Nine Inch Nails NIN News LJ

Photoblog: "Local hype crew"

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 22:21:05 GMT

"Local hype crew"

Please place comments HERE

photoblog: "A man, a plan, a canal..." +1

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 21:39:01 GMT

Rob and Trent posted two almost identical pics within minutes of each other.

"A man, a plan, a canal..."

"A man, a plan, a canal: Panama."

This will be the first post of the day, please leave comments here

Gratuitous mod post about the bot plague.

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 17:45:08 GMT

Like thousands of others on Livejournal over the past few months, you may have been added by a random "Russian" user, or several.
They are automated, they collect and repost content from the journals of the people they add. (You know, you.)
They may also be looking for personal information, but that's just a theory at this point.

The good news is that Livejournal Abuse are suspending them. They haven't yet made a way to automatically detect them, but they're working on it.
You have to report them using: http://www.livejournal.com/abuse/report.bml (Just don't choose the "Someone added me to their Friends list" option, it's a dead end, I choose "other" at that point)

If you're interested in more information: http://nympholept.livejournal.com/tag/russian+bots
If people on your friends list are also being effected, please direct them to that URL.

Photoblog: "Survivalism" + 6

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 16:34:01 GMT

"Survivalism"

"Excited fans"

"Discipline"

"Preshow warmup: nutz2buttz"

"Santiago soundcheck"

"Just hangin' out backstage"

"More friends around the world "

Previously, we've edited pics into one post per day, to minimise flooding your friends page, but we're setting up an automated system now to take the load off the maintainers.
From now on, we'll be posting pics immediately when they happen, as thumbnail images, and the large image under a cut.

At the end of every day, we will condense the posts into one post, edited into the first post of the day.
This means we'll lose any comments to those posts, so we'll be locking comments and asking you to leave comments on the first post of the day.

We did have a poll about this, but it broke :(
It was pretty close, with this option slightly in the lead.

the broken poll:

View Poll: #1271935

(I said "slightly in the lead" because the maintainers are unanimous about the first option, but had not voted yet.)

photoblog: "BRMC"

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 23:47:52 GMT

"BRMC"

More Tap Tap Revenge news

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 15:11:44 GMT

An update about the previous nin.com news:
link to techcrunch.com article

In what may well stand as a defining moment in the maturation of Apple’s App Store, Tapulous has announced that it has partnered with the band Nine Inch Nails to release a premium version of its popular game Tap Tap Revenge some time in October. The application will include a NIN-centric theme, as well as over a dozen of the band’s songs from its last two albums. The partnership is among the first to bring licensed content to an iPhone application, and will likely prompt a wave of similar deals between other musicians and applications on the platform.

That article is pretty small, but we can't find anything better. Gizmodo have taken those words and added some bad puns:
link to gizmodo.com article

Tapulous—the creators of that Perfect Drug of an appl, Tap Tap Revenge—is partnering up with Nine Inch Nails to put over a dozen of the band's songs in the game. The alliance will be one of the first to bring licensed content to iPhone apps and, depending on how successful it is, could mark a surge of similar musician/application deals. Considering how addictive the game (with a Capital G) is, this NIN-bundle could be the thing that'll suck you Into The Tap Tap Revenge Void.

There are other links at the techcrunch article, but there don't appear to be any further details yet.

Thanks to leviathant and Andréa at theninhotline :)
edit: oh, the hotline article has been deleted now. oh well!

Just so we know whether to bother with Tap Tap updates:

View Poll: #1269757

Photoblog: Airport chaos

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 13:49:39 GMT

"Airport chaos"

Offbeat Magazine (october 08) Interview: Before the Slip

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 09:57:55 GMT

Interview from the October issue of Offbeat magazine (a music mag from New Orleans, for the foreigners like me). There's nothing hugely revelationary but it gives Trent's opinion on what he's gone through over the last 10 years, and a lot of discussion about his time in New Orleans.
link here

Trent Reznor speaks in full sentences.

Most interview subjects don’t, but it’s likely that the architect of Nine Inch Nails has sorted out his relationships to his demons through an extensive internal dialogue, and the time spent in self-analysis has made him articulate in situations where many others are thinking on the fly. He only breaks composure and sputters for a moment when talking about the Republican National Convention.

This has been a productive year for Reznor. He has released two albums, the four-disc Ghosts I-IV and five months’ later, The Slip. The former is a set of instrumental tracks looking for a movie to accompany, while The Slip is more traditional Nine Inch Nails. It’s not as cataclysmic as The Downward Spiral, but how many times can anyone write “Closer”? The issues that have fueled his music remain (“I still haven’t found my place,” he sings), but his imagery has become less gothic over the years, and he has developed a more personal sound that shares industrial artists’ love of texture without being constricted by it.

As anyone who saw his performance at Voodoo 2005 at the Fly can attest, time hasn’t mellowed him onstage, and on the occasion of this interview, he’s nursing a raw voice. It’s partly a result of the first leg of Nine Inch Nails’ tour, but, he says, “I also came down this acid reflex situation that has irritated my vocal cords. One of the tolls of getting older is that things are falling apart.”

The music business is one of those things, so much so that he chose not to renew his contract with Interscope Records in 2007 when he had met his obligations to the label. Fed up with its exploitation of his audience, he released his last two albums himself in a variety of formats, from free downloads to deluxe packages. “The people who hold the keys to the music are so greedy that they’d rather watch their businesses disappear and everyone steal music.”

Is it hard to find the emotions necessary to play a decades-old song?
I think that the emotions have changed over the years. Certainly, there was a long strand of time where I was really fueled by self-destructiveness, and this kind of self-resentment, hatred thing. Some of the songs have vanished from the set list, but, there isn’t a night that goes by that we play “Hurt,” for example, that I’m not teleported back to some place that it’s not acting.

