exploremusic

Chris Cornell has found a new way to get his music out there. The solo artist and former Soundgarden/Audioslave vocalist is entering a partnership with the Virgin America airline.

From the press release:

"This will include in-flight programming, radio contests, performances and more.

Starting in October and running through the holidays, the entire Virgin American Airline fleet will feature Chris Cornell on all in-flight programming. His latest LP, Scream, has been added to the airline’s music library and will be a part of a collection that plays during boarding. Beginning in November, passengers will also be able to select various Chris Cornell music videos and albums throughout their flight."

Hey, why not? There’s nothing wrong with a tie-in if it pushes the music.

In other news, Trent Reznor is still expressing his disapproval over Cornell’s tie-in with producer Timbaland on Scream.

"I really have no personal issue with Chris at all," the Nine Inch Nails leader tells Eye Weekly. "The thing I said on Twitter… it goes deeper than what have may appeared on the surface. We were on [Interscope]. And I have had Jimmy Iovine, the president of that label, come up to me on every record from With Teeth onwards saying I should do some sort of urban thing — it was Timbaland for a while, then it was Pharrell for a while — because ‘that’s how you sell records.’ The idea seemed so preposterous and insulting."

"I’m not talking about ‘let’s go make a record with Dr. Dre,’ because that would be kind of cool. What he’s talking about is making your record sound like what’s on the radio, whether it’s appropriate or not," Reznor continues. "I think that when somebody who is respected like he is goes that route, it sends the message that it’s OK to give up any kind of core values you had to be the fashion of the moment. I don’t think that’s OK. I think it’s harmful. If I have one major fight in the world of the music business, it’s trying to keep art first and commerce second."

Click here for the full interview.