NIN release free CD, announce tour dates

With no fanfare, Nine Inch Nails posted a free download of their new album, “The Slip,” on the band’s official website early this morning, creating a global stir among fans of Nails auteur Trent Reznor and his dark, industrial soundscapes. The decision to post the album was meant as a gesture of gratitude to fans, Reznor said in a posting: “Thank you for your continued and loyal support over the years -- this one's on me.”

More than that, Reznor has jumped to the fore among major artists in the search for the best method to get their music to fans in the unsettled era of digital delivery and plummeting CD sales. “The Slip,” which has 10 tracks, is available at www.nin.com, in a variety of formats (including one billed as a “higher-than-CD quality” 24-bit 96k version), all of them free and delivered with album artwork, lyrics and credits as a PDF file.

Management for the band said it was the first time that an act of the Nails' stature had released a DRM-free, no-cost digital download of a brand new studio album. Radiohead made headlines in October for a “pay what you want” model, when their album “In Rainbows” was sold on a so-called tip-jar model where fans picked the price, even if it was zero.

“The Slip” will be sold in CD and vinyl format in July. The album has Reznor leading a lineup of Josh Freese, Robin Finck and Alessandro Cortini. The Nails will be touring this summer and fall (including a just-announced L.A. gig at the Forum on Sept. 6), and fans who register at the band’s website will be able to access premium seats through ticket pre-sales.

-- Geoff Boucher

Photo of Trent Reznor by Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times