I’ve said this for years now: If I start to feel like Gene Simmons probably feels now sleazing into his codpiece singing about 16-year-olds, I would really have to reassess what music and this career means to me.

So far, it’s always been a genuine thing that comes from “I’m either going to go crazy, or I’m either going to kill somebody or myself if I don’t write this down or get it out in some way.” Music has been my avenue. I’ve been able to do that, and then, surprisingly, it found an audience. That in turn changed my life and gave me the luxury to be able to do this for living and not have to clean toilets—which I’m good at—but I prefer to play music. It’s always served that function. Where it got complicated was when we did start to sell records and have an audience. A lot of new things came into play. Outside of lifestyle changes, there’s also a sense of responsibility to the audience. What do they want? Why did they like that? Should I try to pretend that I don’t pay attention to that and just do—what?

Does it help you creatively to have someone or something to rage against?
Certainly, there was a time that used to be me. I had it built into myself. I destroyed myself. As I grew out of that, I wondered, “Am I ever going kick into Paul McCartney mode where feeling good just makes me want to write music or whatever the fuck songwriters write about?” I realized that’s not the role that music plays for me. If I feel good, I don’t want to sit in a room and write a song. I want to enjoy feeling good. This is for trying to get out of the hole. I’ve learned that having some kind of catalyst inspires me to speak up about it in some fashion. Experiments made me realize that there are more possibilities than putting a gun to my head in a room somewhere. We’ll see what happens.

What does it feel like to realize that the music you made changed people’s lives
I remember the first tour we ever went on, and I hadn’t really traveled much as a kid, and I’m in a van now opening for any band that will have us. I’m in Tulsa, Oklahoma, never been there. Play in a club of a few hundred people; they’re there to see somebody else. And you look out and see a guy singing, that guy knows the words. And, it seems like he means it, like I’ve touched something in that guy and it has some connection. Growing up, my best friends were Pink Floyd albums and I could relate to that guy. I don’t know Roger Waters, but he’s explaining how I feel. And I’m somehow becoming that to somebody else. It’s still a mind-blowing feeling, and that’s the coolest thing of all of this.

Is it—or has it ever been—a heavy load to carry?
There are times, certainly over the years, you get an inflated sense of self-importance, and you start to think that with enough people around kissing your ass and giving you money, and who want to hang out with you all of a sudden—I’d say anybody would go through a personality shift, and if you’re somebody not that well-rounded emotionally like me, it’s ripe to become somebody that thinks his or her shit doesn’t stink. I’m sure I’ve gone through a phase where you start to feel people are looking at you for some kind of guidance. All of that is bullshit. I just try to do the best work I can, and when I’m faced with whatever injustices that come in this line of work, whether it be record labels, or the way you’re treated, or issues of commerce versus art, just try to do what you feel is the right thing. Place the music and the art at the highest point of the pyramid. Try to always respect that. That’s a tough thing to do to. It’s tough not to just go for the money.

How long did you spend in New Orleans, and what drew you to it?
We put our first record out at the end of ’89, and we started touring at the beginning of 1990, primarily in the US. I grew up in Pennsylvania in a small town, and every time we’d come to New Orleans, it felt like another planet. It seemed like the weirdest place I had ever been. It wasn’t an overwhelmingly big city to me, but the culture, the tradition, the smell of the air, and the way it looks—things I never paid attention to like architecture. What I grew up seeing was steel row architecture. Houses you lived in, you didn’t see as art. They just functioned. And to see a sense of tradition, and the people I met. You can drink a beer outside! Oh my God! It was just mind-blowing.

I was living in Cleveland at the time, and after a few rounds of the US towards the end of ’90, I came back home. It was winter, my apartment had been broken into, I was living in the ghetto. The city I thought would be supportive of a band making it out of there was quite the opposite. I was bitter and jealous and resentful. And, I said, “You know what? Fuck this place.” I got in my car and rented an apartment in New Orleans because I liked it. There was no more thought than that, and I ended up staying there on and off until 2003. I look at it fondly. I miss it. I hope to return.

The reason I left really is that I know in my own psychology, one of the reasons I liked it there was I could isolate. I could hide from the world. I wasn’t in L.A. I was far enough away that I wasn’t going to get sucked into meetings or people who intimidated me. I wanted to hide out pretty much, and it dawned on me a few years ago that at this point in my life, I need to be around my peers. And, pretty much all the people that do what I do live in L.A., so I thought, “Let me try it for a while.” I’ve got a place up there now, but it doesn’t really feel like home.

It seems like New Orleanians tend to respect a celebrity’s privacy.
I had very little trouble. Living in the Garden District, I became a part of the Anne Rice tour, I think. You could ask any cab driver and they could take you to my front door if you wanted to. I bought this place that had a nice balcony around the house. I thought this would be great so I could have coffee out on the balcony, but on the first day, I realized, “Oh, there’s a walking tour of 20 people watching me in my underpants.”

I remember when a friend of mine from New York first came down to visit in New Orleans. He said, “This place is pretty cool. Everyone is concerned with being cool in New York. Here, nobody’s cool and everybody’s having fun.” It stuck with me.

What worked for you in New Orleans?
I like the pace of the city, and I like the people that I met, and I grew up in a pretty tradition-free environment, a small family. There was Christmas and Thanksgiving; there was one parade during the summer. And, it seemed like there was a whole other vibe going on down there. And, as I got into living there, I found things that helped me stay sane like riding my bike around, thunderstorms in summer afternoons, sweating profusely, being hot in the middle of the night—things that I like. I like that kind of thing. Where I grew up, it was hot for a week. You had to make the most of it.

