There’s a decent article on western bands touring the East today, and Nine Inch Nails is given as an example of one of the bands. In fact, there’s a picture of Trent as the crown of the piece:

The article describes the East as being starved for Western music, not having access to many records that, while government regulations are relaxing, are still difficult to obtain. The allure for the artists appears to be that the fans are desperate for their music, maybe more so than the fans here in the states that are going to an increasingly large number of shows and are more difficult to impress. Perhaps it is also lucrative, as sponsors apparently pick up the slack leftover from the mandatory low ticket costs. However, as this article mentions, and I’ve also read it on the NIN boards, the quality of the local crews can frustrate the bands.

Funny that, as our bands seek new audiences in the East, a startling number of bands have been denied access to the U.S., causing tour cancellations: Klaxons, Happy Mondays, M.I.A., The Pipettes, Amy Winehouse…