Trent Reznor, chief and founding father of Rock & Roll Corridor Of Fame-inducted industrial metallic legends 9 Inch Nails, has lengthy been a critic of the present state of the music trade. Having begun his rise to prominence within the late 80s, earlier than exploding on the scene with multi-platinum success all through the 90s, Reznor acquired to expertise the highs and lows of what many view because the final period of the music trade on the peak of its energy.
The proliferation of entry to the web amid the mid to late 90s onward gave solution to widespread musical piracy, forcing the tenaciously cussed trade to implement radical adjustments to its enterprise mannequin.
Whereas stated piracy was partly a response towards value fixing scandals engaged in by main labels, not too point out many years of hit singles buoying albums rife with creatively bankrupt filler, the impression on the underside line was nonetheless a close to deadly blow for artists and labels alike.
Confronted with no alternative however to adapt, the trade quickly contracted as labels both merged or went below, all whereas brick and mortar chains of music shops collapsed as digital downloads and streaming took over the market share.
All through all of it, it was the artists that suffered probably the most, watching their budgets diminish even additional, whereas additionally receiving even much less of a share of the earnings from their recorded works. Confronted with the digital period and the rising pains that it introduced, Reznor was amongst these proactive in trying to chart the course for a extra artist and user-friendly incarnation of digital service suppliers.
To that finish he served because the Chief Artistic Officer for Beats Music, a music streaming service which was in the end absorbed into what we now know as Apple Music. Whereas Reznor had tried to introduce extra artist-oriented curation and different idealistic values into digital streaming, that foray ultimately ran its course, and it wasn’t with out private and political challenges for Reznor.
Nowadays, the web and social media have repaved the eye span of the lots and the consumption habits of music tradition as a complete. Whereas artists previously would hinge their success on successful single, music video, or album, and even build up their profile throughout relentless touring, tastes have since largely shifted to faceless playlists and viral moments.
Positive it creates a fertile setting for fast breakout success, however it has additionally been a double-edged sword. A tune soundtracking a viral TikTok video can immediately catapult a band to the highest of the charts, however in a approach, has additionally additional chipped away at fan funding in music as a complete.
Somewhat than devoting themselves to an artist in some type of long-term cultlike fandom, a good portion of listeners merely solely hear what the algorithms or playlist gatekeepers dictate to them, successfully relegating music to the background.
Reznor has himself discovered that seemingly devalued function of music within the day by day lives of individuals disheartening. It’s that disappointment that has additionally contributed to the drought of recent music from 9 Inch Nails, as he and his NIN bandmate Atticus Ross have as a substitute pursued their passions in composing and scoring movie and TV.
In 2023, Reznor instructed acclaimed producer Rick Rubin his ideas on the state of music and the way it’s consumed, providing:
“Within the context of 9 Inch Nails, when it comes to an viewers and the tradition, the significance of music — or lack of significance of music — in right now’s world, from my perspective, is a little bit defeating. It feels to me, generally — and I’m saying this as a 57-year-old man — music was the factor that, that was what I used to be doing after I had time. I used to be listening to music. I wasn’t doing it within the background whereas I used to be doing 5 different issues, and I wasn’t treating it sort of as a disposable commodity.”
He went on to say:
“I sort of miss the eye music acquired, I miss the vital consideration that music acquired. Not that I’m within the critic’s opinion, however to ship one thing out on the planet and really feel prefer it touched locations, may’ve acquired a destructive or optimistic [review], however any person heard it, it acquired validated in its personal approach culturally.
Culturally, that feels askew. Like I can’t consider any assessment I care about right now that I even belief. I may write it earlier than it comes out as a result of it’s already written. In truth, ChatGPT may in all probability do a greater job, ? Or is at present doing the job.
That makes for what I really feel is a much less fertile setting to place music out into — on the planet of 9 Inch Nails.”
In a newly carried out interview with IndieWire, Reznor, now over a yr faraway from his aforementioned feedback to Rubin, indicated that his views stay comparatively unchanged. He said:
“What we’re in search of [from film] is the collaborative expertise with attention-grabbing folks. We haven’t gotten that from the music world essentially, for our personal alternative. You talked about disillusionment with the music world? Sure. The tradition of the music world sucks.
That’s one other dialog, however what expertise has executed to disrupt the music enterprise when it comes to not solely how folks hearken to music however the worth they place on it’s defeating. I’m not saying that as an outdated man yelling at clouds, however as a music lover who grew up the place music was the principle factor. Music 1734030193 feels largely relegated to one thing that occurs within the background or whilst you’re doing one thing else. That’s an extended, bitter story.”
Later in that very same dialogue, Reznor was requested if the band’s 1997 dwelling video launch “Closure” would ever make its approach out into the world once more formally, after previous makes an attempt to reissue it on fashionable codecs have been shelved (some bonus footage was formally shared again in 2013.) He said:
“I’m making an attempt to suppose what I’m capable of say proper now. We’re performing some issues with Interscope once more. There’s a renewed curiosity in ensuring the again catalog is being curated and maintained correctly. I’ll convey that up as — I haven’t been paying shut consideration to what the standing of these issues are as a result of this can be a comparatively new growth. However that’s a very good factor to say as a result of I wish to have that in some consumable style, whether or not or not it’s streamable or one thing.”
Lengthy-suffering 9 Inch Nails followers do have one thing to stay up for comparatively quickly nonetheless, as Reznor & Ross have signed on to attain the upcoming movie ‘Tron: Ares‘ below their 9 Inch Nails banner. Reznor even not too long ago spoke of his renewed ardour for 9 Inch Nails.
Outdoors of that, he and Ross even have quite a few scoring tasks lining up, together with their subsequent collaboration with director Luca Guadagnino, ‘After The Hunt‘.