There’s something in the whole make-up of the city that really struck a chord with me. It was the first time I lived in a place and I really enjoyed being there. You never feel out of place.

In an interview, you said New Orleans is “a flawed place.” What were you thinking of?
I had a really good friend that worked for me at my studio. He was a black guy. He was murdered while I was there. He was a product of the projects. He’s the guy that would watch my house while I was gone; I’d trust him with my life. I got an insight into a culture that I wasn’t exposed to, from where I came from and who I was around. And, I really got a firsthand glimpse of some of the hopelessness of growing up in an environment of feeling discarded, feeling like you don’t have a chance. I got a real insight into some race-relation issues. Their views of white people, for example, that I hadn’t seen first hand, hadn’t experienced. It changed me pretty profoundly because I think up to that point, I was always forming opinions according to my experience, my upbringing, and my values. When you realize there’s a whole faction of people that have been brought up completely differently, it’s unfair for me to judge them or expect that they would have the same values I have. If there was one good thing that came from Katrina, it was this flashlight of national and world attention on just how bad poverty and conditions are in a major American city.

Was it a conscious decision not to be involved in the music community while you were here?
It wasn’t a conscious decision not to integrate into anything, but the kind of music I was doing didn’t lend itself to a lot of jam sessions or whatnot. And, I think one of the biggest factors—and this is something I think I’ve kind of gotten away from in a good way now—was that I always felt intimidated. Over the last few years, maturing and sobriety have helped me feel a lot more relaxed about that. I feel more confident about things. I think that if the current version of me were living in New Orleans, it would be a different scenario. But, I blame myself, not the city.

Comparatively speaking, your time here was not terribly productive. Is it hard to work in New Orleans?
When I lived in New Orleans, I really devolved into addiction, and I became alcoholic. I bottomed out while I was in New Orleans, and I got better while I was New Orleans. And, I’m not at all blaming New Orleans. I just happened to be there. I’m sure it probably nudged me along and made the road a little quicker, but that was going to happen to me regardless of where I was. A lot of my lack of productivity wasn’t the city; it was me being drunk, me trying to kill myself in a certain way.

That’s not why I moved away. I considered that when I first got clean. I thought I should just get out of here and avoid this place, but I didn’t want to put the city on that list of things that I was running away from. And, when I made the decision to leave, it was a very difficult decision to make and a painful one. I had a house that I liked and a studio I loved being in, and I knew I wouldn’t have those things of the caliber anywhere else. Space-wise and financially, it was comfortable and easy for me to stay there. But, I knew that in my evolution of my trajectory, I needed an additional view out of the window. I feel confident that to leave was the right thing to do. I also feel that I managed to put it away in the right category in my mind, filed away as a place I missed and look forward to returning to versus ugh, I can’t go there because that’s where bad things happened.

Were you having addiction issues before moving to New Orleans?
I’ve met many addicts; they had their first beer at age 13 and knew that’s what they want to do. That wasn’t me. I felt like I was pretty normal until really mid-’90s when fame kicked it and I was probably the least secure about who I was. I had all these new friends. There’s a zero at the end of my bank account. I can buy a house. Things like that were happening and somewhere along the line, I realized that we had been on tour for two-and-a-half years solid that started in theaters and ended up in sold-out arenas. The bus stops, and I realize that I have a beer in my hand and I’ve had that same beer in my hand the last couple of years pretty much since lunch. Then the tour stopped, but the party didn’t stop. I realized that I’d turned into something that I really didn’t plan on becoming. I became this guy, and is that me? When did I become that guy?

It’s a tough process realizing hey, my life is pretty terrible right now and if I look down, I can see a trail of vodka bottles leading to where I am; I wonder if that has anything to do with it? And to try to identify yourself as someone with a drinking problem—it took me longer than I wished to truly accept that and then deal with it the right way. Finally, I’d had enough, and I’ve proven to myself, yeah, I am that guy. I can either do something about it, or I can die.

Are drugs easier to get here?
Were they easy to get in New Orleans? Yeah, but I haven’t found them hard to find anywhere if I wanted them. Again, I can’t and don’t blame New Orleans. I could have been in—name a remote location—and if I wanted them bad enough, I would find a way to find what I needed.

It looked like you were in really good shape at Voodoo 2005. Did you replace one addiction with one for exercise?
Probably. I put one addiction in the bag, and something else tries to creep up. The resentment I had when I got clean and I woke up out of a stupor, and went, “Several years of my life are gone. How old am I? Fuck.” I’m happy I got my life back together, but I wish I could have condensed that time into a couple of months instead of several years. I think part of it was, “If I stop doing this, I can focus on trying to get myself back in shape and take care of myself.” I probably took that to extreme at some points.

A friend of mine who’s an addict had a great line: “Really, all I want to do is just not feel bad.” My life is about trying not to feel bad, and left to my own devices, I feel bad, and that’s why I turned to drugs or alcohol in the first place. Whatever I can do now—physically or spiritually or mentally—if I can do something that makes me feel better about myself, I’d like to do it. Something that’s not causing harm to somebody else, that’s not causing harm to me.

