The music industry could learn a few things from Trent Reznor, whose decision to go independent and give away music digitally might earn him more money than sticking with a label—not to mention creative freedom, Jackson West writes on Valleywag. Labels are now starting to realize they need to move beyond traditional album sales, too.
Nine Inch Nails' new album, first available as a free download, has sold half a million CDs and $750,000 worth of a limited-edition box set. At least one label, EMI, is getting smart about digital distribution, hiring the co-founder of Second Life. After all, “making music more difficult to buy and find is no way to compete with online file sharing,” writes West. (More Trent Reznor stories.)