Trent Reznor Launches Verbal Assault Against Record Label

Nine Inch Nail's Trent Reznor has always been known as the music industry's An Angry Young Man, and this time, the target of his anger is his record label, Universal Music Group. According to Billboard Magazine, Reznor has blasted label executives for pricing his latest CD, "Year Zero" significantly higher in Australia than other new releases. Reznor discovered the pricing discrepancy while shopping for new CDs at a music store while on tour in Austrailia.

Reznor called the label executives "thieves" and in an interview with the Herald Sun of Australia, Reznor also says "I've have one record left that I owe a major label, then I will never be seen in a situation like this again If I could do what I want right now, I would put out my next album ... you could download it from my site at as high a bit-rate as you want."

Reznor's plan is sure to please music fans, but with CD sales dropping and record label profits plummeting, the $4 price point and loss of Reznor should be enough to send record executives scrambling for a way to make up for this latest snafu.

According to the official Nine Inch Nails website, "Year Zero" retails for $34.99 Austrailian ($29.10 US) while Avril Lavigne's latest "Best Damn Thing" retails for $21.99 ($18.21 US) Says Reznor in a post on the website "No wonder people steal music." Reznor claims that when label representatives were questioned about the price difference they replied "It's because we know you have a real core audience that will pay whatever it costs when you put something out - you know, true fans. It's the pop stuff we have to discount to get people to buy."

When Reznor began to plan his digital marketing campaign for the new CD, he deliberately left the UMG out of the loop, fearing they would look for corporate tie ins with mobile phone companies. Reznor has also refused to let label executives into his shows for free and is refusing to market the profitable European Maxi Single. Maxi singles are often released after the intial CD release date and contain remixes and unreleased material.

The critically acclaimed "Year Zero" debuted at number 2 on the Billboard Top 200 Album sales charts. After four weeks on the Billboard chart, it sits at number 23, an 11 point drop from the previous week.

Source: Antony Bruno "Reznor Continues Label Tirade in Interview" Billboard Magazine
Neala Johnson "Star Hammers CD Price Rip-off" Herald Sun