'09 Tour W/ Jane's Addiction to be Last for NIN?

Nine Inch Nails

The following letter was posted by Trent Reznor on NIN's website:

Towards the beginning of my career in Nine Inch Nails, our biggest break came in the form of an invitation to perform a series of shows with Jane's Addiction. These performances essentially created and defined the term "alternative" rock in the US, created an ongoing festival franchise that is still thriving (Lollapalooza), set the stage for Nirvana to shift popular taste a few months later, and were really fucking FUN to play and attend - truly the best times I've had. The shows were epic. So epic, they propelled NIN to the "next level" (whatever that means), but caused Jane's to implode. The band broke up at the end of that tour.

Fast forward to the present. Corporate rock STILL sucks. A friend tells me they saw the original Jane's lineup play a tiny show in LA that was unbelievable. I break out my Jane's records and am amazed by how vital they sound. These guys were the real deal and in this current climate mostly dominated by poseurs and pussies it was refreshing to hear something that sounded dangerous, volatile, beautiful and SINCERE.

Emails were sent, phone calls were made, dinner was arranged, ideas were discussed and the next thing I know we're in the studio experimenting. We laugh, we get to know each other, we cry, we yell, we almost quit, we record LOTS of guitar solos, we discuss, we actually begin to all communicate, we yell some more, we become FRIENDS, we laugh again and we do some great things. I get to see first hand why they broke up all those years ago but I also get the chance to see four distinct personalities that become an INCREDIBLE band when they're in the same room.

In NIN world, 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of our first releases. I've been thinking for some time now it's time to make NIN disappear for a while. Last year's "Lights in the Sky" tour was something I'm quite proud of and seems like the culmination of what I could pull off in terms of an elaborate production. It was also quite difficult to pull off technically and physically night after night and left us all a bit dazed. After some thought, we decided to book a last run of shows across the globe this year. The approach to these shows is quite different from last year - much more raw, spontaneous and less scripted. Fun for us and a different way for you to see us and wave goodbye. I reached out to Jane's to see if they'd want to join us across the US and we all felt it could be a great thing. Will it work? Will it resonate in the marketplace? Who knows. Are there big record label marketing dollars to convince you to attend? Nope.

Does it feel right to us and does it seem like it will be fun for us and you? Yes it does.

Look for tour dates soon and I hope to see you out there.

Trent

'09 Tour W/ Jane's Addiction to be Last for NIN?

Consumer or Music Lover: You Decide

Before Kevin Roberts became the CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi he told them, "We're not going to be in the advertising business anymore, we're going to reframe that, we're going to be in the ideas business."

When Trent Reznor developed and adapted a new model to deliver Ghosts I-IV to his audience he reframed what it meant to be in the music business. Understanding that free was inescapable and multipliable formats were inevitable, he established six points of participation for fans. By catering to the resurgence of vinyl and allowing interaction with multi-track files he went on to challenge market abundance with scarcity by increasing the level of personalization and authenticity. Thus making the purchase, Better Than Free for his core fans.

Roberts goes onto say, "We're all looking to get to the future first and it's going to come from you. It's not going to come from the engineers or the merchant bankers." To paraphrase, we're all looking to get to the future first in the music industry and it's not going to come from the major labels, the lawyers, or the managers. It's going to come from you, the creative individuals. Through strategic, creative insight and foresight there is still room to succeed in the music industry today.

Continuing his path of innovation, Reznor is now offering special incentives for participating in his market research survey. This brings to light Roberts later comment that "EMI and Sony BMG know more about the CD market than anybody in the world, but who cares, because there isn't one anymore." In an adapt or die market, Trent's freedom allows him to ask for his fans advice. Depending on the success of the survey this information could advocate the justification of future special projects previously unheard of. Gaining a deeper level of understanding of what his fans want and how they interact with the music he creates will garner the further insight and foresight needed to travel uncharted territory.

In Malcolm Gladwell's article The Ketchup Conundrum he speaks of Howard Moskowitz who holds a doctorate from Harvard in psychophysics. Moskowitz, most notably known for revolutionizing spaghetti sauce, brought forth the understanding of multiple varieties rather than searching for the platonic or perfect dish. Previously working with Pepsi, Howard understood that there was no perfect Pepsi, only perfect Pepsi's. Paraphrasing Gladwell, "Standard practice in the music industry would have been to convene a focus group and ask music lovers what they wanted. But Moskowitz does not believe that consumers-even music lovers-know what they desire if what they desire does not yet exist."

What Howard Moskowitz and Trent Reznor have in common is their understanding of the need for multiple varieties as well as the notion that a fan can't desire what does not yet exist. With the Major Labels recent introduction of pre-loaded SanDisk microSD cards, it makes you wonder, between Trent Reznor and The Major Labels...

Who is surveying the music consumer and who is surveying the music lover?

Kyle Bylin

Consumer or Music Lover: You Decide