -- any increase in A, B, or C, however small, results in more D. (Digital Audio Insider)

Trent Reznor: Why won't people pay $5?

Very early in a discussion with Trent Reznor, the front man for the band Nine Inch Nails, it's obvious how highly he prizes his collaboration with musician Saul Williams on the album The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust. Reznor produced and helped bankroll the album, which debuted November 1. Williams and Reznor were trying to follow the lead of Radiohead by distributing music online without the backing of a label. In his first interview since releasing the sales data, Reznor on Wednesday talked about his rethinking of music in the digital age. (News.com)

Trent Reznor 'disheartened' by state of music industry

As producer of rapper Saul Williams' new album 'The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust', Reznor decided to employ a similar business model to that of Radiohead, which gave listeners the option of paying nothing for a download of the album, or $5 for higher-quality MP3s. In a posting yesterday (January 3) on Nine Inch Nails' website, Reznor revealed the sales figures, saying, "Perhaps by revealing of all our data -- our 'dirty laundry' -- we can contribute to a better solution." (NME)