View source for Nine Inch Nails

{{Short description|American industrial rock band}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name             = Nine Inch Nails
| image            = File:Nine Inch Nails - 20.06.2022 - O2 Apollo Manchester.jpg
| caption          = Nine Inch Nails performing in 2022; ({{abbr|L–R|Left to right}}): [[Ilan Rubin]], [[Trent Reznor]], [[Alessandro Cortini]], [[Atticus Ross]], [[Robin Finck]]
| landscape        = Yes
| background       = group_or_band
| origin           = [[Cleveland, Ohio]], U.S.
| works            = {{flatlist|
* [[Nine Inch Nails discography|Discography]]
* [[List of songs recorded by Nine Inch Nails|songs]]
}}
| genre            = <!---There are several sourced genres. Only include genres with the most sources in the genre field, see the Artistry section. Do NOT add any unsourced genres. Make sure when you add genres, the genres you're adding have citations.--->{{flatlist|
* [[Industrial rock]]
* [[Industrial music|industrial]]
* {{nowrap|[[alternative rock]]}}
* [[electronic rock]]
* [[industrial metal]]
* [[Ambient music|ambient]]
}}
| years_active     = 1988–present<!--Please do not change this without prior talk page consensus. -->
| label            = {{flatlist|
* [[Nothing Records|Nothing]]
* [[TVT Records|TVT]]
* [[Interscope Records|Interscope]]
* [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]
* [[Capitol Records|Capitol]]
* The Null Corporation
}}
| awards           = [[List of awards and nominations received by Nine Inch Nails|Full list]]
| website          = {{URL|nin.com}}
| current_members  = {{plainlist|
* [[Trent Reznor]]
* [[Atticus Ross]]
}}
| module         = {{Infobox
| child          = yes
| headerstyle    = background:#b0c4de
| data1          = [[File:Nine Inch Nails logo.svg|200px]]
}}
}}

'''Nine Inch Nails''', commonly abbreviated as '''NIN''', is an American [[industrial rock]] band formed by singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer [[Trent Reznor]] in 1988 in [[Cleveland, Ohio]]. Reznor was the sole permanent member of the band until his frequent collaborator, English musician [[Atticus Ross]], became an official member in 2016. The band's debut album, ''[[Pretty Hate Machine]]'' (1989), was released via [[TVT Records]]. After disagreements with TVT over how the album would be promoted, the band signed with [[Interscope Records]] and released the EP [[Broken (Nine Inch Nails EP)|''Broken'']] (1992), followed by the albums ''[[The Downward Spiral]]'' (1994) and ''[[The Fragile]]'' (1999).

Following a hiatus, Nine Inch Nails resumed touring and released their fourth album ''[[With Teeth]]'' (2005). Following the release of the next album [[Year Zero (album)|''Year Zero'']] (2007), the band left Interscope after a feud. Nine Inch Nails continued touring and independently released ''[[Ghosts I–IV]]'' (2008) and [[The Slip (album)|''The Slip'']] (2008) before a second hiatus. Their eighth album, ''[[Hesitation Marks]]'' (2013), was followed by a trilogy which consisted of the EPs ''[[Not the Actual Events]]'' (2016) and ''[[Add Violence]]'' (2017) and their ninth album ''[[Bad Witch]]'' (2018). The band simultaneously released two further installments of the ''Ghosts'' series in 2020: ''[[Ghosts V: Together]]'' and ''[[Ghosts VI: Locusts]]''. In 2024, Nine Inch Nails announced a number of new projects through their multimedia company With Teeth; the following year, they embarked on the [[Peel It Back Tour]] and released the [[Tron: Ares (soundtrack)|soundtrack to ''Tron: Ares'']].

When touring, Reznor typically [[List of Nine Inch Nails band members|assembles a live band]] to perform with him under the Nine Inch Nails name. This live band has varied over the decades, with various members leaving and returning; the current lineup consists of Reznor and Ross alongside [[Robin Finck]] (who initially joined in 1994), [[Alessandro Cortini]], and [[Josh Freese]] (both of whom initially joined in 2005). [[Nine Inch Nails live performances|The band's concerts]] are noted for their extensive use of thematic visual elements, complex special effects, and elaborate lighting. Songs are often rearranged to fit any given performance, and the melodies or lyrics of songs that are not scheduled to be performed are sometimes assimilated into other songs.

Nine Inch Nails has sold over 20 million records worldwide and been nominated for 13 [[Grammy Award]]s, winning for the songs "[[Wish (Nine Inch Nails song)|Wish]]" in 1992 and "[[Happiness in Slavery]]" in 1996. [[Time (magazine)|''Time'']] magazine named Reznor one of its most influential people in 1997, while ''Spin'' magazine has described him as "the most vital artist in music". In 2004, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' ranked Nine Inch Nails No. 94 on its list of the "[[Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time|100 Greatest Artists of All Time]]". Nine Inch Nails was inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 2020, having first been nominated in 2014 (their first year of eligibility) and again in 2015.

==History==
===Formation (1987–1988)===
While living in [[Cleveland]] in 1987, [[Trent Reznor]] played keyboards in the [[Exotic Birds]], a [[synth-pop]] band managed by [[John Malm Jr.]]<ref name="NIN Spin 1996">{{Cite magazine|last= Weisbard|first= Eric|date=February 1996|title=Sympathy for the Devil|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=td2yO_T3DPEC&pg=PA34 |volume=11|issue=11|pages=34–42, 96|issn=0886-3032|access-date=August 27, 2018|magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] |via= Google Books}}</ref>{{rp|38}} Reznor became friends with Malm,{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=33}} who informally became his manager when he left to work on his own music.<ref>''Reznor v. J. Artist Management, Inc. et al.'', 365 F. Supp. 2d 565 (S.D.N.Y. 2005).</ref> At the time, Reznor was employed as an assistant engineer and janitor at Right Track Studios.<ref name="AMG">{{cite web| last=Huey|first=Steve| url = https://www.allmusic.com/artist/nine-inch-nails-mn0000351733/biography| title = Nine Inch Nails| access-date = October 15, 2017| work = [[AllMusic]]| publisher = [[All Media Network]]| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120806032300/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/nine-inch-nails-mn0000351733| archive-date = August 6, 2012}}</ref> Studio owner Bart Koster granted Reznor free access to the studio between bookings to record [[Demo (music)|demos]],{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p= 30}}<ref>{{cite book|last1= Jovanovic|first1= Rob|editor1-last=Garrett|editor1-first=Charles|chapter=Nine Inch Nails|title=The Grove Dictionary of American Music|publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref> commenting that it cost him nothing more than "a little wear on [his] tape heads".<ref>{{cite magazine |title= The music of rage |magazine= [[People (magazine)|People]] |volume=43 |issue=5 |last1=Dougherty |first1=Steve |first2=Bryan |last2=Alexander |first3= Tom |last3=Nugent |first4=John |last4=Hannah |date=February 6, 1995 |pages=105–107}}</ref> Unable to find a band that could articulate the material as he desired, Reznor was inspired by [[Prince (musician)|Prince]] to play all instruments himself except drums, which he programmed electronically.<ref>{{cite web| title = The Truth About Trent| last = Fine| first = Jason| date = July–August 1994| url = http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xart27a.shtml| magazine = Option| issue = 57| access-date = October 18, 2017| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171022035230/http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xart27a.shtml | archive-date = October 22, 2017}}</ref> He has continued to play most parts on Nine Inch Nails recordings ever since.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=33}}

The first Nine Inch Nails live performance took place at Graffiti in [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]], on October 27, 1988.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Key |first1=cEvin |author1-link=cEvin Key |title= Sunday Live Chat with Chris Vrenna (NIN) and cEvin Key 10/4/2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/live/bkR4ydeTtJM?si=Dw1vc84rRKHKUM58&t=729 |website=youtube.com |publisher=[[cEvin Key]] |language=en |format=video |date=October 4, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1-link=Prism Films |title=Nine Inch Nails: Chris Vrenna Part 5|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVOTGufhCcg |website=youtube.com |publisher=Prism Films |language=en |format=video |date=2008}}</ref> Soon after, following their live support of [[Skinny Puppy]], Reznor aimed to release one [[12-inch single]] on a small European label.<ref name="AP90">{{Cite magazine|title= Getting Down in It|url=https://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/display/530|date=March 1990|magazine= [[Alternative Press (music magazine)|Alternative Press]]|issue=27|access-date=March 26, 2025}}. See also {{harvnb|Huxley|1997|p=37}}.</ref> Several labels responded favorably to the demo material and Reznor signed with [[TVT Records]].<ref name="AMG" /> Nine demos, recorded live in November 1988 and collectively known as ''Purest Feeling'', were released in revised form on the first studio album, ''[[Pretty Hate Machine]]'' (1989).<ref name="NIN Spin 1996" />{{rp|41}} The overall sound on ''Purest Feeling'' is lighter than that of ''Pretty Hate Machine''; several songs contain more live drumming and guitar, as well as a heavier use of film [[Sampling (music)|samples]].<ref name="OVGuide">{{cite web|title=Purest Feeling Music Videos|url= http://www.ovguide.com/purest-feeling-9202a8c04000641f8000000000743618|publisher=[[OVGuide]]|access-date= January 13, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150113062929/http://www.ovguide.com/purest-feeling-9202a8c04000641f8000000000743618|archive-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref>

Reznor chose the name "Nine Inch Nails" because it "abbreviated easily" rather than for "any literal meaning".<ref name="Axcess">{{cite magazine | title = Talking about Nothing with Trent Reznor| magazine = Axcess| volume = 2| year = 1994| url = http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/axc94a.shtml | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150813023119/http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/axc94a.shtml | archive-date = August 13, 2015| access-date = January 13, 2015}}. See also {{harvnb|Huxley|1997|p=37}}.</ref> Other rumored explanations have circulated, alleging that Reznor chose to refer to Jesus's crucifixion with nine-inch spikes,<ref name="Shock">{{Cite book| first = Greg| last = Rule| title = Electro Shock!: Groundbreakers of Synth Music| chapter = Nine Inch Nails Mastermind Trent Reznor| publisher = Backbeat Books| year = 1999| isbn = 0-87930-582-7| pages = [https://archive.org/details/electroshock00greg/page/38 38–63]| via = Internet Archive| chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/electroshock00greg/page/38}}</ref>{{rp|57}} or [[Freddy Krueger]]'s nine-inch fingernails.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=37}} The Nine Inch Nails logo first appeared on the music video for their debut single, "[[Down in It]]". Reznor and [[Gary Talpas]] designed the logo, inspired by [[Tibor Kalman]]'s typography on the [[Talking Heads]] album ''[[Remain in Light]]''.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.nin.com/access/7_21_04/questions5.gif| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20051028113651/http://www.nin.com/access/7_21_04/questions5.gif | archive-date = October 28, 2005| title = Response from Trent| date = July 21, 2004| last = Reznor| first = Trent | author-link = Trent Reznor| publisher = Nine Inch Nails|access-date=October 18, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Empire of Dirt">{{Cite magazine|first=Benjamin|last=Critton|date=September 23, 2013|title= Empire of Dirt: The NIN Design Aesthetic|url= http://www.thefader.com/2013/09/23/nin-design-artifacts-trent-reznor|publication-date= October–November 2013|issue=88|access-date=February 4, 2018|magazine=[[The Fader]]|issn=1533-5194|url-status= live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180205072122/http://www.thefader.com/2013/09/23/nin-design-artifacts-trent-reznor|archive-date=February 5, 2018}}</ref> The logo features the band's initials, with the [[I (Cyrillic)#Stylistic uses|second N mirrored]]. Talpas, a native of Cleveland, continued to design Nine Inch Nails packaging until 1997.<ref>
{{cite web|url= http://www.cleveland.com/homegrown/index.ssf?/homegrown/more/reznor/conspire.html |title= Trent Reznor: area co-conspirators |publisher=Cleveland.com|access-date=October 18, 2017|url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070828020805/http://www.cleveland.com/homegrown/index.ssf?%2Fhomegrown%2Fmore%2Freznor%2Fconspire.html |archive-date=August 28, 2007}}
</ref>

