Band’s Reflections on Music
Nine Inch Nails shared their thoughts on the current state of the music world and talked about their upcoming work.
- READ MORE: Nine Inch Nails – 'Ghosts: V-VI' Review: A Timely Two-Part Dive into Dreams and Nightmares
The band's Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross recently met with IndieWire to discuss their work on film soundtracks, including Social Network, Soul, Challengers, and Luca Guadagnino's upcoming film Strange. It was also announced earlier this year that they would be the composers for Disney's upcoming sci-fi film, Tron: Ares.
Current Challenges in the Music Industry
While talking about the process of creating the film's accompanying score, Reznor also shared his thoughts on the current state of music.
“What we're looking for (from a film) is the experience of collaborating with interesting people. We didn't necessarily get it from the music world by our own choice,” he said. “You mentioned the disappointment in the music world? Yes. The culture of the music world sucks. That's a different story, but the fact that technology has changed the music business in terms of not only how people listen to music but the value they place on it is a defeat.
“I say this not as an old man shouting at the clouds, but as a music lover who grew up where music was the main thing. Music (now) seems largely relegated to something that happens in the background or while you're doing something else. It's a long and bitter story.”
Future Projects and Reissues
Elsewhere in the interview, the duo were asked about their shelved, controversial 1997 video album, Closure. The album contained footage from Nine Inch Nails' “Self-Destruct” and “Further Down Spiral” tours and was released on double VHS, featuring antics both on and off stage, as well as tour guests such as the late David Bowie, Jim Rose Circus, and Marilyn Manson. A DVD release was planned by Interscope Records – the band's label from 1992 to 2007, but was delayed in 2004.
“I'm trying to think of what I can say right now,” Reznor told the publication. “We're doing something again with Interscope. There is renewed interest in ensuring the back catalog is curated and maintained properly. I'll put it this way: I don't pay close attention to the status of these things because they're relatively new developments. But it's worth mentioning because I'd love to see this be some kind of consumable item, whether it's streaming or something like that.”
After learning that someone had leaked a version of “Closure” online at some point, the “Hurt” singer said, “Oh, I don't know anything about that.”
This isn't the first time Nine Inch Nails has revealed that new material is in the works. They began teasing a potential new Nine Inch Nails project in April, with Ross saying: “I'm really excited to start working on the next album. I think we're at a place now where we have some kind of idea.”
Last week in an interview with the magazine Hollywood Reporter, Reznor said the band “took the inspiration we had and channeled it into the Nine Inch Nails project we're working on now. We're ready to get behind the wheel again,” confirming that new material is in the works.
The new album will be the band's first since 2020's surprise ambient double album, Ghosts V-VI, which followed 2018's Bad Witch.
In other news, Nine Inch Nails celebrated three decades of Downward Spiral this summer by teaming up with Dr. Martens to create a special collection of shoes. This followed Reznor revealing why he apologized to his label when handing over the record.
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