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Trent Reznor, the man behind Nine Inch Nails, has finally said "fuck it" and launched a site where fans can mashup and remix NIN tracks. Reznor had faced resistance from UMG, owner of his former label, Interscope, which controls the masters being remixed. UMG thought it might not look so good if it permitted users to upload mashups that may contain other copyright-protected content, while at the same time it pursues a massive copyright claim against News Corp for doing the same thing with MySpace. The label was going to permit the use of its masters for remixing, but wanted Reznor to assume liability for hosting the peer-produced content.
This isn't the first time Reznor has had a run-in with his label over copyright, marketing and new media strategies. Earlier this year he lambasted his label over the "absurd" price of his CD, and then called on fans to steal his music rather than buy it.
Nor is this the first time artists have
embraced their fans creative impulses. The Barenaked Ladies did
something similar last year. One slight difference is that BNL cleverly
sought to monetize fans' desire to mashup their music by selling downloads of the
individual tracks underlying certain songs. BNL have also built brand
loyalty by incorporating social media "celebrities" into their videos,
and distributing that where people want to see it: on sites like
YouTube (and everywhere else they can, for that matter).
All of this goes to show just how out of touch (thanks for the link Trent) some of the execs at major labels are, not only with digital technology and music fans, but also with artists. At least we've got people like Reznor, BNL and others in the CMCC working toward a more positive and prosperous digital music environment. Let's hope they continue to have an impact.
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