===''Pretty Hate Machine'' (1988–1991)===
{{See also|Pretty Hate Machine|Down in It|Head Like a Hole}}
Written, arranged, and performed by Reznor,{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=41}} Nine Inch Nails' first album ''[[Pretty Hate Machine]]'' debuted in 1989.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=35}} It marked his first collaboration with [[Adrian Sherwood]] (who produced the lead single "Down in It" in London without meeting Reznor face-to-face)<ref name = "AP90" /> and [[Flood (producer)|Mark "Flood" Ellis]].<ref name="NIN Spin 1996" />{{rp|42}} Reznor asked [[Sean Beavan]] to mix the demos of ''Pretty Hate Machine'', which had received multiple offers for record deals.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=38}} He mixed sound during Nine Inch Nails' live concerts for several years,{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=207}} eventually becoming an unofficial member of the live band and singing live backup vocals from his place at the mixing console.<ref name="SoS">{{cite web|url=https://www.soundonsound.com/people/classic-tracks-nine-inch-nails-closer|title=CLASSIC TRACKS: Nine Inch Nails 'Closer'|first=Richard|last=Buskin|magazine=Sound on Sound|date=September 2012|access-date=January 23, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207014730/https://www.soundonsound.com/people/classic-tracks-nine-inch-nails-closer|archive-date=December 7, 2017}}</ref> Flood's production would appear on each major Nine Inch Nails release until 1994, and Sherwood has made remixes for the band as recently as 2000. Reznor and his co-producers expanded upon the Right Track Studio demos by adding singles "[[Head Like a Hole]]" and "[[Sin (song)|Sin]]".{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=44}} ''[[Rolling Stone]]''{{'}}s [[Michael Azerrad]] described the album as "industrial-strength noise over a pop framework" and "harrowing but catchy music";<ref>{{Cite magazine |last= Azerrad |first= Michael |author-link= Michael Azerrad |title= New Faces: Nine Inch Nails |magazine= [[Rolling Stone]] |date= February 22, 1990 |issue= 572 |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/new-faces-nine-inch-nails-19900222 |access-date= February 1, 2015 |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150212172131/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/new-faces-nine-inch-nails-19900222 |archive-date= February 12, 2015}}</ref> Reznor proclaimed this combination "a sincere statement" of "what was in [his] head at the time".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Lindsay|first1=Cam|title=Trent Reznor Further Down the Spiral|url=http://exclaim.ca/Music/article/trent_reznor-further_down_spiral|website=[[Exclaim!]]|access-date=February 3, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203183257/http://exclaim.ca/Music/article/trent_reznor-further_down_spiral|archive-date=February 3, 2015}}</ref> In fact, the song "Down in It" spent over two months on ''Billboard''{{'s}} club-play dance chart.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Popson|first1=Tom|title=Music: Dancing through disillusion with Nine Inch Nails the insider|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=January 26, 1990|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1990/01/26/dancing-through-disillusion-with-nine-inch-nails/|access-date=November 9, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20171109123126/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-01-26/entertainment/9001080016_1_nine-inch-nails-trent-reznor-dance|archive-date=November 9, 2017}}</ref> After spending 113 weeks on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]],<ref name="PHM 200">{{cite book|title=Billboard|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_LRIEAAAAMBAJ|date=July 11, 1992|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_LRIEAAAAMBAJ/page/n74 75]|publisher=Nielsen Business Media|issn=0006-2510}}</ref> ''Pretty Hate Machine'' became one of the first [[independent music|independently released]] records to attain [[RIAA certification|platinum certification]].<ref name="AMG" />
[[File:Trent Reznor Lollapalooza 1991.jpg|thumb|upright|right|alt=A man caked in mud screaming into a microphone.|Reznor during the 1991 [[Lollapalooza]] festival]]

Three music videos were created in promotion of the album. [[MTV]] aired the videos for "Down in It" and "Head Like a Hole", but an explicit video for "Sin" was only released in partial form for ''[[Closure (Nine Inch Nails VHS)|Closure]]''. The original version of the "Down in It" video ended with the implication that Reznor's character had fallen off a building and died in the street.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|pp=47–48}} This footage attracted the attention of the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.obsolete.com/convulsion/interviews/convulse/1.5.html| title = Nine Inch Nails| access-date = April 12, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081115015943/http://www.obsolete.com/convulsion/interviews/convulse/1.5.html|archive-date=November 15, 2008|last=Bains|first=Jon|work=Convulsion Magazine}}</ref>

In 1989, while doing promotion for the album, the band members were asked on what shows they would like to appear. They jokingly replied (possibly while intoxicated) that they would like to appear on ''[[Dance Party USA]]'', since it was the most absurd option they could think of at the time. Much to their surprise, they were booked on the show, and made an appearance.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gawker.com/5897544/heres-video-of-nine-inch-nails-performing-on-dance-party-usa-22-years-ago |access-date=November 9, 2017 |title=Here's Video of Nine Inch Nails Performing on Dance Party USA 22 Years Ago |publisher=[[Gawker]] |date=March 29, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140121161619/http://gawker.com/5897544/heres-video-of-nine-inch-nails-performing-on-dance-party-usa-22-years-ago |archive-date=January 21, 2014 }}</ref>

In 1990, Nine Inch Nails began the ''Pretty Hate Machine Tour Series'', in which it toured North America as an opening act for [[alternative rock]] artists such as [[Peter Murphy (musician)|Peter Murphy]] and [[the Jesus and Mary Chain]].<ref name="NIN Spin 1996" />{{rp|41}}<ref name="AMG" />{{sfn|Huxley|1997|pp=54–55}} Reznor began [[Instrument destruction|smashing his equipment]] while on stage; ''Rockbeat'' interviewer Mike Gitter attributed the live band's early success in front of rock oriented audiences to this aggressive attitude.<ref name="Rockbeat">{{cite web |title=The Man Behind the Machine |url=http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xart198.shtml |first=Mike |last=Gitter |work=Rockbeat |year=1992 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303210952/http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xart198.shtml |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |access-date=January 14, 2015 }}</ref> Nine Inch Nails then embarked on a world tour that continued through the first [[Lollapalooza]] festival in 1991.<ref name="NIN Spin 1996" />{{rp|42}}

===''Broken'' (1992–1993)===
{{See also|Broken (Nine Inch Nails EP)}}
After a poor European reception opening for [[Guns N' Roses]],{{sfn|Huxley|1997|pp=69–70}} the band returned to the US amid pressure from TVT to produce a follow-up to ''Pretty Hate Machine''.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=52}} After finding out they were hindering control of his project, Reznor criticized the labeling of Nine Inch Nails as a commercially oriented band and demanded his label terminate his contract, but they ignored his plea.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xart44a.shtml| title = Nine Inch Nails : Happiness Is Slavery| author = Greene, Jo-Ann| magazine = [[Goldmine (magazine)|Goldmine]]| date = August 4, 1995| volume = 21| issue = 16 (392)| access-date = January 23, 2018| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100617021450/http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xart44a.shtml| archive-date = June 17, 2010| via = ''The NIN Hotline'' archive}}</ref> In response, Reznor secretly began recording under various pseudonyms to avoid record company interference.<ref name="Musician March '94 Nine Inch Nails">{{Cite magazine| url = http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/musica.shtml| title = Nine Inch Nails| access-date = October 15, 2017| magazine = Musician| date = March 1994| via = ''The NIN Hotline'' archive| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100617034805/http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/musica.shtml| archive-date = June 17, 2010}}</ref> Involved in a feud with TVT, he signed a record deal with [[Interscope Records]] and created [[Nothing Records]]:

<blockquote>We made it very clear we were not doing another record for TVT. But they made it pretty clear they weren't ready to sell. So I felt like, well, I've finally got this thing going but it's dead. Flood and I had to record ''Broken'' under a different band name, because if TVT found out we were recording, they could confiscate all our shit and release it. [[Jimmy Iovine]] got involved with Interscope, and we kind of got slave-traded. It wasn't my doing. I didn't know anything about Interscope. And I was real pissed off at him at first because it was going from one bad situation to potentially another one. But Interscope went into it like they really wanted to know what I wanted. It was good, after I put my raving lunatic act on.<ref name="NIN Spin 1996" />{{rp|42}}</blockquote>

In 1992, Nine Inch Nails relocated to [[10050 Cielo Drive, Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles]] (renamed "Le Pig" by Reznor), the site of the [[Tate murders]], when [[Charles Manson]]'s "family" murdered [[Sharon Tate]],{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=97}} wife of noted film director [[Roman Polanski]], and four of her friends.<ref name="NIN Spin 1996" />{{rp|42}}<ref name = "AMG" /> The band used it to record ''Broken'', an [[extended play]] (EP) that was the first Nine Inch Nails release distributed by Interscope Records{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=82}} and reached the top 10 on the ''Billboard'' 200.<ref name="US-albums">{{cite magazine |url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=nine inch nails|chart=Billboard 200}} |title=Nine Inch Nails – Chart history: Billboard 200 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=November 9, 2016}}</ref> In the liner notes, Reznor credited the 1991 [[List of Nine Inch Nails live-band members|Nine Inch Nails touring band]] as an influence on the EP's sound.<ref>{{cite AV media notes |title-link= Broken (Nine Inch Nails EP) |title= Broken |publisher=[[Interscope Records]]/[[Nothing Records|nothing]]/TVT |date= September 22, 1992 |type= liner notes |author= Nine Inch Nails}}</ref> He characterized ''Broken'' as a guitar-based "blast of destruction", and as "a lot harder&nbsp;... than ''Pretty Hate Machine''".<ref name="Shock" /> The inspiration for the harder sound came from the way the live band played during concerts such as Lollapalooza.<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Larkin|editor1-first=Colin|chapter=Nine Inch Nails|title=Encyclopedia of Popular Music|date=2006|publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref> Songs from ''Broken'' earned Nine Inch Nails two Grammy Awards: a performance of the EP's first single "[[Happiness in Slavery]]" from [[Woodstock '94]],<ref name = "AwardsDatabase" /> and the second single "[[Wish (Nine Inch Nails song)|Wish]]".<ref name="AwardsDatabase" /> In reference to receiving the [[Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance]] for "Wish", Reznor joked that "Wish" became "the only song to ever win a Grammy that says 'fist fuck' in the lyrics."{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=86}} Against touring of the brand new material, Reznor began living and recording full-time at Le Pig, working on a follow-up free of restrictions from his record label.<ref name="NIN Spin 1996" />{{rp|42}}

[[Peter Christopherson]] of the bands [[Coil (band)|Coil]] and [[Throbbing Gristle]] directed a performance video for "Wish",<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.9inchnails.com/gallery/wish.php| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070812194149/http://www.9inchnails.com/gallery/wish.php| archive-date=August 12, 2007| title = Wish| publisher = Painful Convictions| year = 2007| access-date = August 7, 2007}}</ref> but the EP's most controversial video accompanied "Happiness in Slavery".{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=89}} The video was almost universally banned{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=89}} for its graphic depiction of [[performance art]]ist [[Bob Flanagan (performance artist)|Bob Flanagan]] disrobed and lying on a machine that pleases, tortures, then (apparently) kills him.<ref name="Stone94">{{Cite magazine| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/nine-inch-nails-love-it-to-death-48072/|title = Love it to death| last = Gold| first = Jonathan| magazine= [[Rolling Stone]]| issue = 690| page = 50| date=September 8, 1994}}</ref> A third video for "Pinion", partially incorporated into MTV's ''Alternative Nation'' opening sequence, showed a toilet that apparently flushes into the mouth of a person in [[Bondage (BDSM)|bondage]].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.9inchnails.com/gallery/pinion.php| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070715004652/http://www.9inchnails.com/gallery/pinion.php |archive-date=July 15, 2007| title = Pinion| publisher = Painful Convictions| year = 2007| access-date = August 7, 2007}}</ref> Reznor and Christopherson compiled the three clips along with footage for "Help Me I Am in Hell" and "Gave Up" into a longform music video titled ''[[Broken (1993 film)|Broken]]''.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=91}} It depicts the murder of a young man who is kidnapped and tortured while forced to watch the videos.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=91}} This footage was never officially released, but instead appeared covertly among tape trading circles.<ref name="Stone94" />{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=91}} A separate performance video for "Gave Up" featuring [[Richard Patrick]] and [[Marilyn Manson]] was filmed at Le Pig. A live recording of "Wish" was also filmed, and both videos appeared in ''Closure''.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.9inchnails.com/gallery/gave-up.php| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070812194149/http://www.9inchnails.com/gallery/gave-up.php| archive-date=August 12, 2007| title = Gave Up| publisher = Painful Convictions| year = 2007| access-date = August 7, 2007}}</ref>

