Trent Reznor News

The very same week Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor launched his remix site independent of his former label, a group of other artists and managers quietly unveiled a like-minded initiative called CASH Music.

The site is the braintrust of former Throwing Muses frontwoman Kristin Hersh and L7's Donita Sparks, along with Hersh's manager/husband Billy O'Connell, Sparks' manager Bob Fagen and other partners. An acronym for Coalition for Artists and Stake Holders, CASH was designed as a means for artists to release new music, videos or other content and give fans the chance to interact with it in their own way.

"The objective is to create a platform for engagement, so the artist can engage with the fan for both collaboration and financial support," O'Connell says. "It's our intention to create a way forward that is as sustainable and exciting for the audience as it is for the creator."

Allowing fans to remix artist content and even submit their own original work inspired by anything posted by participating artists is the "lynchpin" of the service. At present, Hersh is the only artist with content available. Her single "Slippershell" is posted along with the Pro Tools multitrack file, which fans also can download to make remixes.

O'Connell says the site is not limited to remixing songs. Sparks, for instance, will post a completely different set of content revolving around videos and photos captured from her touring activities. Yet another band, Xiu Xiu, is developing a more video-focused approach.

Hersh is inviting fans to upload not only remixes of her song but also music videos, paintings, essays or any other creative output, much of which she plans to include in her next CD release.

"We really believe a more vibrant scene, a more vibrant culture, will be created through two-way communication," O'Connell says.

However, there are concerns. Reznor has for some time posted multitracks on the official NIN.com site so fans could download and remix them. Creating a site where those fans could subsequently upload and share their creations was another matter.

According to one of Reznor's Web posts, former label Universal Music Group declined to host the uploaded remix site for fear of fans using copyrighted material from other labels or media companies. So he just hosted it himself.

The group behind CASH Music has similar worries, but plans to employ "community policing" efforts as well as its own oversight to avoid any improper posts, and says it will remove any offending content on request.

Remixing is just the beginning for Reznor's site and the CASH Music initiative. Reznor plans to sell his next label-free album via NIN.com, while Hersh is offering a number of sales features. Fans can choose the price they wish to pay for her current single (set at a $3 default), which includes liner notes.

There are various subscription options. For $10 per quarter, fans can get all the media, merchandise and CDs they like. For $30, they get a "Works in Progress" CD plus free entrance for two into any upcoming show. $500 buys all that plus a visit with Hersh in the studio, $1,000 earns a Featured Sponsor credit on the next CD, and $5,000 bumps that to an Executive Producer credit.

Currently, only invited artists can participate in the CASH Music project, but O'Connell says the platform will open to all artists once the group feels it is ready. It plans to take a cut of any transaction conducted on the service to generate revenue, as well as charge consulting fees to artists who need help developing their content offerings.

Reuters/Billboard