In an unusual nod to the popularity of free music online, the rock act Nine Inch Nails is offering its new album, “The Slip,” through its Web site — for nothing.
The album, which became available for download just after 3 a.m. Eastern time on Monday, appears to represent the first time a superstar act has distributed an entire album without any opportunity for people to pay for it. Its release comes two months after the band issued the instrumental album “Ghosts I-IV” and allowed fans to obtain a portion of it for free or the entire recording for $5. Before that, the British rock act Radiohead broke with convention by offering its 2007 album, “In Rainbows,” online under a tip-jar-style setup in which people could name their own price — including zero.
Mr. Reznor’s new offer could serve as another test of how the easy availability of free music online affects subsequent CD sales and other money-making opportunities. “The Slip” will not be sold on CD or vinyl until at least July, according to representatives for the band. But the free digital version could stoke interest for Nine Inch Nails’ recently announced concert tour. Already, radio stations have shown interest in “Discipline,” a song from “The Slip” that was released about two weeks ago.
As with the “Ghosts I-IV,” the new album is being released with a Creative Commons license, an unconventional type of intellectual-property license that allows the copyright holder to specify which rights it does and does not reserve. The band is allowing fans to share or remix the music for non-commercial purposes.
The record industry, which has suffered a protracted sales slump, has experimented with a handful of ventures built on offering music for free while generating revenue from advertising sales. And free music is becoming part of many big acts’ publicity campaigns. Last week, the British rock act Coldplay, signed to the music giant EMI Group, announced that it is offering “Violet Hill,” the first single from its upcoming album, for free for a limited time.
Not everyone seems convinced that such giveaways will emerge as much more than a promotional gimmick — not even Radiohead’s Thom Yorke. He recently told The Hollywood Reporter trade paper that his band’s pay-what-you-want offer was a one-time thing. “I don’t think it would have the same significance now anyway, if we chose to give something away again,” he said. “It was a moment in time.”
But Jim Guerinot, the talent manager whose clients include Nine Inch Nails, suggested otherwise. “I think free has been very important for a long time,” he said. He noted that Nine Inch Nails itself oversaw the leaking of certain tracks from its last major-label album, 2007’s “Year Zero,” as part of a reality game designed to excite fans. Since the now-independent band controls its own recordings, he added, it can “acknowledge what the marketplace is already showing us: free exists whether you want to acknowledge it or not. Let’s acknowledge that, use it and do something with it.”
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