''Broken'' was followed by the companion remix EP ''[[Fixed (EP)|Fixed]]'' in late 1992.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=91}} The only track that was left off the final version of the release is the remix of "Last", produced by [[Butch Vig]] (the outro of the "Last" remix is heard in "Throw This Away", which also includes Reznor's remix of "Suck").{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=92}} The unedited version appeared on the internet as an 8-bit mono 11&nbsp;kHz file, "NIN_LAST.AIFF", available by [[FTP]] from cyberden.com in 1993; it has been removed from the website, but can still be found on [[Peer-to-peer file sharing|p2p]] networks (Reznor subsequently made it available in higher quality (256&nbsp;kbit/s mp3) at remix.nin.com). Vig later spoke about his remix while answering questions on a music production forum, saying "I started recording a lot of new parts, and took it in a much different direction. When it was finished, Trent thought the front part of the mix didn't fit the EP, so he just used the ending. I'm glad it's on his website. [[Duke Erikson|Duke]] and [[Steve Marker|Steve]] worked with me on the remix, in the very early days of [[Garbage (band)|Garbage]]."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://gearspace.com/board/q-butch-vig/402075-nin-last-remix.html |title=nin – "last" remix |publisher=Gearspace.com |date=June 30, 2009 |access-date=September 13, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001105318/http://www.gearslutz.com/board/q-butch-vig/402075-nin-last-remix.html |archive-date=October 1, 2011}}</ref>

===''The Downward Spiral'' (1993–1997)===
{{See also|The Downward Spiral}}
[[Image:Trent Reznor Self-Destruct.jpg|thumb|Reznor performing during the Self-Destruct tour, {{circa|1994–1995}}]]

Early ideas for ''The Downward Spiral'' arose after the [[Lollapalooza]] 1991 festival's concerts ended in September.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=95}} Reznor elaborated the album's themes into lyrics.<ref name="NIN Spin 1996"/>{{rp|42}} Despite initially choosing to record the album in [[New Orleans]],<ref name="Entertainment Weekly - The Downward Spiral">{{Cite news|last=Ali|first=Lorraine|url=https://ew.com/article/1994/03/18/making-records-where-manson-killed/|title=Helter Shelter: Making records where Manson murdered|date=March 18, 1994|newspaper=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=January 23, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015202915/http://ew.com/article/1994/03/18/making-records-where-manson-killed/|archive-date=October 15, 2017|issue=214|page=100|author-link=Lorraine Ali}}</ref> Reznor searched for and moved to 10050 Cielo Drive, in Los Angeles (known as the Manson Murder House)<ref>{{Cite web|last=Eggertsen|first=Chris|date=2018-06-06|title=The Manson murder house|url=https://la.curbed.com/2018/6/6/17153870/manson-sharon-tate-murder-house-cielo-drive|access-date=2021-04-22|website=Curbed LA|language=en}}</ref> renting it for $11,000 per month from July 4, 1992, the start of the making of both ''Broken'' and ''The Downward Spiral''.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|pp=95–99}}<ref name="Trent Reznor 1994 Select">{{cite web| url = http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xart5a.shtml| title = Who Really Is Trent Reznor?| work = Select Magazine| author = Morris, Gina| date = April 1994| access-date = January 21, 2009| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081118182839/http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xart5a.shtml| archive-date = November 18, 2008}}</ref>

Nine Inch Nails' second studio album, ''[[The Downward Spiral]]'', entered the ''Billboard'' 200 at number two,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cleveland.com/kidsnewsday/content.ssf?/homegrown/index.ssf?/homegrown/more/reznor/timeline.html |title=Trent Reznor: Timeline |publisher=Cleveland.com |access-date=December 18, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011112200/http://www.cleveland.com/kidsnewsday/content.ssf?%2Fhomegrown%2Findex.ssf%3F%2Fhomegrown%2Fmore%2Freznor%2Ftimeline.html |archive-date=October 11, 2007 }}</ref> and is the band's highest seller in the US, over four million copies, among five million worldwide.<ref name="RIAA.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH |publisher=[[Recording Industry Association of America]] |title=Gold and Platinum database |access-date=August 10, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070626050454/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH |archive-date=June 26, 2007 }}</ref> Influenced by [[Pink Floyd]] and by [[David Bowie]]'s music from the 1970s,<ref name="AMG" /> ''The Downward Spiral''<nowiki/>'s diverse textures and moods depict a protagonist's mental progress.<ref name = "Details">{{Cite magazine| title = The art of darkness| last = Heath| first = Chris| author-link = Chris Heath| magazine= [[Details (magazine)|Details]]| publisher = [[Condé Nast Publications]]| date=April 1995}}</ref> Flood co-produced several tracks, while [[Alan Moulder]] mixed most,{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=106}} and later found more extensive production duties on future albums. Reznor invited Sean Beavan to work on ''The Downward Spiral''.<ref name="NIN Spin 1996" /> After contributing to remixes of Nine Inch Nails songs, such as "[[Closer (Nine Inch Nails song)|Closer]]", Beavan mixed and co-produced [[Marilyn Manson (band)|Marilyn Manson]]'s ''[[Antichrist Superstar]]'' in 1996.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=167}} ''The Downward Spiral'', like ''Broken'', was recorded at Le Pig Studios.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=97}} "[[March of the Pigs]]" and "Closer" were singles. Two other tracks, "[[Hurt (Nine Inch Nails song)|Hurt]]" and "[[Piggy (song)|Piggy]]", though not singles, were issued to radio. Also in 1994, the band released the promotional single "[[Burn (Nine Inch Nails song)|Burn]]", which Reznor produced, on the [[Natural Born Killers (soundtrack)|soundtrack]] of [[Oliver Stone]] film ''[[Natural Born Killers]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Natural Born Killers [Original Soundtrack] |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/natural-born-killers-original-soundtrack-mw0000118931 |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=October 19, 2019}}</ref> as well as a cover of the [[Joy Division]] song "Dead Souls" on the [[The Crow: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack|soundtrack]] to the film ''[[The Crow (1994 film)|The Crow]]'', which went to number 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Crow [Original Soundtrack] |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-crow-original-soundtrack-mw0000110890 |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=6 August 2020}}</ref>

The music video for "Closer", directed by [[Mark Romanek]], was in MTV's frequent rotation, although the network, deeming it too graphic, heavily censored the original.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|pp=133–134}} The video shows events in a laboratory dealing with religion, sexuality, animal cruelty, politics, and terror; controversial imagery included a nude bald woman with a [[crucifix]] mask, a monkey tied to a [[cross]], a pig's head spinning on some type of machine, a diagram of a [[vulva]], Reznor wearing an [[Sadomasochism|S&M]] mask while swinging in shackles, and of him wearing a [[ball gag]].<ref name="Closer video">{{cite web| title = Nine Inch Nails: Closure (VHS)| publisher = DeepFocus.com| url = http://www.deep-focus.com/flicker/closure.html| access-date = August 26, 2007| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070727035157/http://www.deep-focus.com/flicker/closure.html| archive-date = July 27, 2007}}</ref> A radio edit that partially mutes the song's explicit lyrics also received extensive airtime.<ref name="NIN Spin 1996" />{{rp|96}}

Contemporary critics generally praised ''The Downward Spiral'', now classed among the most important albums of the 1990s. In 2005, Spin ranked it 25th among the "100 Greatest Albums, 1985–2005".<ref name="Spin100">{{Cite magazine| title = 100 Greatest Albums, 1985–2005| journal = [[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]| issue = June 2005}}</ref> In 2003, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it 200 among "[[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]]".<ref name="200great500">{{cite magazine| title = The RS 500 Greatest Albums of All Time| magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]| date = November 18, 2003| url = https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6599404/200_the_downward_spiral| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100417044227/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6599404/200_the_downward_spiral| archive-date = April 17, 2010| url-status = dead| access-date = December 8, 2011}}</ref> ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]'' named it the 80th ''Greatest American Album''. It was ranked No.&nbsp;488 in the book ''The Top 500 Heavy Metal Albums of All Time'' by [[Martin Popoff]]. In 2001 ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' named ''The Downward Spiral'' as one of the ''50 Heaviest Albums of All Time'';<ref name="Q50Heav">{{cite web |url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/qlistspage2.html#50%20Heaviest |title=Q 50 Heaviest Albums Of All Time |work=Q |access-date=April 15, 2007 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204170954/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/qlistspage2.html#50%20Heaviest |archive-date=February 4, 2012}}</ref> in 2010 the album was ranked No.&nbsp;102 on their ''250 Best Albums of Q's Lifetime (1986–2011)'' list.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|date=December 2010|title=250 Best Albums of Q's Lifetime|publication-date=February 2011}}</ref> After ''The Downward Spiral''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> release, Reznor produced an accompanying [[remix album]] entitled ''[[Further Down the Spiral]]'', the only non-major Nine Inch Nails release to be certified [[RIAA certification|gold]] in the United States<ref name="RIAA.com" /> and [[List of best-selling remix albums|among the best-selling remix albums of all time]]. It contained contributions from [[Coil (band)|Coil]] with [[Danny Hyde]], electronic musician [[Aphex Twin]], producer [[Rick Rubin]], and [[Jane's Addiction]] guitarist [[Dave Navarro]], among others.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=206}}

[[File:T.Reznor_SelfDestruct.jpg|thumb|left|alt=A man trowing to the floor a mic stand.|Reznor throwing a mic stand during a performance on the Self-Destruct Tour]]
After ''The Downward Spiral''<nowiki/>'s 1994 release, the live band supported it by embarking on the [[Self Destruct Tour]]. The stage set-up featured dirty curtains, rising and lowering for visuals shown during songs such as "Hurt". The tour debuted the band's grungy, messy image as the members appeared in ragged attire slathered in [[corn starch]]. Performances were violent and chaotic, band members often injuring themselves by attacking each other, diving into the crowd, and destroying their instruments to close.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|pp=147, 154, 161}} The widest mainstream audience was a mud-soaked performance at [[Woodstock '94]], and seen by [[Pay-Per-View]] in up to 24&nbsp;million homes.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|pp=151–153}}<ref>{{Cite magazine| url = http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-16319994.html| title = Feedback muddy from Woodstock PPV| author = Umstead, R. Thomas| magazine = [[Multichannel News]]| date = August 22, 1994| volume = 15| issue = 32| pages = 3–4| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110811221008/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-16319994.html| archive-date = August 11, 2011|access-date = November 20, 2007}}</ref> Enjoying mainstream success thereafter, Nine Inch Nails then performed amid greater production values, adding theatrical visual elements. Supporting acts on tour included [[The Jim Rose Circus Sideshow|the Jim Rose Circus]] and Marilyn Manson.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Pit: Nine Inch Nails|url=http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xreview1.shtml|magazine=Guitar School|date=May 1995|access-date=October 15, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170511161204/http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xreview1.shtml|archive-date=May 11, 2017}}</ref> Released in 1997, the ''Closure'' video documented highlights from the tour, including full live videos of "Eraser", "Hurt" and a [[Long take|one-take]] "March of the Pigs" clip directed by Peter Christopherson.<ref name="AMG Closure">{{Cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/closure-video-mw0000913873 |title=Closure [Video] – Nine Inch Nails |last=Prato |first=Greg |website=[[AllMusic]] |publisher=All Media Network |access-date=January 23, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016230121/https://www.allmusic.com/album/closure-video-mw0000913873 |archive-date=October 16, 2017 }}</ref> In 1997 Reznor also produced the [[Lost Highway (soundtrack)|soundtrack]] to the [[David Lynch]] film ''[[Lost Highway (film)|Lost Highway]]'', which featured one new Nine Inch Nails song, "[[The Perfect Drug]]".<ref>{{cite web |title=Lost Highway [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/lost-highway-original-motion-picture-soundtrack-mw0000082314 |website=AllMusic |access-date=October 19, 2019}}</ref> Around this time, Reznor's studio perfectionism,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Kloze|first1=Peter|title=Year Zero: Trent Reznor looks outside himself|url=http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2008/01/nin-j26.html|publisher=[[World Socialist Web Site]]|access-date=February 3, 2015|date=January 26, 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150208194322/http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2008/01/nin-j26.html|archive-date=February 8, 2015}}</ref> struggles with addiction, and bouts of [[writer's block]] prolonged the production of ''[[The Fragile]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Schafer|first1=Joseph|title=Trent Reznor Albums From Worst To Best|url=https://www.stereogum.com/1467231/trent-reznor-albums-from-worst-to-best/list/attachment/thefragile/|website=[[Stereogum]]|date=September 10, 2013|access-date=February 3, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203204525/http://www.stereogum.com/1467231/trent-reznor-albums-from-worst-to-best/list/attachment/thefragile/|archive-date=February 3, 2015}}</ref>