I’ve heard a number of rumors; what was your role in helping Voodoo 2005 happen in New Orleans?
Simply, we were looking forward to playing it and then Katrina hit. My manager and I started thinking, “Let’s get in touch with Stephen [Rehage, Voodoo’s promoter]. If there’s a way to do it that doesn’t take resources away from the city that might help in some way, even if it’s just giving people an afternoon to not think about how miserable the situation is—I’d be happy to dedicate our time to do that. And that’s really all it was. Stephen pulled it together, and I called up some of the bands. Queens of the Stone Age were on tour with us, and I asked them if they would be interested in helping out with their time. We’re going to do it, and they said yeah sure, and that’s all the credit I can have for that. But, I will say, playing it was fun. I wish I could have done more. If we weren’t on tour, I would have gone down and volunteered. My manager actually did; he called buddies of his. They got a semi truck to meet them and bought a bunch of stuff from Costco and delivered it all along the Mississippi to some places.

Why did you release The Slip so quickly on the Heels of Ghosts I-IV?
Ghosts was just an experiment, and I thought it would be five or six EPs. Initially, it was just going to be something fun to do. I wouldn’t have been able to pull it off on a major label because they wouldn’t understand what it is. They’re only made to sell big things. Ghosts wound up being four CDs’ long somehow. I know that was indulgent, but I figured if it was reasonably priced and it was something that explained what it is, we’ll see what happens.

We had booked a tour at that point, and I knew we were going to be going out late spring, early summerish. I thought it might be nice to have a tangible, vocal-driven single that feels a bit more in the world of Nine Inch Nails. Five weeks later, there was another album down somehow. I think it was because there was no expectation and I didn’t feel pressure. I didn’t go at that record feeling like, “This has to be the big, important statement. It’s is going to define me for the next five years.” My response right now is not to put less care in things, but to treat it like a magazine issue instead of the next big novel. Maybe it’s a short story, and maybe one comes out every six months.

Metallica and Coldplay would be the best examples that I can think of offhand, of entire companies’ livelihoods dependent on these giant bands, so they’re going to market them in an old school way that costs lots of money. And, they’re going to buy slots on radio stations, and they’re going to pump it in every avenue they can find, and they’re going to bombard you with this event of this record. If you’re one of maybe five [bands] in the world that have a big enough audience or are mainstream enough to tap into something that might resonate, you might get that push. If not, you’re like the other 99 percent of bands that put stuff out.

Everyone’s got iPods that can hold 10,000 albums and everyone steals music and shares music. Before your record’s even out, it’s already been half-listened to by people and put on with the rest of them. As an artist, I wish it was the days when I grew up where you saved up five bucks, you bought a record and you listened to that record even if you didn’t like it. You’d invested in it, and you found yourself listening to it and listening to it. You spent time with it, and you got into it. You read in between the lines, and you read into what was being said. If I could wave a magic wand, that’s how the audience respond. They would spend time. And, there are some people, I believe, that do that. But, the vinyl record with the nice artwork turned into an ugly CD in a plastic package, then that’s turned into a little anonymous file on a computer with maybe a postage stamp graphic for the album cover, then that turned into a torrent file somewhere that became a competition to everybody of how fast can you steal something and how much can you steal of it. The importance of the art and the music gets lost in the quantity of the collection.

I’ve learned you can bitch about these things, and it’s not going to change anything. Or, you can accept, right now this is how things are; how can I adapt and still maintain my dignity and try to put out the best art I can?

People still like music; it’s just the way they’re consuming it and the value they’re placing on it is different. I bet a lot of kids have never paid for music and don’t feel like they should have to, and you can’t argue with that. I know why they feel that way. You can point the blame at greedy record companies and inferior, overpriced product, and the consumer feeling ripped off for a long time. I think that if you tacked on a couple of dollars on everybody’s ISP bill and you could download all the music you want, I don’t think anyone would really bitch about that, once they quit bitching the first week they found out about it. Right now, you’re paying for the Discovery Channel and you probably don’t know that or care. The reason that’ll never happen is because the people who hold the keys to the music are so greedy that they’d never agree to split that pie up.

Your solution seems to be to trust your fans, rather than treat them as a market ripe for exploiting, which has been the major labels’ way. You’ve put your financial fate in your fans’ hands.
With mixed results, but if it wasn’t for fans, we wouldn’t be talking right now, and I’d be doing something else. I always try to put a record out or design a T-shirt or work out production for a tour through the filter of, “Do I think that’s cool? As a fan, would I like this?” I am a fan, and I know what’s always appealed to me. If we’re going to sell this for this much, are you going to get value? Are you going to feel ripped off? If I just put out Ghosts for $5 or $300—and if you get the $300 one, the last thing I want you to say was, “Ehh, it’s okay.” I want you to go, “Goddamn, this is the nicest thing I’ve ever seen!” And you know what? It is, in my opinion. We spared no expense to do something we couldn’t do at a major label. Every bit of it was as nice a quality as we could come up with.

Then to think, “Oh, I’m going to put The Slip out and I’m asking you to pay to come see it in concert. Two weeks later, we’re going to put tickets on sale. You know what—let’s give them The Slip. That’ll be our marketing plan.” Is it the right move in the long run? I don’t know. It felt right at the time. It’s something that wouldn’t work for an unknown band; I know that.

An interesting extension of that is making the tracks for The Slip available to fans for remixing, putting your art in the hands of your fans.
A few years ago when we put out With Teeth, I was doing some press in Europe sitting in my hotel room bored out of my mind. I realized on my laptop—a Mac—there was GarageBand, a simplified version of the same program we used to record in the studio. Multitrack editing. Very easy to switch up drum beats. A nice library of stuff. It’s geared toward the home enthusiast. But behind it is a very powerful audio sequencer. I wondered if I could load in one of our songs to it as a way for people to do remixes. A couple of hours later, I’d fit “The Hand That Feeds” into it, and gave it out to the guys in the crew and said, “See how this works” Within five minutes, I had a polka version, some terrible stuff, but it was a fun toy to play around with. I decided to see if I could hoodwink our record label to let me give out the tracks as an easy way to do remixes. I don’t think they understood what I was talking about, but they let me do it. We put out “The Hand That Feeds” as a multitrack download and within a couple of months, there were thousands of remixes.

