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Originally Posted by The Beatsmith  what's the business idea behind this? |
First of all, Trent has enough money that honestly he doesn't have to worry about it. Hell, he could quit music and touring overall and just write a book and go on speaking engagements at this point and have enough money to live lush for the rest of his life. In short- there doesn't have to be a business idea.
However, I think there is a business idea. I think he wants to sell out this next tour in a massive way. He normally has pretty good ticket sales, but releasing in essence 5 albums between tours, all for free is a pretty good way to stimulate interest. There's no way a NIN fan will be able to think, "Oh, I've already seen them on tour... it's just going to be the same thing".
He's also still giving the industry a major finger. He's doing so much work by himself and/or with a tight group of people. He doesn't need a record company, and he's letting them know it. That in itself is a major idea for him I believe.
Also, just for overall reputation, the press that he is getting (and not to make the comparison but that Radiohead got too) from doing these is setting him out beyond the competition in a serious way. He couldn't pay for this type of publicity, and likely figures that any money made with a "traditional record company" would be worth less than what this publicity is worth.
No amount of posters, billboards, TV spots, etc would get him this type of attention. Trent knows how to use social media online, he knows his fanbase and he's having a great time with all of it.
Trent's other business idea is to release as much as possible, as often as possible. No record company schedules, no listening groups, no worrying about what Wal*Mart will think. He is without contraints. I'm sure many of us wish we could say that.