===''The Fragile'' (1998–2002)===
{{See also|The Fragile}}
Five years elapsed between ''The Downward Spiral'' and Nine Inch Nails' next studio album, ''The Fragile'', which arrived as a [[double album]] in September 1999.<ref name="Bleak" /> ''The Fragile'' was conceived by making "songwriting and arranging and production and sound design&nbsp;... the same thing. A song would start with a drum loop or a visual and eventually a song would emerge out of it and that was the song."<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.mtv.com/bands/n/nin/news_feature_050509/index2.jhtml| title = The upward spiral| publisher = MTV. [[Viacom (2005–present)|Viacom]]| author = Moss, Corey| date = May 2005| access-date = December 18, 2006| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060417000203/http://www.mtv.com/bands/n/nin/news_feature_050509/index2.jhtml| archive-date = April 17, 2006}}</ref> Canadian rock producer [[Bob Ezrin]] was consulted on the album's track listing; the liner notes state that he "provided final continuity and flow."<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=The Fragile|type=liner notes|author=Nine Inch Nails|year=1999|publisher=Nothing Records}}</ref>

On the heels of the band's previous successes, media anticipation surrounded ''The Fragile'' more than a year before its release,<ref>{{Cite web| title = NIN Album on Horizon| work = Daily News Online| url = http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xart47.shtml| date = August 1998| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160303210814/http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xart47.shtml| archive-date = March 3, 2016| access-date = January 14, 2015}}</ref> when it was already described as "oft-delayed".<ref>{{Cite web| title = Nine Inch Nails – Ball of confusion| work = [[Hit Parader]]| url = http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xart45.shtml| date = September 1998| last = Hargrove| first = Brandon| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160303205535/http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xart45.shtml| archive-date = March 3, 2016| access-date = January 14, 2015}}</ref> The album debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 228,000 copies in its first week and receiving generally positive reviews.<ref name="Bleak"/> ''Spin'' hailed ''The Fragile'' as the "album of the year", whereas [[Pitchfork Media]] panned its "melodramatic" lyrics.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xart150.shtml| title = Rock radio pumps up volume| author = Kaufman, Gil| publisher = SonicNet News| date = December 2, 1999| access-date = October 28, 2006| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070311093055/http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xart150.shtml| archive-date = March 11, 2007}}</ref><ref name="DiCrescenzo">{{cite web|last=DiCrescenzo|first=Brent|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/5799-the-fragile/|title=Review: ''The Fragile''|publisher=[[Pitchfork Media|Pitchfork]]|access-date=August 29, 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090822202148/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/5799-the-fragile/|archive-date=August 22, 2009}}</ref> Nine Inch Nails released three commercial singles from the album in different territories: "[[The Day the World Went Away]]" in North America; "[[We're in This Together (Nine Inch Nails song)|We're in This Together]]" in the EU and Japan (on three separate discs); and "[[Into the Void (Nine Inch Nails song)|Into the Void]]" in Australia. Several songs from the album became regulars on alternative rock radio stations, however the album dropped to number 16 and slipped out of the ''Billboard'' Top 10 only a week after its release, resulting in the band setting a record for the [[Billboard 200#Largest drops from number one|biggest drop from number one]], which has since been broken.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dQgEAAAAMBAJ&q=billboard+the+fragile+nine+inch+nails&pg=PA76|title=''Billboard'' Chart|date=October 16, 1999 |magazine=Billboard}}</ref> Reznor funded the subsequent North American tour out of his own pocket.<ref name="Bleak">{{Cite web| title = Rock's outlook bleak, but this Nail won't bend| last = Soeder| first = John| url = http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xart229.shtml| publisher = Cleveland.com| date = April 9, 2000| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150115011146/http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xart229.shtml| archive-date = January 15, 2015|access-date = January 13, 2015}}</ref>

Before the album's release, the song "[[Starfuckers, Inc.]]" provoked media speculation about whom Reznor had intended its acerbic lyrics to satirize.<ref>{{Cite news| url = http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xart79.shtml| title = Provocative, pounding new NIN songs leaked to radio| last = Kaufman | first = Gil| work = SonicNet News| date = July 14, 1999| access-date = October 28, 2006| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070311093046/http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xart79.shtml| archive-date = March 11, 2007}}</ref> [[Cinesexuality]] critic Patricia MacCormack interprets the song as a "scathing attack on the alternative music scene," particularly Reznor's former friend and protégé Marilyn Manson.<ref>{{cite magazine| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001000615/http://www.popmatters.com/music/videos/n/nin-starfuckers.shtml | archive-date=October 1, 2007| url = https://www.popmatters.com/music/videos/n/nin-starfuckers.shtml| title = All the fun of the (not so) fair| last = MacCormack| first = Patricia| magazine = [[PopMatters]]| access-date = August 26, 2007}}</ref> The two artists put aside their differences when Manson appeared in the song's music video, retitled "Starsuckers, Inc." and performed on stage with Nine Inch Nails at [[Madison Square Garden]] in 2000.<ref name="Machian">{{Cite news| url = http://media.www.unogateway.com/media/storage/paper968/news/2002/02/05/ArtsLeisure/Fragility.2.0.Bruises.Heal.Dvd.Is.Forever-2545105.shtml| title = Fragility 2.0: Bruises heal, DVD is forever| first = Mike| last = Machian| work = The Gateway| date = February 5, 2002| access-date = February 19, 2008| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080411202116/http://media.www.unogateway.com/media/storage/paper968/news/2002/02/05/ArtsLeisure/Fragility.2.0.Bruises.Heal.Dvd.Is.Forever-2545105.shtml| archive-date = April 11, 2008}}</ref>

Reznor followed ''The Fragile'' with another remix album, ''[[Things Falling Apart]]'', released in November 2000 to poor reviews, a few months after the 2000 ''[[Fragility Tour|Fragility]]'' tour which itself was recorded and released on CD, DVD, and VHS in 2002 as ''[[And All That Could Have Been]]''. A deluxe edition of the live CD came with the companion disc ''[[And All That Could Have Been#Still|Still]]'', containing stripped-down versions of songs from the Nine Inch Nails catalog along with several new pieces of music.<ref name="Machian"/>

During the ''Fragility 2.0'' tour, Reznor suffered a heroin overdose in London in June 2000, forcing a gig which was to be played that night to be cancelled. The incident pushed Reznor into entering rehab, putting Nine Inch Nails on hold while he attempted to become sober.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Beaumont|first1=Mark|title=The nine lives of Trent Reznor|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/aug/08/the-nine-lives-of-trent-reznor|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=March 19, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130811221611/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/aug/08/the-nine-lives-of-trent-reznor|archive-date=August 11, 2013}}</ref>

In 2002, [[Johnny Cash]] covered the Nine Inch Nails' "[[Hurt (Nine Inch Nails song)|Hurt]]" for his album, ''[[American IV: The Man Comes Around]]'', to critical acclaim.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hurt – Johnny Cash|url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/hurt-mt0013060453|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=January 2, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150325050708/http://www.allmusic.com/song/hurt-mt0013060453|archive-date=March 25, 2015}}</ref> After seeing the music video, which later won a Grammy,<ref>{{cite web|title=Johnny Cash – Awards|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/johnny-cash-mn0000816890/awards|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=January 2, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220081039/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/johnny-cash-mn0000816890/awards|archive-date=December 20, 2014}}</ref> Reznor himself became a fan of the rendition:

<blockquote>I pop the video in, and wow&nbsp;... Tears welling, silence, goose-bumps&nbsp;... Wow. [I felt like] I just lost my girlfriend, because that song isn't mine anymore&nbsp;... It really made me think about how powerful music is as a medium and art form. I wrote some words and music in my bedroom as a way of staying sane, about a bleak and desperate place I was in, totally isolated and alone. [Somehow] that winds up reinterpreted by a music legend from a radically different era/genre and still retains sincerity and meaning—different, but every bit as pure.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Pinckard|first1=Cliff|title=Miley Cyrus gets mixed reviews with Led Zeppelin remake, but here are 5 covers better than the originals (video)|url=http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/09/miley_cyrus_gets_mixed_reviews.html|newspaper=Cleveland|date=September 18, 2014|publisher=[[The Plain Dealer]]|access-date=February 4, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150204060146/http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/09/miley_cyrus_gets_mixed_reviews.html|archive-date=February 4, 2015}}</ref></blockquote>

===''With Teeth'' (2004–2006)===
{{See also|With Teeth}}[[File:Nine Inch Nails Moline 03.jpg|thumb|left|alt=A man playing guitar and singing into a microphone on stage in front of a series of red teeth-like light patterns.|Live performance during the ''Live: With Teeth'' tour in 2006]]

A further six years elapsed before Nine Inch Nails' fourth full-length album. ''[[With Teeth]]'' was released in May 2005, though it was leaked prior to its official release date. The album was written and recorded throughout 2004 following Reznor's battle with alcoholism and substance abuse and legal issues with his former manager, John Malm Jr.<ref name="SMH">{{cite news| url = https://www.smh.com.au/news/music/hammer-time-over/2005/08/04/1122748732635.html| title = Hammer time over| author = Roberts, Jo| work = [[The Sydney Morning Herald]]| publisher = [[Fairfax Media]]| date = August 5, 2005| access-date = November 28, 2006| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121103074354/http://www.smh.com.au/news/music/hammer-time-over/2005/08/04/1122748732635.html| archive-date = November 3, 2012}}</ref> ''With Teeth'' debuted on top of the ''Billboard'' 200, Nine Inch Nails' second reign at number one with an album.<ref name = "Allmusic charts">{{cite web| url = {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p5033|pure_url=yes}}| title = Nine inch Nails > Charts & Awards| website = [[AllMusic]]| access-date = August 15, 2009}}</ref> The album's package lacks typical liner notes; instead it simply lists the names of songs and co-producers, and the [[Uniform Resource Locator|URL]] for an online [[Portable Document Format|PDF]] poster with lyrics and full credits.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.nin.com/with_teeth/| title = With Teeth: Online Content| access-date = December 24, 2006| publisher = Nine Inch Nails| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070518072810/http://nin.com/with_teeth/| archive-date = May 18, 2007}}</ref> The entire album was made available in [[streaming audio]] on the band's official MySpace page in advance of its release date.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4626423| title = Smaller bands: web propels music sales| publisher = [[National Public Radio]]| date = May 1, 2005| access-date = October 22, 2006| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061125001151/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4626423| archive-date = November 25, 2006}}</ref> Critical reception of the album was mostly positive:<ref name="Metacritic">{{cite web| title = Nine Inch Nails – With Teeth| website = [[Metacritic]]| url = https://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/nineinchnails/withteeth?q=with%20teeth| access-date = February 27, 2008| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121021024647/http://www.metacritic.com/music/with-teeth/nine-inch-nails| archive-date = October 21, 2012}}</ref> ''Rolling Stone''{{'}}s [[Rob Sheffield]] described the album as "vintage Nine Inch Nails".<ref name="RS With Teeth review">{{cite magazine| last = Sheffield| first = Rob| author-link = Rob Sheffield| title = Nine Inch Nails – With Teeth| magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]| date = May 5, 2005| url = https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/nineinchnails/albums/album/7273279/review/7277688| access-date = April 12, 2011| url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090224154336/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/nineinchnails/albums/album/7273279/review/7277688|archive-date=February 24, 2009}}</ref> [[PopMatters]] condemned the album, claiming Reznor "ran out of ideas."<ref name="PopMatters review">{{cite magazine| last = Schiller| first = Mike| url = https://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/n/nineinchnails-withteeth.shtml| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091208043903/http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/n/nineinchnails-withteeth.shtml| archive-date=December 8, 2009| title = Review: ''With Teeth''| magazine = [[PopMatters]]| access-date = September 1, 2009}}</ref>