That led to us doing it with the next single, and finally, when we had the ability to do it without record labels being involved, we put out the whole thing as multitrack downloads. It created a whole community of bedroom remixers, and some have done some great stuff, to a point where I probably wouldn’t hire any quote-unquote professional remixers because their cover has been blown. And it’s been a fun thing to do. We have a part of our Web site that’s set up to share and put up your remixes and listen to other people’s stuff. It seemed like the right thing to do. There’s no direct pipeline of cash coming to me from it.

I’m not precious about it. I’m done with the song; here’s the components of a song. I think it turned a lot of people on to how a song is constructed, the sonic structure. I just stole “Bohemian Rhapsody”—the multitracks—off the Internet because I wanted to hear how it was put together.

Finally, what makes you laugh?
[laughs] I think I’ve got a pretty good sense of humor, and for a while I was typecast as this vampire, no-fun-allowed kind of person. We’re the kings of practical jokes, usually on each other. And anything that has to do with farting is funny.

Published October 2008, OffBeat Louisiana Music & Culture Magazine, Volume 21, No. 10.

nin.com blog: "heading south"

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:14:00 GMT

on http://nin.com, Trent says:

9.29.08: heading south

On the road again... Leaving fall to arrive in spring. We are very much looking forward to playing for you, South America!
In other news, check the iPhone app store in the coming days. Tapulous is releasing a NIN-branded version of their popular Tap Tap Revenge game featuring music from... that's right, Nine Inch Nails! More details soon.
TR

posted by trent reznor at 4:21pm

Yeah, iphone spam direct from Trent. sorry.
Also, sorry this is late, my feedreader has been playing up. Feel free to post nin.com updates if you see them before we do.

Photoblog: "Here we go again"

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:40:49 GMT

"Here we go again"

We're testing out something new.

official NIN mailing list: Nine Inch Nails survey

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 02:20:22 GMT

Trent just sent out this email.

Message from Trent:

Hello everyone.
I'd like to thank everyone for a very successful year so far in the world
of Nine Inch Nails. I'm enjoying my couple of weeks off between legs of
our Lights In The Sky tour and got to thinking... "wouldn't it be fun to
send out a survey to everyone that's shown interest in NIN?"Well, that's
not exactly how it went, but regardless - here it is. As we've moved from
the familiar world of record labels and BS into the unknown world of doing
everything yourself, we've realized it would benefit us and our ability to
interact with you if we knew more about what you want, what you like, what
you look like naked, etc.I know it's a pain in the ass but we'd truly
appreciate it if you'd take a minute and help us out. As an incentive,
everyone who completes the survey will be able to download a video of live
performance from this most recent tour (and I know what's going through
your little minds right now: "I'll just grab this off a torrent site and
not have to fill out the survey!!!" and guess what? You will be able to
do just that and BEAT THE SYSTEM!!!! NIN=pwn3d!!!)
BUT
What if we were to select some of those that DO complete the survey and
provide them with something really cool? I'm not saying we'll ever get
around to it, but if we did maybe something like signed stuff, flying
someone to a show somewhere in the world, a magic amulet that makes you
invisible, a date with Jeordie White (condoms supplied of course), you
know - something cool. See, you'd miss that opportunity AND be a
cheater.
Do the right thing - help us out. You'll feel better.

Thank you and I've had too much caffeine this morning,
Trent

Visit here to take the survey:
https://www.questionpro.com/akira/TakeSurvey?id=1049187

The poll questions:

Please enter your email address
Are you male or female?
What is your age?
Where do you live?
If USA, what state do you live in?
Your Zip Code? (5 digit version)
Do you have Ghosts I-IV?
If so, which version
Did you download The Slip?
If so, from what source?
If so, how did you first hear about it?
Have you ever bought a Nine Inch Nails release digitally?
If so, which ones? (check all that apply)
If so, from which sources? (check all that apply)
Have you ever downloaded a Nine Inch Nails release from P2P or other non-retail download service?
If so, which ones? (check all that apply)
if so, from which services? (check all that apply)
Favorite OVERALL Nine Inch Nails song
Favorite LIVE Nine Inch Nails song
Have you seen Nine Inch Nails live before?
Is so, how many times?
if so, how did you FIRST hear about the show?
Where did you get tickets?
If you haven't attended a NIN show recently, why not?
What would you like to see more of from nin.com (PLEASE SELECT UP TO 3)
Approximately how many hours a week do you spend on nin.com?
How frequently do you visit nin.com from your mobile phone?
click all that apply to you
Which of the following you are a member of AND use on a regular basis? (check all that apply)
Which of the following websites do you visit more than once a week for news or information? (check all that apply)
Which websites do you rely on to find out about upcoming concerts? (check all that apply)
When you want to check the latest news and tour dates for a band you like, where do you go first?
Which of the following websites do you use frequently to view music-related content (music videos/live footage/etc)? (check all that apply)
Which of the following do you regularly rely on to discover new music or hear new songs from bands you like? (check all that apply)
If you selected P2P sites/services, which ones? (check all that apply)
If you selected music websites/blogs, which ones? (check all that apply)
If you selected magazines, which ones? (check all that apply)
If you selected social music services, which ones? (check all that apply)
If you selected social networking sites, which ones? (check all that apply)
If you selected iTunes/Amazon or other online music retailer, which ones? (check all that apply)
If you selected Internet Radio, which ones? ONE PER BOX
If you selected Podcasts, which ones? ONE PER BOX
If you selected Discussion Forums, which ones? ONE PER BOX
If you selected Record Stores, which ones? ONE PER BOX
Favorite 3 TV shows? ONE PER BOX
Last three CD purchases? ONE PER BOX (PLEASE USE BAND/ALBUM FORMAT)
Last three DVD purchases? ONE PER BOX
List the 3 OTHER most recent concerts you attended ONE PER BOX

In the "where did you hear about..." field, can everyone please put "nin_news.livejournal.com"? ;) - even if it's not true
edit: don't put anything stupid like that you buy tickets from nin_news
but news and ticket info definitely apply.

