NIN is changing the music industry...

It's not what you would expect from such a different band. And as much as Nine Inch Nails' lead man, Trent Reznor, claims it's not a marketing campaign, it really is. To promote their new album, Year Zero, NIN has begun a new marketing approach, something less traditional and more interactive with their fans and even live audience members.

Think of their new efforts as an interactive guerrilla campaign, except the volunteers who act in the campaign are fans, or even you! These efforts cover several tactics like text encrypted into t-shirts (revealing websites), Orwellian websites produced by the band, and my favorite, USB flash-drives found in bathrooms of the concert halls during NIN shows.

If you check out this site, you'll find multiple sitings of these reported USB findings. Reznor also comments on the drives saying they were just another way of circulating the music, and getting pass the outdated CD medium. In my opinion, this was a genius way of promoting the music of NIN. Not only does it drive people to their shows, giving them something exciting and thrilling to look forward to, it also provides one of the best forms of marketing: word-of-mouth. These songs that people find in the bathrooms on these drives are brand new, from the latest album, and not even released yet. After finding these, one is compelled to share their discovery with as many people as possible to spread the music.

These new was of marketing and promoting a band's music is taking campaigning to the next level. It provides people with an interactive "scavenger hunt," something to get people involved in the music and artistry behind the band. By exploring the above website, one can take a look into the haunting, yet intriguingly interesting stories of Parepin, a large influence to some of Reznor's chilling lyrics.

With the help of 42entertainment, NIN has produced a promotional campaign which has given fans enhanced access to the music, and a better way for people to become involved with what they love. Like mentioned in earlier posts, giving the consumer control and alternatives gives them the freedom they desire, and the desire to want more.

To check out more, visit this article.