TAKE A LEAK: THE NEW NINE INCH NAILS SONG “DISCIPLINE” GETS THE INTERNET RUMOR MILL CHURNING
Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008 at 9:37am by Vince Neilstein
We still aren’t sure what Trent Reznor’s cryptic “2 weeks” announcement on Monday means, but the sudden release of the new song “Discipline” — which features actual vocals, unlike the entirety of Ghosts — has led the Internet rumor mill to churn out musings of a proper NIN-with-vocals album.
Ladies and gentlemen, let this be a lesson in absolutely amazing marketing techniques. Trent is a genius the way he is running this campaign, having proved all the naysayers wrong. The man types two words on a blog and the entire Internet goes into a state of pandemonium.
Anyway, here’s the track. Sorry for the crummy audio quality (if any readers have a better sounding version, hit us up at news [at] metalsucks.net). [now full quality audio]. It kind of reminds me of a slightly less catchy version of “The Hand That Feeds.” But I like.
Nine Inch Nails – “Discipline”
-VN
i was thinking the same thing about it being a less catchy version of the hand that feeds…but it’s so much better than most of the shit on year zero
I know that Radiohead sort of burst the door down for this type of thing, but Trent is the one really exploring the endless possibilities of content distibution and fan interactivity. (love that he always has the option of remixing files for those that want to, and the whole Year Zero campaign last year was fantastic). Once you strip away all the record label hoo-hah, there really is no end to the amount of new music that your favorite band can send your way. It’s an exciting time, and Trent really is leading the way.
As for the song….as you said…very “With Teeth” which is fine by me. I find that record to be very underrated.
He released a high quality version on NIN.com
I got two words for Trent Reznor – FUCK YOU. I’m glad your record label made you into a celebrity so you can type a few words on the internet and your fans will buy what ever crap you pump out. You should send every industry professional who busted thier ass to make you a celebrity a thankyou card.
i mean he just released ghosts. like 2 months ago. is this a collection of b-sides or does he just have a ton of music up his sleeve? his creative process must be like 5 minutes long. i won’t lie i think it’s a slap in the face to fans who just shelled out money for ghosts (me). Unless this is just a random leak and the 2 weeks thing is actually a ticket announcement.
@Erik: They were paid for the work they did. I agree that he’s not having such remarkable success with this free-release stuff because of the quality of his work (which, for the record, I do think is quite high), but rather because of his rabid fanbase, which he built up while being a major label slave.
Then again, he’s been smart enough to lambaste the record execs at live shows, and encourage crowds to download his music illegally. Sure, it only means so much because he WAS at one point big, but the man is a damn smart marketer.
i still find it absolutely fucking ridiculous that reznor was able to make a fucking KILLING off an instrumental album…
In fairness, the fans who shelled out did so of their own free will. Us NIN fans are not brain-washed Reznor zombies, I spent ages listening to the free first 9 tracks on repeat before buying and I still love Ghosts, and would gladly spend the money again, as would a lot of NIN fans. Ghosts may have lacked lyrics, but its a very diverse and interesting album to get into. As for his marketing skills, the guy treats his fans with respect, and what he has gotten in return is a solid, devoted fan base who will buy his stuff, spread the word and have formed a very unique web community. The Year Zero ARG gave NIN fans everywhere a huge buzz, I think the marketing to him is just a bonus. So on behalf of like-minded NIN fans everywhere, congrats to Trent Reznor, I think he deserves every penny he gets and the record labels can go sh1t3. PS, I agree Discipline is very like THTF, and I’m loving it so far.
I’m not getting my hopes up for a new NIN album…although, who knows with what Reznor is doing these days?
However, I had a look at the lyrics, and the lyric
“you left a mark, up and down my skin”
reminds me quite a bit of the inner sleeve pics on the YZ cd…coincedence? you decide.
[...] has posted this hilarious new clip for the just-released NIN surprise single, “Discipline.” We’re assuming that the video is fan-made, although an awful lot [...]
If you download the high quality mp3 from NIN.com and look in the “Comments” field of the ID3 tag, a message saying to visit NIN.com on May 5th is found..