Yesterday Nine Inch Nails released their latest album “Ghosts I-IV” under a Creative Commons license. The album is 100% DRM-free, available in a wide range of formats (Apple Lossless, MP3, CD, Vinyl, DVD, Book) and can be instantly downloaded from www.ghosts.nin.com for a suggested $5 donation (meanwhile, the first nine tracks are available for free download from the website).

I believe that releasing music under a CC License will be a growing trend in the next year. The benefits of accumulating a larger fan base far outweighs any miniscule album sale profits.

By forfeiting the exclusive ‘right to copy’, NIN is allowing this new album to penetrate the market faster, and on a larger scale. Under Creative Commons he still has the right to profit from selling physical copies of his work, he will still be credited for his work, and still be paid if his music is used for commercial purposes. Again, the main difference is that people on the internet can share his music without breaking the law (aka. getting RIAA-ed)

As an added benefit, being an early adopter for a Creative Commons License is worth millions in marketing for NIN: it’s currently the #1 most dugg story; and likely to be mentioned by every other blogger citing the end of the music industry.