{{Quote box |width=30em |align=right |salign=right
|quote = I think, fundamentally, music is something inherently people love and need and relate to, and a lot of what's out right now feels like McDonalds. It's quick-fix. You kind of have a stomachache afterwards.
|source = Trent Reznor, ''[[Salt Lake Tribune]]'' interview (2005)<ref name=tribune_interview>{{cite news|last1=Nailen|first1=Daniel|title=Interview with Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails|url=http://www.sltrib.com/themix/ci_3069586|access-date=January 2, 2015|work=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216215825/http://www.sltrib.com/themix/ci_3069586|archive-date=December 16, 2013}}</ref>}}

A music video for the song "[[The Hand That Feeds]]" premiered on the Nine Inch Nails official website in March 2005. Reznor released the source files for it in [[GarageBand]] format a month later, allowing fans to remix the song.<ref name="March05">{{cite web|url=http://www.nin.com/current/ |publisher=Nine Inch Nails |title=Current |date=April 15, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050420075258/http://nin.com/current/ |archive-date=April 20, 2005 |access-date=August 26, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He similarly released files for the album's second single "[[Only (Nine Inch Nails song)|Only]]" in a wider range of formats, including [[Pro Tools]] and [[ACID Pro]]. [[David Fincher]] directed a video for "Only" with primarily [[computer-generated imagery]]. The planned music video for its third single, "[[Every Day Is Exactly the Same]]", was directed by [[Francis Lawrence]] but reportedly scrapped in the post-production stage.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://theninhotline.net/news/archives/backissue.php?y=06&m=4#1144942551| title = EDIETS Video to Air TODAY on MTV!| publisher = The NIN Hotline| date = April 13, 2006| access-date = November 28, 2006| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120511154702/http://www.theninhotline.net/news/archives/backissue.php?y=06&m=4#1144942551| archive-date = May 11, 2012}}</ref> All three singles topped the ''Billboard'' [[Alternative Songs]] chart.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nine Inch Nails – With Teeth|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/with-teeth-mw0000472021/awards|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=January 14, 2015}}</ref>

Nine Inch Nails launched a North American arena tour in Autumn 2005, supported by [[Queens of the Stone Age]], [[Autolux]] and [[Death from Above 1979]].<ref>{{cite web| last = Harris| first = Chris| url = http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1510691/20050930/story.jhtml| title = Nine Inch Nails Postpone Show Due To Drummer's Heart Trouble| date = September 30, 2005| publisher = MTV. [[Viacom (2005–present)|Viacom]]| access-date = August 24, 2007| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130526163348/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1510691/nine-inch-nails-postpone-show.jhtml| archive-date = May 26, 2013}}</ref> Another opening act on the tour, hip-hop artist [[Saul Williams]], performed on stage with Nine Inch Nails at the [[Voodoo Music Experience]] festival during a headlining appearance in hurricane-stricken New Orleans, Reznor's former home.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nola.net/voodoofest/index.ssf?/voodoofest/content/spera103105.html |title=Rockin' relief |last=Spera |first=Keith |date=November 1, 2005 |publisher=nola.com |access-date=April 12, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929142841/http://nola.net/voodoofest/index.ssf?%2Fvoodoofest%2Fcontent%2Fspera103105.html |archive-date=September 29, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Nine Inch Nails live band completed a tour of North American [[Amphitheatre#Modern amphitheatres|amphitheaters]] in the summer of 2006, joined by [[Bauhaus (band)|Bauhaus]], [[TV on the Radio]], and [[Peaches (musician)|Peaches]].<ref name="AMG" /> The ''[[Beside You in Time]]'' tour documentary was released in February 2007 via three formats: DVD, [[HD DVD]] and [[Blu-ray]] Disc.<ref name="BYIT formats">{{cite web| url = http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/artist/album/0,,3982667,00.html| title = Nine Inch Nails: Live: Beside You in Time DVD| publisher = [[Artistdirect]]| access-date = August 20, 2007| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130420113228/http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/artist/album/0,,3982667,00.html| archive-date = April 20, 2013}}</ref> The [[home video]] release debuted at number one on both the [[Billboard charts#Top Music Video|''Billboard'' Top Music Videos]] and [[Billboard charts#Billboard Comprehensive Music Videos|''Billboard'' Comprehensive Music Videos]] charts in the United States.<ref name="Billboard">{{cite magazine|title=Top Music Video – Beside You in Time |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=March 31, 2007 |url=https://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=388&cfgn=Videos&cfn=Top+Music+Video&ci=3083029&cdi=9218891&cid=03%2F31%2F2007 |access-date=September 28, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011144352/http://billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=388&cfgn=Videos&cfn=Top%2BMusic%2BVideo&ci=3083029&cdi=9218891&cid=03%2F31%2F2007 |archive-date=October 11, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===''Year Zero'' (2007–2008)===
{{See also|Year Zero (album)}}[[File:AIR flier.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=A black-and-white flier with the words "Art is Resistance" with a stenciled flag of four sections and a single star.|An Art is Resistance flyer from the [[Year Zero (alternate reality game)|''Year Zero'' alternate reality game]]]]
Nine Inch Nails' fifth studio album, ''[[Year Zero (album)|Year Zero]]'', was released on April 17, 2007, only two years after ''With Teeth'', a marked change in the slow pace from the release of previous albums. With lyrics written from the perspective of multiple fictitious characters, ''Year Zero'' is a [[concept album]] criticizing the [[United States government]]'s policies and their effect on the world fifteen years in the future.<ref name="Gigwise Year Zero">{{cite news| url = http://www.gigwise.com/article.php?contentid=29753| title = Trent Reznor Blasts the American Government| work = Gigwise.com| first = Jason| last = Gregory| date = March 26, 2007| access-date = April 20, 2007| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081208141145/http://www.gigwise.com/article.php?contentid=29753| archive-date = December 8, 2008}}</ref> Critical response to the album was generally favorable, with an average rating of 76% on [[Metacritic]].<ref name="MetaCritic">{{cite web| title = Nine Inch Nails – Year Zero| website = [[Metacritic]]| url = https://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/nineinchnails/yearzero?q=year%20zero| access-date = January 10, 2008| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081205115939/http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/nineinchnails/yearzero?q=year%20zero| archive-date = December 5, 2008}}</ref>

The story takes place in the United States in 2022, which has been termed "Year 0", by the government, being the year America was reborn.<ref name="Frustration and Fury">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/08/arts/music/08pare.html?_r=3&ref=arts&oref=slogin&oref=slogin |title=Frustration and Fury: Take It. It's Free. |work=[[The New York Times]] |last=Pareles |first=Jon |date=June 8, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180731062223/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/08/arts/music/08pare.html?ex%3D1370577600%26en%3D8516369c0df0fffa%26ei%3D5124%26partner%3Dpermalink%26exprod%3Dpermalink |archive-date=July 31, 2018 |access-date=June 9, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It had suffered several major terrorist attacks, apparently by Islamic fundamentalists, including attacks on Los Angeles and [[Seattle]], and in response, the government seized absolute control of the country. The government is a Christian fundamentalist theocracy, maintaining control of the populace through institutions like the Bureau of Morality and the First Evangelical Church of Plano.<ref name="Kerrang">{{cite news|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=64684 |title=NINE INCH NAILS Mainman On New CD: 'I Wrote The Soundtrack To A Movie That Doesn't Exist' |work=Blabbermouth |date=January 3, 2007 |access-date=February 9, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070309224642/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=64684 |archive-date=March 9, 2007 }}</ref> The government corporation Cedocore distributes the drug Parepin through the water supply, making Americans who drink water apathetic and carefree.<ref name="Best Buy bonus interview">{{cite video| first = Trent| last = Reznor| author-link = Trent Reznor| title = Year Zero Bonus DVD| medium = DVD| publisher = [[Best Buy]]}} Note: DVD included with pre-ordered copies of ''Year Zero'' from Best Buy.</ref> There are several underground rebel groups, mainly operating online, most notably Art is Resistance and Solutions Backwards Initiative.<ref name="Gigwise Year Zero" /> In response to the increasing oppression of the government, several corporate, government, and subversive websites were transported back in time to the present by a group of scientists working clandestinely against the authorities. The websites-from-the-future were sent to the year 2007 to warn American people of the impending dystopian future and to prevent it from ever forming in the first place.<ref name="Cooler Than Lost">{{cite magazine| url = https://www.rollingstone.com/music/blogs/staff-blog/year-zero-project-way-cooler-than-lost-20070222| title = "Year Zero" Project = Way Cooler Than "Lost"| magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]| date = February 22, 2007| access-date = June 23, 2008| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120321202900/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/blogs/staff-blog/year-zero-project-way-cooler-than-lost-20070222| archive-date = March 21, 2012}}</ref>

[[Year Zero (alternate reality game)|An alternate reality game]] emerged parallel to the ''Year Zero'' concept, expanding upon its storyline. Clues hidden on tour merchandise initially led fans to discover a network of fictitious, in-game websites that describe an "[[Orwellian]] picture of the United States circa the year 2022".<ref name="MTVNews">{{cite web| url = http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1552470/20070215/nine_inch_nails.jhtml| title = Weird web trail: conspiracy theory—or marketing for nine inch nails LP?| author = Montgomery, James| publisher = MTV. [[Viacom (2005–present)|Viacom]]| date = February 15, 2007| access-date = February 15, 2007| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120530052130/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1552470/nine-inch-nails-conspiracy-campaign.jhtml| archive-date = May 30, 2012}}</ref> Before ''Year Zero''{{'}}s release, unreleased songs from the album were found on [[USB flash drive|USB drive]]s hidden at Nine Inch Nails [[Performance 2007 Tour|concert venues]] in Lisbon and Barcelona, as part of the alternate reality game.<ref name="CoolerThanLost">{{cite magazine| url = https://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/02/22/year-zero-project-way-cooler-than-lost/| title = ''Year Zero'' Project = Way Cooler Than ''Lost''| magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]| date = February 22, 2007| access-date = April 20, 2007| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070408131235/http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/02/22/year-zero-project-way-cooler-than-lost/ <!--Added by H3llBot-->| archive-date = April 8, 2007}}</ref> Fan participation in the [[alternate reality game]] caught the attention of media outlets such as ''[[USA Today]]'' and ''Billboard'', who have cited fan-site The NIN Hotline, forum Echoing the Sound, fan club The Spiral, and NinWiki as sources for new discoveries.<ref>{{cite news| url = http://content.usatoday.com/communities/popcandy/post/2007/02/157861/1| title = NIN's web of intrigue| first = Whitney| last = Matheson| work=[[USA Today]]| date = February 15, 2007| access-date = February 15, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine| url = https://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/02/15/coachella-rocks-sprawl-nin-fans-marketing-teams-dream-aerosmith-pressed-for-time/| title = NIN fans = marketing team's dream| author = Goodman, Elizabeth| magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]| date = February 15, 2007| access-date = April 12, 2011| url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327092928/http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/02/15/coachella-rocks-sprawl-nin-fans-marketing-teams-dream-aerosmith-pressed-for-time/|archive-date=March 27, 2009}}</ref>

