NIN Experiment Gets Off to a Slooooow Start

Trent Reznor is enjoying his post-major label freedom, but independence carries its own baggage. On Sunday, the NIN creator launched an experimental album release, one that includes both free and paid elements. That echoes an earlier, groundbreaking concept by Radiohead, one that yielded mixed results.

The offer was godsend for die-hard NIN fans, though the site started buckling under the pressure. By Monday evening, the site was pulled down for maintenance reasons. "We thought we bought enough beer but too many of you showed up for the party," Reznor apologized.

But fans have other options for grabbing the content. That includes Amazon MP3, which nabbed a semi-exclusive on the album download. The complete album, available for $5, was fed to Amazon via TuneCore. Elsewhere, Reznor also seeded BitTorrent with the first part of the four-volume collection. And a traditional, physical release is slated for April 8th, according to one knowledgeable source.