Definitive NIN 4: Heavy Tracks

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 23:30:57 GMT

You may remember the 3 Definitive NIN compilations uploaded to thepiratebay by the mysterious "seed0"

It appears that there is now a fourth official Definitive NIN - "Heavy Tracks"
Found by ...me! - on the Listen page of the new nin.com is a link:
http://www.imeem.com/nineinchnails/playlist/HSwDBAOq/heavy_tracks_music_playlist/

01 Last
02 Letting You
03 You Know What You Are?
04 No, You Don't
05 Survivalism
06 All The Pigs, All Lined Up
07 Wish
08 Starfucker, Inc
09 Burn
10 1,000,000
11 Gave Up
12 Vessel
13 The Collector
14 Terrible Lie
15 Fist Fuck
16 Suck
17 Head Like A Hole
18 8 Ghosts I
19 31 Ghosts IV
20 HYPERPOWER!
21 Happiness In Slavery
22 Mr. Self Destruct
23 Pilgrimage
~~There appear to be download links on that site, I'll make a torrent "soon".~~
Strike that, the download links are to buy the tracks - haha.
If someone wants to assemble this from the album tracks, go for it.

Photoblog: "THTF" +6

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:42:09 GMT

"THTF"

"Wish"

"The Warning"

"Letting You"

"Deerhunter"

"SLC"

"Why am I up?"

This post is public, for a change.
If you want to see the rest of the posts here, click the join link

photoblog: "In This Twilight" + 9

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 17:19:37 GMT

"In This Twilight"

"Reptile"

"Wish"

"The Wretched"

"Heading to the stage"

"Does It Offend You, Yeah?"

"I have no idea what the hell this is..."

"Philadelpha pre-show"

"Philly soundcheck"

"Goodbye New York"

presale update: Columbus, OH

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 19:17:26 GMT

The 2008-11-17 Columbus, OH presale is at 5pm ~~today.~~ tommorrow. They've updated it.
It's bad enough that the presales happen without announcement, but it's kinda worse that they change them at random.

I'll only be posting once about each presale - hopefully they'll update all the information about the rest of them soon.
I just happen to be posting about this one on the day of the presale because I only just noticed it.

It's possibly they're having presales one at a time with little fanfare so the scalpers won't be ready for them - and so only people who bother to go to nin.com every day will get tickets.

Behind the scenes of the photoblog

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 06:31:37 GMT

This isn't exactly news, but since it related to the photoblog, I thought you might enjoy these.

Behind the scenes footage of the recent vessel photo - download: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=R7A874W1

Edit: I think I've found the exact moment of the pic.

I'll be posting a torrent of this and many other videos, when i'm not stealing internet from a days inn on I-35s. :P

What do you think trent had for lunch at the olde feed barn?

Recap: March-July

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 22:12:21 GMT

The previous (Jan-Mar) recap can be found here

As with last time, I've linked to previous nin_news entries, as well as to TheNINhotline
Most of our entries are member-locked, here is the join link for any non-members

2008-04-01 April fools fun at theninhotline
2008-04-02 nin blog: "Everything is right on track" (foreshadowing "letting you"!)
2008-04-02 TNH: YZ TV show still a possibility (direct link)
2008-04-03 TNH: Rockband interview Brian Viglione about drumming on Ghosts (direct link)
2008-04-04 Robin Finck rejoins NIN
2008-04-05 TMP: three meats in one!
2008-04-08 Ghosts I-IV released in stores
2008-04-08 42 Entertainment post summary of Year Zero experience
2008-04-09 TMP: A Visit From Mr. McFeely
2008-04-10 TNH discovers nin-history.com more than a month after we did
2008-04-11 update about presales and the spiral + poll
2008-04-12 The return of demonoid
2008-04-11 TNH: NIN Historian Partial Collection Selloff
2008-04-15 Spiral photo archive
2008-04-21 nin blog: "2 weeks"
2008-04-22 discipline appears on radio
2008-04-22 discipline download info
2008-04-22 discipline posted for download
2008-04-24 NIN dolls
2008-04-25 Trent signs Ultra-Deluxe Ghosts packages
2008-04-25 TMP: discipline video
2008-04-28 ticket presale information
2008-04-29 more presale details
2008-04-30 NIN advertises for webmaster on craigslist
2008-04-30 Support acts announced

2008-05-02 1 year birthday of nin_news!
2008-05-02 echoplex appears
2008-05-02 new presale dates + info
2008-05-02 TNH: Ultra Deluxe Ghosts begin arriving
2008-05-03 TMP: You Can't Stop Rock And Roll
2008-05-05 The Slip released
2008-05-05 The Slip lyrics, photos, multitracks
2008-05-06 DIRECT download hotlinks to the slip
2008-05-11 Still PDF (finally)
2008-05-11 TMP: Slippity Doo-Dah
2008-05-12 nin.com layout updated
Apparently the second half of may was particularly slow, and there was no news worth reminding you about.

