"The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggytardust!"

Saul Williams is distributing his latest record, the dramatically titled “The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggytardust!” solely via the Intarweb (i.e. no Radiohead “In Rainbows” nonsense). Those interested can either grab the 192 kbps MP3 version for free, or pay $5 and opt for the FLAC version. Both versions come with a PDF booklet, containing artwork and lyrics to the songs.

The record has been produced Trent, “I know that artists should embrace the flow”, Reznor (NIN fame). The two gave an interview on New York Magazine regarding the release. Reznor says (emphasis mine):

I’m truly saddened because I think music has been devalued, so that it’s just a file on your computer, and it’s usually free. But we can’t change that. What we can do is try to offer people the best experience that we can provide them. Will it work? I don’t know. But I think it’s a great way to get music out to people who are interested.

If you truly believe that record companies are evil and you’ve had enough with the way music lovers are treated nowadays, put your money where your mouth is and buy the album. You don’t have to be a fan of his music — I think the album sucked but I didn’t regret spending those $5 one bit. If we truly had enough with the music industry’s tactics, these initiatives should be getting the most of our support. √ Dec 6th, 2007