Trent Reznor left his major record label to self-release Nine Inch Nails’ Ghosts I-IV. A week after its release, his Web site reported more than 750,000 purchases and downloads. In this interview, Reznor talks with host David Dye about his decision to set up a small studio to work on his project free of label restrictions.

Ghosts’ 36 tracks are instrumental. All the elements of Reznor’s production are present — out-of-tune pianos, razor-sharp ambience, jarring percussion — but his textures are more pronounced than ever. The discs make for great remixing material, which is exactly what Reznor has provided his fans. Each song is available as a high-quality multi-track download for those wishing to tinker; thus, the listener has an opportunity to become engaged in the music.

The 2 CD version of Ghosts I – IV is out now in the UK, Australia, Canada and the US.

Other release dates are as follows:

• Benelux: 4/11
• Scandinavia: 4/14
• Poland: 4/14
• Germany: 4/18
• Italy: 4/18

If you ordered from nin.com:

• The standard CD is shipping today.

The Deluxe Package:

• Pre orders made on or before 4/6 will ship 5/1
• Pre orders made 4/7 or later will ship on 5/15

(this due to overwhelming demand and additional order materials arriving later)

Limited Edition Package:

• Will ship 5/1

The group is offering the release in a variety of versions, and is giving away a selection of free tracks, Ghosts I, as a teaser. You can also download the collection officially via BitTorrent.

The download includes:

• DRM-free MP3s, encoded with LAME at 320kbps
• A 40-page pdf book about the release
• A digital extras pack with wallpapers, icons, etc

The entire collection can be downloaded for $5, or you can order a $10 2 CD set and other deluxe and limited edition versions.

While the release is definitely an interesting experiment in distribution, it’s less interesting as a musical experiment.Ghosts is basically an informal collection of improvised instrumentals that lean towards that dark ambient and industrial sound. Some tracks echo Eno’s Ambient 2 & Ambient 4, others Angelo Badalamenti’s soundtrack for Twin Peaks, and others have more of a NIN-lite feel.

Here’s what NIN’s Trent Reznor has to say about the music:

This music arrived unexpectedly as the result of an experiment. The rules were as follows: 10 weeks, no clear agenda, no overthinking, everything driven by impulse. Whatever happens during that time gets released as… something.

The end result is a wildly varied body of music that we’re able to present to the world in ways the confines of a major record label would never have allowed .

This may bring out the haters – but there’s nothing on Ghosts I-IV that’s as challenging or original as the dark ambient work of Eno, Aphex Twin, Autechre, Steve Roach or many others.

That’s OK, though. From Reznor’s comments, Ghosts is stuff that probably wouldn’t have been released as a traditional album. It’s just Nine Inch Nails trying out something different and seeing where it goes.

The release is already a success for NIN – they’ve sold out of their $300 deluxe edition. If Ghosts I-IV gets people to open their ears to dark instrumental and ambient artists, it’s a success in my book, too.

The download includes

• DRM-free MP3s, encoded with LAME at 320kbps
• A 40-page pdf book about the release
• A digital extras pack with wallpapers, icons, etc

The entire collection can be downloaded for $5, or you can order a $10 2 CD set and other deluxe and limited edition versions.

Here’s what NIN’s Trent Reznor has to say about the release:

This music arrived unexpectedly as the result of an experiment. The rules were as follows: 10 weeks, no clear agenda, no overthinking, everything driven by impulse. Whatever happens during that time gets released as… something.

The team: Atticus Ross, Alan Moulder and myself with some help from Alessandro Cortini, Adrian Belew and Brian Viglione. Rob Sheridan collaborated with Artist in Residence (A+R) to create the accompanying visual and physical aesthetic.

We began improvising and let the music decide the direction. Eyes were closed, hands played instruments and it began. Within a matter of days it became clear we were on to something, and a lot of material began appearing. What we thought could be a five song EP became much more. I invited some friends over to join in and we all enjoyed the process of collaborating on this.

The end result is a wildly varied body of music that we’re able to present to the world in ways the confines of a major record label would never have allowed – from a 100% DRM-free, high-quality download, to the most luxurious physical package we’ve ever created.

More volumes of Ghosts are likely to appear in the future.

- Trent Reznor, March 2, 2008

Reznor previously produced the debut CD by Saul Williams, The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust, which was also made available as a free download.