October 08, 2007

By By Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails have fulfilled their contract with Interscope and are now free agents, according to a post on the band's Web site. The group had recorded for the label since 1994; prior to that, it was signed to TVT.

"I have been under recording contracts for 18 years and have watched the business radically mutate from one thing to something inherently very different and it gives me great pleasure to be able to finally have a direct relationship with the audience as I see fit and appropriate," Reznor said.

Reznor said he'd make an announcement in the "near future" about his plans for 2008. Most recently, Nine Inch Nails has been touring internationally in support of its 2007 album "Year Zero."

Of late, Reznor has openly embraced file-sharing as a means to obtain his band's music, telling fans in Australia to "steal it. Steal away. Give it to your friends." In May, he sounded off on music pricing and packaging after he discovered "Year Zero" was selling for nearly U.S. $30 in Australia.

An Interscope spokesperson declined to comment. Reznor's manager had not responded to a request for comment by deadline.

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