Nine Inch Nails launch viral campaign... but forget to tell the lawyers

Nine Inch Nails has launched an alternative reality game to promote the band''s upcoming album. Fans are being encouraged to search websites for clues, which can also be found in MP3 songs from the album, which have been loaded onto flash drives and left in clubs after gigs by the band, for fans to find. But when one German fan put files online for other players to listen to – to stream, not to download – he received a cease and desist letter from Universal Music’s lawyers, while music blog Idolator has received a similarly stern email from the RIAA demanding it take down one of the files. Although Universal has since apologised to the German blogger, it seems counterproductive to launch a big viral marketing campaign, then get annoyed when fans spread that marketing, well, virally.