2008-06-02 TNH: pigface release 17 ways to suck remix compilation
2008-06-03 musictoday customer support spread lies about special entrance details
2008-06-05 nin.com update tour info + sampler download
2008-06-07 behind the scenes of closer 3 dvd set released by eatyourblud
2008-06-08 NY times article "Frustration and Fury, It's Free"
2008-06-08 Download: The Spiral website archive
2008-06-10 NiggyTardust released on I-Tunes
2008-06-13 The Slip retail info released
2008-06-14 TMP: meathead makes wallpapers
2008-06-15 TMP: original Rich Frownes show posted
2008-06-18 The Slip pre-order info
2008-06-23 rehearsal footage: 1,000,000
2008-06-24 rehearsal footage: Letting You
2008-06-25 rehearsal footage: Echoplex
2008-06-26 nin.com google earth maps
2008-06-29 TMP: rehearsal footage: Ham'N'Eggs

2008-07-01 Download: Y34RZ3r0r3mix3d pdf
2008-07-04 nin_news becomes the largest NIN community on LiveJournal!
2008-07-04 Official Google Earth Treasure Hunt #1
2008-07-08 Official Google Earth Treasure Hunt #2
2008-07-10 Download: Google Earth Slip Downloads Heat Map View
2008-07-12 Official Google Earth Treasure Hunt #3
2008-07-13 Treasure hunt mailing list.
2008-07-17 TR shows off The Slip
2008-07-17 The Slip available in Toronto.
2008-07-18 Official Google Earth Treasure Hunt #4
2008-07-18 Official Google Earth Treasure Hunt #5-#27
2008-07-18 The Slip Rehearsal Mp3s
2008-07-19 Official Google Earth Treasure Hunt #28 (Final)
2008-07-19 Private concert reports
2008-07-22 Download: New RockBand Multitracks
2008-07-23 Download: The Slip Rehearsal DVD
2008-07-31 Download: Live Essentials 3 DVD from eatyourblud

Of course, almost everything included in this recap can be seen by just viewing the community directly
There is also always the subject calendar, viewable by year or month
We also have a maintained Memorable Entries page
or you can view the past entries by tag

And a poll!

I've noticed that some people don't notice that I we all regularly edit our news posts with updated information, download links, and corrections, sometimes up until a day later.
Obviously after a few days, or with big news, we'll make a new post.
I just wanted to make sure you're aware of that, and check that you're happy with it being that way.

View Poll: #1237498

We're also still interested in your opinions on this old poll.
Over 100 people have taken it so far, please do so if you haven't taken it already.

new ninofficial flickr photos from recent shows (updated)

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:35:08 GMT

If you watch the nin flickr feed, you'll no doubt have noticed the flood of photos added since the last photoblog.
Finally, the high quality photos everyone has been begging for!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nineinchnails/

~~(photos will be edited in here momentarily)~~

edit: MORE!

More!

~~edit: holy shit, there are videos too, please tell me they're not on youcrap~~ False alarm, whoever is in charge of the nin feeds is a moron.

About half an hour after i posted these, Rob updated nin.com
Thanks Rob!

A batch of new photos from the recent shows has been posted in a Flickr set here. That set will be updated regularly throughout the tour - you can subscribe to the NIN news feed or the NIN Flickr feed to be alerted when new photos are posted.

nin.com blog update: "Aug 2 Minneapolis postponed"

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 00:20:10 GMT

Don't shoot the messenger, but i have bad news for any Minneapoleans* amongst us.
Despite Ally being safe, it appears "someone" has fallen ill.

NIN Minneapolis show at Target Center postponed to November 25th
We regret to announce that due to illness, the Minneapolis show originally scheduled for Saturday, August 2nd at the Target Center has been postponed due to illness. The band is sincerely sorry for the last minute announcement, but after receiving doctor's orders not to perform, Trent has reluctantly agreed to the postponement.

The concert is being rescheduled for Tuesday, November 25th, 2008 at Target Center. All tickets purchased for the August 2nd concert will be honored on the new date. For those unable to attend the rescheduled date of November 25th, a refund will be available at original point of purchase.

Thank you very much for your understanding.

The statement isn't exactly clear that it's Trent, just that someone received doctors orders. If Josh received doctor's orders not to perform, Trent would still have to make the call.
I blame the new guy. Maybe Trent came down with a bad case of the JMJs.
(Sorry there isn't an "other" option, just leave a comment!)

View Poll: #1233745

*If there is a better word for "people of Minneapolis", let me know!
mini-napoleons?

Download: 2007-08-11 - Budapest, Hu (FLAC)

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 21:17:22 GMT

The Live Essentials 3 is now fully seeded, so I've posted another torrent!
2007-08-11 - Budapest, Hu (FLAC)
This is from the Sziget Open Air Festival, and it's a great recording.

Get it while it's hot, and remember: Don't share mp3s against tapers' wishes.
Without Tapers, there would be no bootlegs - it's a good idea not to piss them off or they'll stop sharing their work.

Also: I made a FLAC rip of The Slip rehearsal videos

photoblog "Rain over Canada... Still driving..." +3

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 21:17:48 GMT

"Rain over Canada... Still driving..."
large: http://www.nin.com/uploaded_images/photo-799491-799565.jpg
thumb: http://www.nin.com/uploaded_images/photo-799491-799560.jpg

another dead image:
"Somewhere in Canada"
large: http://www.nin.com/uploaded_images/photo-748922-748993.jpg
thumb: http://www.nin.com/uploaded_images/photo-748922-748986.jpg

edit: nympholept's open message to Trent: "fire your douche webmaster and i'll do the work for free."