The album's first single, "[[Survivalism (song)|Survivalism]]", and other tracks from ''Year Zero'' were released as [[multitrack recording|multitrack]] audio files for fans to remix.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.theninhotline.net/news/archives/backissue.php?y=07&m=4#1177625582| title = Multitracks for 3 YZ songs posted on nin.com| publisher = The NIN Hotline| date = April 26, 2007| access-date = April 27, 2007| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130203073421/http://www.theninhotline.net/news/archives/backissue.php?y=07&m=4#1177625582| archive-date = February 3, 2013}}</ref> A remix album titled ''[[Year Zero Remixed]]'' was later released, containing remixes from ''Year Zero'' by other artists.<ref>{{cite web| last = Dombai| first = Ryan| url = https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11008-y34rz3r0r3m1x3d/| title = Nine Inch Nails – Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D – Album Review| publisher = [[Pitchfork Media|Pitchfork]]| date = January 3, 2008| access-date = December 8, 2011| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120111193501/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11008-y34rz3r0r3m1x3d/| archive-date = January 11, 2012}}</ref> The remix album was Nine Inch Nails' final release on a major record label for over five years, as the act had completed its contractual obligation to [[Interscope Records]] and did not renew its contract.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=493407| title = Nine Inch Nails Announce Remix Album Details| publisher = [[FMQB]]. Friday Morning Quarterback Album Report, Inc.| date = October 12, 2007| access-date = October 14, 2007| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120223071101/http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=493407| archive-date = February 23, 2012}}</ref> The remix album was accompanied by an interactive remix site with multitrack downloads and the ability to post remixes.<ref>{{cite web| title = remix.nin.com| publisher = Nine Inch Nails| url = http://remix.nin.com| access-date = November 27, 2007| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120207081506/http://remix.nin.com/| archive-date = February 7, 2012}}</ref>

Reznor planned a film adaption of the album<ref name="Kerrang! Radio">{{cite web| url = http://www.kerrangradio.co.uk/Article.asp?id=362865&spid| title = Kerrang discusses movie possibility with Trent Reznor| work = [[Kerrang!]]| date = March 6, 2007| access-date = March 13, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070309122805/http://www.kerrangradio.co.uk/Article.asp?id=362865&spid |archive-date = March 9, 2007}}</ref> and noted ''Year Zero'' as "part of a bigger picture of a number of things I'm working on. Essentially, I wrote the soundtrack to a movie that doesn't exist."<ref name="Kerrang" /> The project moved into the television medium because of high costs for ''Year Zero'' as a film, then Reznor found American film producer [[Lawrence Bender]] and met with writers.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.theninhotline.net/news/index.php#1186755282 | title = I hate Contact Music | author = leviathant | publisher = The NIN Hotline | date = August 10, 2007 | access-date = August 10, 2007 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070809135035/http://www.theninhotline.net/news/index.php#1186755282 | archive-date = August 9, 2007 }}</ref>
On August 10, 2007, Reznor announced that they would be taking the concept to television networks in an attempt to secure a deal: "We're about to pitch it to the network, so we're a couple of weeks away from meeting all of the main people, and we'll see what happens."<ref name="Dose">{{cite web | last = Adler | first = Heather | title = Nine Inch Nails Ready Apocalyptic Year Zero TV Show | work= [[Dose (magazine)|Dose]] | date = August 14, 2007 | url = http://www.dose.ca/music/story.html?id=ead25b9c-b7f0-44aa-92c7-d083b6c83e1a&k=48608 | access-date = August 19, 2007| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070607090746/http://www.dose.ca/music/story.html?id=ead25b9c-b7f0-44aa-92c7-d083b6c83e1a&k=48608 | archive-date = June 7, 2007}}</ref> Since first announcing his plans for a television series, progress slowed, reportedly due to the [[2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike|2007–2008 Writer's Guild strike]], but it nevertheless continued.<ref>{{cite news| newspaper=[[Herald Sun]]| date = April 4, 2008| last = Johnson| first = Neala| title = Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor approaches the future a free man|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/trent-reznor/story-e6frf9hf-1111115975722?nk=5f66a8101d1a058efe159e1e5826c100|access-date=February 1, 2015}}</ref> In 2010, the resultant miniseries, also named ''Year Zero'', was reported to be in development with [[HBO]] and [[BBC]] Worldwide Productions, with the screenplay and script written by Reznor and ''[[Carnivàle]]'' writer [[Daniel Knauf]],<ref>{{cite news| last = Boucher| first = Geoff| title = Trent Reznor and HBO moving forward with 'Year Zero' sci-fi series| work = [[Los Angeles Times]]| date = September 28, 2010| url = http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2010/09/28/trent-reznor-and-hbo-moving-forward-with-year-zero-sci-fi-series/| access-date = September 28, 2010| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100930172558/http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2010/09/28/trent-reznor-and-hbo-moving-forward-with-year-zero-sci-fi-series/| archive-date = September 30, 2010}}</ref> but at the end of 2012 Reznor said that the project was "in a holding state".<ref>{{cite news| last = Miska| first = Brad| title = Trent Reznor Tells Fans "Year Zero" Is In A Holding State| work = Bloody Disgusting| date = November 13, 2012| url = https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3203215/tv-trent-reznor-tells-fans-year-zero-is-in-a-holding-state/| access-date = July 14, 2022}}</ref>

===''Ghosts I–IV'' and ''The Slip'' (2008–2012)===
{{See also|Ghosts I–IV|The Slip (album)}}
[[File:NIN2008.jpg|thumb|left|alt=A man sitting in front of a field of craggy rocks.|Reznor in 2008]]
In February 2008, Reznor posted a news update on the Nine Inch Nails website entitled "2 weeks". On March 2, ''[[Ghosts I–IV]]'' (the first release on The Null Corporation label), a 36-track instrumental album, became available via the band's official website. ''Ghosts I–IV'' was made available in a number of different formats and forms, ranging from a free download of the first volume, to a $300 Ultra-Deluxe limited edition package. All 2,500 copies of the $300 package sold out in three days.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080305-reznor-makes-750000-even-when-the-music-is-free.html| title = Reznor makes $750,000 even when the music is free| work = Ars Technica| publisher = [[Condé Nast Publications]]| date = March 5, 2008| access-date = March 6, 2008| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080306141028/http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080305-reznor-makes-750000-even-when-the-music-is-free.html| archive-date = March 6, 2008}}</ref> The album is licensed under a [[Creative Commons]] [[Creative Commons licenses|Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike]] licence.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://creativecommons.org/weblog/entry/8095| title = Nine Inch Nails releases Ghosts I-IV under a Creative Commons license| first = Eric| last = Steuer| publisher = [[Creative Commons]]| date = March 2, 2008| access-date = December 8, 2011| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111122184557/http://creativecommons.org/weblog/entry/8095| archive-date = November 22, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://ghosts.nin.com/main/faq |title=Ghosts – FAQ |publisher=Nine Inch Nails |year=2008 |access-date=March 2, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307000705/http://ghosts.nin.com/main/faq |archive-date=March 7, 2008 }}</ref> The album was created improvisationally over a ten-week period and contributors included [[Atticus Ross]], [[Alan Moulder]], [[Alessandro Cortini]], [[Adrian Belew]], and [[Brian Viglione]].<ref name="Billboard2">{{cite magazine| url = https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1046383/new-nine-inch-nails-album-hits-the-web| title = New Nine Inch Nails Album Hits The Web| first1 = Cortney| last1 = Harding| first2 = Jonathan| last2 = Cohen| name-list-style = amp| magazine = [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]| publisher = [[Nielsen Company]]| date = March 2, 2008| access-date = March 2, 2008| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130211132710/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1046383/new-nine-inch-nails-album-hits-the-web| archive-date = February 11, 2013}}</ref>

Similar to the announcement that ultimately led to the release of ''Ghosts I–IV'', a post on the band's website in April 2008 read "2 weeks!"<ref name="CFOX">{{cite web| url = http://www.cfox.com/Channels/Reg/Music/RockNews/Story.aspx?id=1005587| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090113010222/http://www.cfox.com/Channels/Reg/Music/RockNews/Story.aspx?id=1005587| archive-date = January 13, 2009| publisher = [[CFOX-FM]]. [[Corus Entertainment]]| title = New Nine Inch Nails Single Possibly From 'Year Zero 2'?| date = April 25, 2008| access-date = April 26, 2008}}</ref> On May 5, Nine Inch Nails released ''[[The Slip (album)|The Slip]]'' via its website without any advertisement or promotion.<ref>{{cite magazine| url = http://blog.wired.com/music/2008/05/nine-inch-nails.html| title = Nine Inch Nails Gives Fans The Slip| access-date = May 5, 2008| last = Van Buskirk| first = Eliot| date = May 5, 2008| magazine = [[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] Blog Network. [[Condé Nast Publications]]| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080506130007/http://blog.wired.com/music/2008/05/nine-inch-nails.html| archive-date = May 6, 2008}}</ref> The album was made available for download free of charge with a message from Reznor, "this one's on me,"<ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/reznors-edge-me-110966| title = Reznor's edge: 'This one's on me'| date = May 6, 2008| first1 = Antony| last1 = Bru| first2 = Susan| last2 = Visakowitz| work = [[The Hollywood Reporter]]| access-date = December 8, 2011| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150211144926/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/reznors-edge-me-110966| archive-date = February 11, 2015}}</ref> protected under the same Creative Commons licence as ''Ghosts'', and has seen individual downloads surpassing 1.4&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nin.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080605203813/http://www.nin.com/ |archive-date=June 5, 2008 |publisher=Nine Inch Nails |title=The Slip Download Map |access-date=July 7, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''The Slip'' has since been released on CD as a limited edition set of 250,000.

Following the release of ''Ghosts I–IV'' and ''The Slip'', a 25-date tour titled ''[[The Slip (album)#Lights in the Sky tour|Lights in the Sky]]'', was announced in several North American cities,<ref name="We are coming! NIN.com">{{cite web|url=http://tour.nin.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080506084519/http://tour.nin.com/|archive-date=2008-05-06|access-date=May 3, 2008|title=nin.com – tour dates|publisher=Nine Inch Nails |url-status=dead}}</ref> and was later expanded to include several more North American dates as well as dates in South America. Cortini and [[Josh Freese]] returned as members from the previous tour, while [[Robin Finck]] rejoined the band and [[Justin Meldal-Johnsen]] was added on bass guitar.<ref name="Meldal-Johnson">{{cite news| url = https://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080606/music_nm/nin_dc_2| title = Nine Inch Nails replaces bassist ahead of tour| via = [[Yahoo! News]]. [[Yahoo! Inc. (1995–2017)|Yahoo! Inc]]| agency= [[Reuters]]/''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''| date = June 6, 2008| access-date = June 9, 2008
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080610004138/http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080606/music_nm/nin_dc_2| archive-date = June 10, 2008}}</ref> Freese and Cortini left the live band, but it became a quartet with the addition of [[Ilan Rubin]] on drums.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=106557 |title=Blabbermouth.Net – Drummer Josh Freese To Leave Nine Inch Nails |publisher=Roadrunnerrecords.com |access-date=March 17, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718105328/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=106557 |archive-date=July 18, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=110873 |title=Blabbermouth.net – Nine Inch Nails' Alessandro Cortini Quits; Band To Resume Touring As Four-Piece |publisher=Roadrunnerrecords.com |access-date=March 17, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718105316/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=110873 |archive-date=July 18, 2011}}</ref>

