Industrial progressive rock band Nine Inch Nails have made another album available to fans and listeners for free this morning. The Slip, the band's first new album in two months, and third in the past year, was posted on a new website for fans to download free of charge. The move comes directly from front man Trent Reznor as a thank you to fans for their "continued and loyal support over the years."

Billboard called the release "a surprise move" but given Reznor's stance in the last year about the music industry and dislike of overpricing it is not all that surprising. It's also not the first time he has released an album this way. In March, Ghosts I-IV was released nearly identically as The Slip. The new album will also only initially be available from the band's website, but will see a future "traditional" physical release on CD and vinyl. Ghosts I-IV was released on CD and other physical formats about a month after it was first released in early March.

I have to say once again (like so many of the other recent Internet only album releases) that this is another great thing for the music industry. Although Reznor and NIN are essentially independent artists now without the backing of a major labor group, it does show that music does not have to be about making as much money as possible. At the end of the day though, neither Reznor nor NIN are probably going to suffer financially from the move, but that might just show us how much the music industry does not have to lose.