Unfortunately, this URL is dead.
"unknown location"
large: http://www.nin.com/uploaded_images/photo-705639-705703.jpg
thumb: http://www.nin.com/uploaded_images/photo-705639-705694.jpg

Maybe they'll fix it, but they never have before

In case you missed it, here's the last one from the wee hours of the morning:
"And now, back to Canada!"

photoblog update: "Pemberton at night" +8

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 23:55:52 GMT

See the ETS tour journal if you're interested in setlists.

"Pemberton at night"

"One down"

"HLAH"

"Terrible Lie"

"Canada loves NIN"

"The first show has begun!"

"Having a "shitty" time at Pemberton with Dave O!"

"Leo Herrera, back on tour!"

"The long and winding road to Pemberton"

Details about dress rehearsal private concert

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 02:17:53 GMT

Note: I'm only posting about this show because it is the first show - and a special show.
If people want to post about their concert experiences during the tour, feel free to do so in ninnuendo

I wasn't there, but requieminadream and slipping06 were, so hopefully they'll comment here with their reports.
Until then, from ETS:

the approximate setlist from MrTran
(sorry about the lack of details on which ghosts tracks were played)

A
999999
1000000
Letting You
Discipline
March of the pigs
Head down?
the frail
the wretched
closer
gaveup

B
the warning
great destroyer
ghosts
ghosts
piggy
ghosts
the greater good

C
pinion
wish
terrible lie
the big come down
survivalism
ghosts
only
the hand that feeds
head like a hole

D
echoplex
good soldier
beginning of the end
hurt

MrTran also described the stage+lights for each section

In the back is a wall of rotating lights. 7 squares of 4x4 lights. This thing goes up and down.
Behind it is a large video screen.

There's also 2 video cages. A front cage that curves and a rear cage that curves so they make like an oval.
They both go up and down.
Between the cages were these dangling lights.

Highlights:

Section A had minimal light stuff.
Discipline was a bit of a disappointment. Guitar didn't sound right and Justin's vocals made me laugh.

Section B was the good stuff
Warning and great destroyer was everyone minus Freese in front of the front cage
When the cage came up for the ghosts stuff, Freese was in the middle.
Finck to his right with a flute, Justin with a big stand up bass to his left. Trent off to the right with a large xylophone, Alessandro to the far left.
Visuals on the Ghosts stuff were utterly amazing. Rain effects and lots of stuff I cant describe or remember properly.
Ukelele on Piggy
Greater Good had an effect that reminded me of that new Radiohead video.

Section C was very intense lighting.
Roadie came out and cleaned the screen with a flashlight before Pinion
Big Come Down had those dangling lights inside both cages.
Survivalism had video screens in the back. Top left had a crowd cam.
Only has a new intro.

Section D
Think of the beginning of the reheasal video for echoplex. Then think a lot bigger, or think of wheel of fortune.
I think it was on good soldier, Trent tries to sing and play tamborine and play xylophone at the same time. He said afterward he apologized for not practicing and having a silly look on his face.

pictures going up to flickr now, the bouncer guy gave me 2 warnings about no photography.
The Forum was the Venue, approx 1000 people there.

MrTran's flickr

edit: read slipping06's comment here
edit: read requieminadream's comment here

See also the previous nin_news post about the warm-up setlist

NIN Official GoogleEarth treasure hunts #5->#25

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:24:32 GMT

There isn't closure on Hunt #4 yet, and there's a new development! (edit: #4 was found)
a shitload of treasure hunt markers just appeared on the map. Now that I've had time to stop and count, there are 21 of them!

Note: if you're on the mailing list, ~~you didn't get a full list.~~
I've fixed it, so you should have the full list now. I've turned off the auto-mailer, sorry about the 40 emails in the last hour!

As usual, here's my edited map with all 25 markers: http://www.sendspace.com/file/ybrf61 (updated, with numbers!)

Each of these links is the marker location on Google Maps. I will cross them off when they are removed from the map.

edit: these last 4 stayed until all were removed, they were replaced with #26 and #27!
Details about #28 are here

#25 Architecture (NOT found - rumoured gone)
~~#24 Check the payphones~~ (ETS: dabooger)
~~#23 Base of the tree (rumoured gone)~~
~~#22 You'll know it when you see it (rumoured gone)~~
~~#21 Auto Mercado (rumoured gone)~~
~~#20 A. Boner (rumoured gone)~~ (found by ETS:wretched08)
~~#19 NLK BLACK~~ (found by ETS:crash) AKA: slipping06, congrats!
~~#18 Cracks in the stall~~
~~#17 Corona shrub~~ (found by ETS:Incendiarylover)
#16 Under the rainbow (lost without a trace?)
~~#15 T.I.N.~~ (ETS:sagpig)
~~#14 Saber-toothed~~
~~#13 Right under the Triceratops' nose.~~ (ETS: miyan)
#12 Native American (found by ETS:sitnk-bot's girlfriend)
#11 Dark (possibly gone ETS:_nonentity_ can't find it)
~~#10 Yard Sale~~ (found by ETS:modul8tr)
~~#9 Drive-through menu~~
#8 Men's room. Behind the mirror. Be discreet. (strip club - opens at ~~8pm~~ 7pm!) (found by ETS:_nonentity_)
~~#7 Weight limit 3 tons~~ (found by ETS:Dr Tran)
~~#6 Lights in the Sky~~ (found by ETS:sitnk-bot)
~~#5 "The Recording Engineer's Handbook"~~ (ETS: Aegri)
~~#4 Enter~~ (ETS: VenturaLocal)

note: these numbers are in this order because the existing marker was at the bottom of the file. meaning newer markers must appear at the top of the list.

edit:

#27 Ask the bartender Tracy if Stewart is there.
#26 Under the rock.