It’s been a good long while since I heard a NIN album or song that has really blown me away, but that doesn’t stop Trent Reznor from being someone I truly admire to this day. His uppity and opinionated rants and tweets not only make him the most interesting 90′s relic still kicking around, but the one who’s the most relevant, down to earth and savvy to understand the concept of new media. Reznor recently did an interview with the Philipine’s Inquirer where he’s his usual off the cuff self. It’s a good read but I couldn’t help but be struck by the following quote regarding his favored target, the music industry.

It’s a kind of Mafia-type run business .. They have systematically taken advantage of artists over the years from The Beatles onwards. You [the artists] do all the work, they loan you money to make records, then you pay them back and they own everything. To see that system collapse is an exciting thing. There isn’t a clear answer on what the right thing to do is right now, and as a musician you’re up against a pretty difficult scenario: most kids feel it’s OK to steal music, and do freely … The good news is that people are excited and interested in music …

As an artist it’s your job to capitalize on that. It means generally swallowing a bitter pill and saying, ‘Hey, people don’t want to buy music, so let me give it to you. I’ll find another way to make money but I want you on my side and hearing my music. So let’s get rid of this walled garden of having to pay to hear it, here it is, give it to your friends. Hey, try to come to our show if you can, or you can buy this T-shirt of ours if you like, and that will help us out. Or, here’s a nice version of our album that we put in a cool package for a premium price and we’re only selling a couple thousands of them.’

There are ways that you can monetize your business, but the traditional way of going to a record store and having to pay for it, those days are over. In the States, there aren’t any record stores left. The only place … is like a Best Buy where you go to buy a washing machine and there’s a tiny rack of DVDs and CDs. I think we’re in between business models right now …

I’m trying everything I can to contribute to when that next model does come up, whatever it might be, whether it’s subscriptions or whatever, where the artist is more fairly represented and has a say and is compensated, and you’re not paying for jets for record label CEOs … They’re in their last moments of death and I’m happy to see them go ’cause they’re all thieves and liars.

Reznor’s never been on good terms with record labels and the music industry in general, but his words speak volumes of truths that could be applied to a number of things that are facing their eventual and impending collapse. I can’t help but feel compassionate and inspired by his ongoing attempts to throw some forward thinking logic into the slow moving gears of industry. I hope he’s enjoying this slow build to “I told you so!”, he’s earned it!

- My Pal the Crook