On January 7, 2009, Reznor uploaded unedited HD-quality footage from three shows as a download of over 400 [[Gigabyte|GB]] via [[BitTorrent (protocol)|BitTorrent]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.side-line.com/news_comments.php?id=38781_0_2_0_C |title=NIN give away free download |work=Side-Line |publisher=Seba Dolimont |date=July 1, 2008 |access-date=July 2, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090110102926/http://www.side-line.com/news_comments.php?id=38781_0_2_0_C |archive-date=January 10, 2009 }}</ref> In an immediate response, a fan organization known as This One Is On Us quickly downloaded the data and had begun to assemble the footage alongside its own video recordings to create a professional three-part digital film, followed by a physical release created "by fans for fans".<ref>{{cite web|title=Portfolio – TOIOU – fan driver live recordings|url=http://toiou.org/portfolio/|website=toiou.org|access-date=January 13, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113082348/http://toiou.org/portfolio/|archive-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref> This tour documentary became collectively known as ''[[Another Version of the Truth]]'' and was released throughout late December 2009 to February 2010 via three formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc and BitTorrent. To date, the group and the project has received significant attention from media outlets such as ''[[USA Today]]'',<ref>{{cite web|last1=Mansfield|first1=Brian|title=Music fans pitch in to design covers, back CDs, map tours|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2009-04-09-music-fans-get-involved_N.htm|work=[[USA Today]]|access-date=January 14, 2015}}</ref> ''[[Rolling Stone]]'',<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Unterberger|first1=Richie|title=Kronos Quartet Backs Paul McCartney on 'Yesterday' at Outside Lands|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/kronos-quartet-backs-paul-mccartney-on-yesterday-at-outside-lands-20130810|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=August 10, 2013|access-date=January 14, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150202065723/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/kronos-quartet-backs-paul-mccartney-on-yesterday-at-outside-lands-20130810|archive-date=February 2, 2015}}</ref> [[Techdirt]] and [[Pitchfork Media|Pitchfork TV]],<ref>{{cite web|last1=Dombal|first1=Ryan|title=Nine Inch Nails|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11008-y34rz3r0r3m1x3d/|publisher=[[Pitchfork Media|Pitchfork]]|access-date=January 14, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113053659/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11008-y34rz3r0r3m1x3d/|archive-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref> and holds the support of both Reznor and the fan community with theatrical screenings being held all over the world.<ref>{{cite web|title=Press|url=http://toiou.org/press/|website=This One Is On Us|access-date=January 14, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113102028/http://toiou.org/press/|archive-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref> Nine Inch Nails art director and webmaster [[Rob Sheridan]] noted on the band's official website:

<blockquote>This is yet another example of a devoted fanbase and a policy of openness combining to fill in blanks left by old media barriers. The entire NIN camp is absolutely thrilled that treating our fans with respect and nurturing their creativity has led to such an overwhelming outpour of incredible content, and that we now have such a high quality souvenir from our most ambitious tour ever.<ref>{{cite web | title = NIN fans collaborate on massive free DVD/Blu-ray of "Lights In The Sky" | publisher = Nine Inch Nails | date = January 5, 2010 | url = http://www.nin.com/?id=95355 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110925135720/http://www.nin.com/?id=95355 | archive-date = September 25, 2011 }}</ref></blockquote>

''[[Nine Inch Nails Revenge]]'', an [[iPhone]]/[[iPod Touch]]-exclusive [[rhythm game]] developed by [[Tapulous]], was released on March 8, 2009 (five months after the company announced the development of the game). This installment in the ''[[Tap Tap Revenge|Tap Tap]]'' video game franchise was themed after Nine Inch Nails, and included tracks from ''Ghosts I–IV'' and ''The Slip''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.macworld.com/article/135823/2008/10/nin.html |title=Nine Inch Nails version of Tap Tap Revenge game coming |access-date=October 5, 2008 |last=Cohen |first=Peter |author-link=Peter-Adrian Cohen |date=October 1, 2008 |work=[[Macworld]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081004073603/http://www.macworld.com/article/135823/2008/10/nin.html |archive-date=October 4, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://tapulous.com/ttrnin/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100301053932/http://tapulous.com/ttrnin/ |archive-date=March 1, 2010|title=Tap Tap Revenge: Nine Inch Nails |publisher=Tapulous}}</ref> Portions of the album ''Ghosts I-IV'' were also used in making of the soundtrack for the documentary ''[[Citizenfour]].''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/24/citzenfour-music_n_6034076.html|title=What Selena Gomez Is Doing In The Edward Snowden Movie|date=October 24, 2014|website=The Huffington Post|access-date=May 18, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160627075213/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/24/citzenfour-music_n_6034076.html|archive-date=June 27, 2016}}</ref>

[[File:Trent-Reznor 2009.jpg|thumb|upright|Reznor performing at the Music Box in Hollywood on September 8, 2009]]
In February 2009, Reznor posted his thoughts about the future of Nine Inch Nails on his official website, stating that "I've been thinking for some time now it's time to make NIN disappear for a while."<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.idiomag.com/peek/65302/nine_inch_nails| title = Nine Inch Nails to tour with Jane's Addiction, go on hiatus| access-date = February 18, 2009| date = February 17, 2009| work = [[idiomag]]| publisher = Idio, Ltd.| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090305090202/http://www.idiomag.com/peek/65302/nine_inch_nails| archive-date = March 5, 2009}}</ref> Reznor since clarified that he "isn't done creating music under the moniker, but that Nine Inch Nails is done touring for the foreseeable future."<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Boucher|first=Jeff|date=June 2009|journal=Mojo|title = Unknown story title| quote="he wouldn't say he was giving up the road for good but he does expect to set touring aside for a good decade or more so he can work on a major studio album ... There will be a record, I suspect, in the next couple of years but no touring."}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1613908/20090615/nine_inch_nails.jhtml| publisher = MTV. [[Viacom (2005–present)|Viacom]]| title = Trent Reznor Says Bonnaroo Was Nine Inch Nails' Last U.S. Show| last = Kaufman| first = Gil| date = June 15, 2009| access-date = August 6, 2009| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121104064032/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1613908/trent-reznor-bonnaroo-was-nine-inch-nails-last-us-show.jhtml| archive-date = November 4, 2012}}</ref> The "Wave Goodbye" tour concluded on September 10, 2009, at the [[Wiltern Theater]] in Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite news| url = http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=126875| work = Blabbermouth.net| title = TRENT REZNOR Discusses End Of NINE INCH NAILS As A Touring Act| date = September 13, 2009| access-date = October 1, 2009| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090922171137/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=126875| archive-date = September 22, 2009}}</ref> Reznor subsequently released two tracks under the Nine Inch Nails moniker: the theme song for the film ''[[Tetsuo: The Bullet Man]]'',<ref>{{cite web| url = https://pitchfork.com/news/38927-hear-new-trent-reznor-music/| publisher = [[Pitchfork Media|Pitchfork]]| title = Hear New Trent Reznor Music| last = Breihan| first = Tom| date = May 26, 2010| access-date = December 8, 2011| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111217184958/http://pitchfork.com/news/38927-hear-new-trent-reznor-music/| archive-date = December 17, 2011}}</ref> and a cover of [[U2]]'s "[[Zoo Station (song)|Zoo Station]]", included in the ''[[Achtung Baby]]'' tribute album ''[[AHK-toong BAY-bi Covered]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.qthemusic.com/2011/10/q_curates_cover_album_of_u2s_a.html|title=Q 'releasing' U2 Achtung Baby covers album feat. Jack White, Patti Smith, Nine Inch Nails, Killers & more...|work=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|date=10 October 2011|access-date=11 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130215171748/http://news.qthemusic.com/2011/10/q_curates_cover_album_of_u2s_a.html|archive-date=15 February 2013}}</ref>

In 2009 Reznor married [[Mariqueen Maandig]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spinner.com/2009/10/19/trent-reznor-marries-mariqueen-maandig/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320020750/http://www.spinner.com/2009/10/19/trent-reznor-marries-mariqueen-maandig/|archive-date=March 20, 2012|title=Trent Reznor Married Mariqueen Maandig|last=Luerssen|first=John D.|date=October 19, 2009|work=[[Spinner (website)|Spinner]]|access-date=May 5, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.spin.com/2009/10/nine-inch-nails-trent-reznor-marries/|title=Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor Marries|last=Goodman|first=William|date=October 19, 2009|work=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|access-date=May 5, 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151031141835/http://www.spin.com/2009/10/nine-inch-nails-trent-reznor-marries/|archive-date=October 31, 2015}}</ref> and formed a project with Maandig and Atticus Ross dubbed [[How to Destroy Angels (band)|How to Destroy Angels]]. Its first release, a six-track [[How to Destroy Angels (How to Destroy Angels EP)|self-titled EP]], was made available for free download in June 2010. Reznor's next collaboration with Ross was co-writing and producing the [[The Social Network (soundtrack)|official score]] for [[David Fincher]]'s 2010 film, ''[[The Social Network]]''. Reznor and Ross received two awards for the score, a [[68th Golden Globe Awards|2010 Golden Globe Award]] for [[68th Golden Globe Awards#Film|Best Original Score for a Motion Picture]],<ref>{{cite web| title = 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards Nominations| publisher = [[Hollywood Foreign Press Association]]| date = January 16, 2011| url = http://www.goldenglobes.org/nominations/year/2010| access-date = March 22, 2011| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110408115226/http://www.goldenglobes.org/nominations/year/2010/| archive-date = April 8, 2011}}</ref> and a [[83rd Academy Awards|2010 Oscar]] for [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]].<ref>{{cite web| title = Oscar – The Official Website for the 83rd Academy Awards – Winners and Nominees| publisher = [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]]| date = February 27, 2011| url = http://oscar.go.com/nominations#category_music-original-score| access-date = March 22, 2011| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110310181938/http://oscar.go.com/nominations#category_music-original-score| archive-date = March 10, 2011}}</ref> Reznor and Ross again collaborated with Fincher for the [[The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (soundtrack)|official score]] the [[The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011 film)|American adaptation]] of the novel ''[[The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo]]'', released in December 2011, and then again on Fincher's 2014 film ''[[Gone Girl (film)|Gone Girl]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/trent-reznor-to-score-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-20110110|title=Trent Reznor to Score 'Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=January 10, 2011|access-date=February 24, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110225221802/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/trent-reznor-to-score-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-20110110|archive-date=February 25, 2011}}</ref>

