noah | November 18, 2008 10:45 am

So, how does the currently in vogue “bands will make all of their money on the road” model work in a time of economic uncertainty? Perhaps we should ask Trent Reznor, who many people have held up as a paragon of “making it work” in the current “paying for records”-averse climate, and whose recent show in Columbus was marked by the arena’s top tier being roped off and tickets being discounted to $17 at the last minute. (I’m sure some Pangloss 2.0 out there will swoop in and tell me that there’s a good reason for this, or that he’s making it up in merch or something, but really, if the top-tier bands are booking shows in places where they have to engage in last-minute price-slashing, what does it mean for everyone else?) [DoneWaiting]