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Last Autumn everyone sat up and went 'wow, gosh!' as Radiohead released In Rainbows in a seemingly ingenious 'pay what you want' deal. Once all the dust settled and everyone realised that in fact it was but a cunning marketing ploy what with a physical release of the album also coming out earlier this year and with a hearty £50 a ticket tour being announced to make Oxford's finest richer than sin. Indeed it was a bold move but merely the act of a band with no label restrictions and lead man Thom Yorke has recently admitted that the group won't be doing anything of the sort again.However...
A certain Trent Reznor, the creative input behind industrial metallists Nine Inch Nails, really seems to be taking the idea and running with it. Only a month after releasing the instrumental only Ghosts I-IV, Nine Inch Nails return with another album, The Slip. Commenting upon the band's official site, Reznor leaves a simple but gratifying statement: "thank you for your continued and loyal support over the years - this one's on me". A man re-knowned for keeping fans waiting, it's excellent to see Trent hitting a creative mine and allowing his disciples the chance to hear it for free. Let's not forget that last month's Ghosts offering came in several packages in varying prices, yet the first CD of the four was offered as a free download. Better yet, Nine Inch Nails seem positively buoyant again, refreshing to see after they slid frustratingly into the mundane towards the end of their record deal. The links for both FREE downloads are below:
THE SLIP- new album from Nine Inch Nails.
GHOSTS I-IV- a four-CD instrumental set with prices varying from FREE (Ghosts I only) to $75 (deluxe edition).
Still not convinced? Here's a track from the new album to whet your appetite:
Nine Inch Nails- Discipline (large file- Apple lossless M4a format)
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This got me thinking of other free albums and EPs made available online. This blog has already featured free albums from shoegazers Time. Space. Repeat and The Crimea as well as a free EP by London's Super Tennis (click Downloads under 'peruse these' to find.) But my friends there are more and I'll provide a small selection of links here, although oddly enough let's start with a single, Coldplay's new track.
Coldplay- Violet Hill
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Now; funnily enough having mentioned Radiohead, what should pop up a couple of months later than an album of In Rainbows remixes by producer Amplive. Resisting a 'cease and desist' threat from the group's publishers, Amplive has gone ahead and made the album available for free anyway, to get it just click below.
Amplive- Rainydayz Remixes
And here's a track from the album if your not sure:
Amplive- 15 Stepz
Contemporaries of the same time frame if not musical styles at least, The Charlatans also took advantage of label freedom and decided to offer their new album, You Cross My Path, up for free on independent radio station XFM's website:
The Charlatans- You Cross My Path
The Charlatans- Oh! Vanity
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