One of the things that I really dig right now about giving away free music is the poker game between artists.

When Radiohead released In Rainbows, Nine Inch Nails seemingly perfected the pay-what-you-want-format with The Slip.

Now on the heels of Radiohead giving away the track “These Are My Twisted Words”, Billy Corgan Smashing Pumpkins will raise the bar with the very ambitious Teargarden by Kaleidyscope.

The revamped Pumpkins will let fans snag the 44 track ‘album’ for free. Corgan went on to state:

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I mentioned last week the DMB iTunes pass, and how I think this kind of “paid content” premium membership stuff is going to be the bread-and-butter of the music business for artists struggling to sell CD’s in a thieves’ world.

Now word on the street is that Billy Corgan and his Smashing Pumpkins are going to offer their own subscription service. Here are the details:

• $40 (Originally thought to be $20, and with the stipulation that, in the end, the cost is all dependent on how many people would actually pay for such a project)

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It’s Halloween, which is always the best time to smash some pumpkins. Here’s a bio on the Smashing Pumpkins.

The Pumpkins first show was on July 8, 1988 at Chicago 21, which featured just Billy Corgan and guitarist James Iha. Bassist D’arcy Wretzky joined next, followed by drummer Jimmy Chamberlin.

The band sold cassettes of demos at their shows, the series of demos became known as Early 1989 Demos.

The Pumpkins made their first vinyl appearance on on the Light into Dark, which was a compilation of Chicago alternative bands. They contributed the tracks “My Dahlia” and “Sun”.

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