In July 2012 Reznor teamed up with video game developer [[Treyarch]] to compose the theme music for ''[[Call of Duty: Black Ops II]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Snider|first1=Mike|title=Interview: Trent Reznor pens 'Black Ops II' theme song|url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gamehunters/post/2012/07/interview-trent-reznor-pens-black-ops-ii-theme-song/1#.VKI49sABB|access-date=December 30, 2014|work=[[USA Today]]}}</ref> Later that year Reznor again worked with Atticus Ross along with Alessandro Cortini on a remix of the song "Destroyer" by [[Telepathe]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Breihan|first1=Tom|title=Telepathe – "Destroyer (Trent Reznor Alessandro Cortini Atticus Ross Remix)"|url=https://www.stereogum.com/1172201/telepathe-destroyer-trent-reznor-alessandro-cortini-atticus-ross-remix/mp3s/|website=Stereogum|date=October 8, 2012|access-date=December 30, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220171533/http://www.stereogum.com/1172201/telepathe-destroyer-trent-reznor-alessandro-cortini-atticus-ross-remix/mp3s/|archive-date=December 20, 2014}}</ref> Reznor also appeared in a documentary called "[[Sound City (film)|Sound City]]" directed by [[Dave Grohl]],<ref>{{cite web|last1=Halperin|first1=Shirley|title=Dave Grohl Writes Letter to Fans: 'Sound City' Doc 'Is My Life's Most Important Work'|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/earshot/dave-grohl-writes-letter-fans-399653|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=December 9, 2012|access-date=December 30, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150211145015/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/earshot/dave-grohl-writes-letter-fans-399653|archive-date=February 11, 2015}}</ref> in addition to co-writing and performing the song "[[Mantra (Dave Grohl song)|Mantra]]" with Grohl and [[Josh Homme]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Erlewine|first1=Stephen Thomas|title=Sound City: Real to Reel|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/sound-city-real-to-reel-mw0002480578|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=December 30, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141016104317/http://www.allmusic.com/album/sound-city-real-to-reel-mw0002480578|archive-date=October 16, 2014}}</ref> This led to further collaboration with Reznor and Homme on the 2013 album from [[Queens of the Stone Age]] titled ''[[...Like Clockwork]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Filho|first1=Fernando Scoczynski|title=Trent Reznor to guest on new Queens of the Stone Age album|url=http://antiquiet.com/music/2012/11/trent-reznor-confirms-involvement-in-new-qotsa-album/|website=antiquiet.com|date=November 13, 2012 |access-date=December 30, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20141231013337/http://antiquiet.com/music/2012/11/trent-reznor-confirms-involvement-in-new-qotsa-album/|archive-date=December 31, 2014}}</ref> Reznor contributed vocals and drum programing to the song "Kalopsia" and vocals on "Fairweather Friends" along with [[Elton John]] on piano and vocals.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Graff|first1=Gary|title=Queens of the Stone Age, ' ... Like Clockwork': Track-By-Track Review|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/review/1565039/queens-of-the-stone-age-like-clockwork-track-by-track-review|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=December 30, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223000428/http://www.billboard.com/articles/review/1565039/queens-of-the-stone-age-like-clockwork-track-by-track-review|archive-date=December 23, 2014}}</ref> In October a project with [[Dr. Dre]] and [[Beats Electronics]] was announced that Reznor wrote was "probably not what you're expecting [from me]".<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Trent Reznor Teams With Beats by Dre|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/trent-reznor-teams-with-beats-by-dre-20121017|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=October 17, 2012|access-date=December 30, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150201094202/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/trent-reznor-teams-with-beats-by-dre-20121017|archive-date=February 1, 2015}}</ref> The project was named "Daisy"; a digital music service was announced in January 2013.<ref>{{cite web|title=Beats Electronics announces new music service, Project Daisy; names Ian Rogers CEO|url=http://www.beatsbydre.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-beats-Site/default/NewsAndPressRelease-ShowArticleContent?articleID=NewsAndEvents_art_PR_Daisy&articleType=NewsAndEvents&articleCategory=All|website=[[Beats by Dre]]|access-date=December 30, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113082359/http://www.beatsbydre.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-beats-Site/default/NewsAndPressRelease-ShowArticleContent?articleID=NewsAndEvents_art_PR_Daisy&articleType=NewsAndEvents&articleCategory=All|archive-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref> It was until January 2014 that the service was fully launched, with Reznor serving as chief creative officer.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hogan|first1=Marc|title=Trent Reznor's Beats Music Launches in January|url=https://www.spin.com/2013/12/beats-music-streaming-spotify-january-username/|work=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|date=December 4, 2013|access-date=December 30, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151006045916/http://www.spin.com/2013/12/beats-music-streaming-spotify-january-username/|archive-date=October 6, 2015}}</ref>

===''Hesitation Marks'' (2012–2014)===
{{See also|Hesitation Marks}}
In an interview with [[BBC Radio 1]], Reznor indicated that he would be writing for the majority of 2012 with Nine Inch Nails "in mind".<ref>{{cite web|title=Trent Reznor: Nine Inch Nails Returns In 2012|url=http://www.thespacelab.tv/spaceLAB/2011/12December/MusicNews-029-Trent-Reznor-Nine-Inch-Nails-Songs-The-Girl-With-Dragon-Tattoo-Movie.htm|publisher=The Space Lab|access-date=December 8, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801083746/http://www.thespacelab.tv/spaceLAB/2011/12December/MusicNews-029-Trent-Reznor-Nine-Inch-Nails-Songs-The-Girl-With-Dragon-Tattoo-Movie.htm|archive-date=August 1, 2013}}</ref> Reznor eventually confirmed that he was working on new Nine Inch Nails material and might be performing live again.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/48513-new-nine-inch-nails-material-definitely-in-the-works/|title=New Nine Inch Nails Material Definitely in the Works|last=Pelly|first=Jenn|publisher=[[Pitchfork Media|Pitchfork]]|date=November 7, 2012|access-date=November 14, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511205053/http://pitchfork.com/news/48513-new-nine-inch-nails-material-definitely-in-the-works/|archive-date=May 11, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/trent-reznor-nine-inch-nails-working-on-new-music-possible-tour-20121107|title=Trent Reznor: Nine Inch Nails Working on New Music, Possible Tour|last=Doyle|first=Patrick|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=November 7, 2012|access-date=November 14, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130620160200/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/trent-reznor-nine-inch-nails-working-on-new-music-possible-tour-20121107|archive-date=June 20, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.nme.com/news/nine-inch-nails/67060|title=New Nine Inch Nails material 'in the works'|magazine=[[NME]]|date=November 7, 2012|access-date=November 14, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130610044216/http://www.nme.com/news/nine-inch-nails/67060|archive-date=June 10, 2013}}</ref> In February 2013, Reznor announced the return of Nine Inch Nails and revealed the [[Twenty Thirteen Tour]]. He also revealed that the new lineup of the band would include [[Eric Avery]] of [[Jane's Addiction]], Adrian Belew of [[King Crimson]], and [[Joshua Eustis|Josh Eustis]] of [[Telefon Tel Aviv]], as well as returning members [[Alessandro Cortini]] and [[Ilan Rubin]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/49681-trent-reznor-announces-the-return-of-nine-inch-nails-extensive-touring-for-2013-and-2014/|title=Trent Reznor Announces the Return of Nine Inch Nails: Extensive Touring for 2013 and 2014|last=Phillips|first=Amy|publisher=[[Pitchfork Media|Pitchfork]]|date=February 25, 2013|access-date=February 25, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501175341/http://pitchfork.com/news/49681-trent-reznor-announces-the-return-of-nine-inch-nails-extensive-touring-for-2013-and-2014/|archive-date=May 1, 2013}}</ref> However, both Avery and Belew would quit the touring band before performances commenced,<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://consequence.net/2013/05/bassist-eric-avery-quits-nine-inch-nails/ | title=Bassist Eric Avery quits Nine Inch Nails | magazine=[[Consequence of Sound]] | date=May 15, 2013 | access-date=May 15, 2013 | last=Roffman|first=Michael | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418225724/https://consequence.net/2013/05/bassist-eric-avery-quits-nine-inch-nails/ | archive-date=April 18, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://pitchfork.com/news/51069-adrian-belew-quits-nine-inch-nails-it-didnt-work/ | title=Adrian Belew Quits Nine Inch Nails: "It Didn't Work" | publisher=[[Pitchfork Media]] | date=June 7, 2013 | access-date=June 16, 2015 | last=Battan|first= Carrie | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908084045/http://pitchfork.com/news/51069-adrian-belew-quits-nine-inch-nails-it-didnt-work/ | archive-date=September 8, 2015 }}</ref> with former member Robin Finck returning in their place.<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/nine-inch-nails-introduce-robin-finck-as-new-bassist-20130517 | title=Nine Inch Nails Introduce Robin Finck as New Bassist | magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] | date=May 17, 2013 | access-date=May 17, 2013 | last=Cubarrubia|first=RJ | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607202628/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/nine-inch-nails-introduce-robin-finck-as-new-bassist-20130517 | archive-date=June 7, 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://pitchfork.com/news/50791-former-nine-inch-nailsguns-n-roses-guitarist-robin-finck-joins-nin-tour-lineup/ | title=Former Nine Inch Nails/Guns 'N Roses Guitarist Robin Finck Joins NIN Tour Lineup | publisher=[[Pitchfork Media|Pitchfork]] | date=May 17, 2013 | access-date=May 17, 2013 | last=Battan |first=Carrie | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607230833/http://pitchfork.com/news/50791-former-nine-inch-nailsguns-n-roses-guitarist-robin-finck-joins-nin-tour-lineup/ | archive-date=June 7, 2013 |ref=none}}</ref>

By May 28 a new Nine Inch Nails album was complete.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://pitchfork.com/news/49730-nine-inch-nails-new-album-finished-out-this-year-on-columbia-records/ | title=Nine Inch Nails New Album Finished, Out This Year | publisher=[[Pitchfork Media|Pitchfork]] | date=May 28, 2013 | access-date=May 28, 2013 | last=Philips|first=Amy | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607111416/http://pitchfork.com/news/49730-nine-inch-nails-new-album-finished-out-this-year-on-columbia-records/ | archive-date=June 7, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://consequence.net/2013/05/nine-inch-nails-to-release-new-album-later-this-year/ | title=Nine Inch Nails to release new album later this year | magazine=[[Consequence of Sound]] | date=May 28, 2013 | access-date=May 28, 2013 | last=Young|first=Alex | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530163004/https://consequence.net/2013/05/nine-inch-nails-to-release-new-album-later-this-year/ | archive-date=May 30, 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.factmag.com/2013/05/28/nine-inch-nails-to-release-new-album-this-year/ |title=Nine Inch Nails to release new album this year |publisher=Factmag.com |date=May 28, 2013 |access-date=July 25, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130705210141/http://www.factmag.com/2013/05/28/nine-inch-nails-to-release-new-album-this-year/ |archive-date=July 5, 2013 }}</ref> Released September 3, ''[[Hesitation Marks]]'' incorporated rhythms reminiscent of earlier releases, but was more expansive and theatrical. In addition to the recently departed Adrian Belew, Reznor employed bassist [[Pino Palladino]] along with [[Todd Rundgren]] and [[Fleetwood Mac]]'s [[Lindsey Buckingham]] to achieve various [[art-rock]] elements.<ref>{{cite web|author=Erlewine, Stephen Thomas|title=Hesitation Marks – Nine Inch Nails|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/hesitation-marks-mw0002555061|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=January 8, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141229220550/http://www.allmusic.com/album/hesitation-marks-mw0002555061|archive-date=December 29, 2014}}</ref>

[[File:Nine Inch Nails, live at Mediolanum Forum, Milan in 2013.jpg|thumb|250px|The band performing at [[Mediolanum Forum]] in Milan in 2013, (from left to right): drummer [[Ilan Rubin]], bassist [[Joshua Eustis]], singer [[Trent Reznor]], guitarist [[Robin Finck]] and keyboardist [[Alessandro Cortini]].]]

The album produced three singles, all released prior to that of the album itself. "[[Came Back Haunted]]" was released on June 6,<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Eric R.|last=Danton |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/nine-inch-nails-release-come-back-haunted-from-new-lp-20130606 |title=Nine Inch Nails Release 'Came Back Haunted' From New LP |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=June 6, 2013 |access-date=July 25, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130805111517/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/nine-inch-nails-release-come-back-haunted-from-new-lp-20130606 |archive-date=August 5, 2013 }}</ref> with an accompanying music video bearing an [[epileptic seizure]] warning.<ref name="preview-rs">{{cite magazine | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/nine-inch-nails-photos-preview-came-back-haunted-clip-20130627 | title=Nine Inch Nails Photos Preview 'Came Back Haunted' Clip | magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] | date=June 27, 2013 | access-date=June 28, 2013 | last=Blistein|first=Jon | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130629011231/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/nine-inch-nails-photos-preview-came-back-haunted-clip-20130627 | archive-date=June 29, 2013 }}</ref> The second single, "[[Copy of A]]", was released on August 12 free of charge to US and UK [[Amazon.com]] account holders.<ref>{{cite web|last=Battan|first=Carrie|title=Listen: Nine Inch Nails: "Copy of A"|date=August 12, 2013|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/51861-listen-nine-inch-nails-copy-of-a/|publisher=[[Pitchfork Media|Pitchfork]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130814215253/http://pitchfork.com/news/51861-listen-nine-inch-nails-copy-of-a/|archive-date=August 14, 2013 |ref=none}}</ref> "[[Everything (Nine Inch Nails song)|Everything]]" was the third and final single, recorded during sessions for the Nine Inch Nails [[greatest hits album]]. The sessions gave way to more songs that ended up yielding the entire album.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/aug/08/the-nine-lives-of-trent-reznor | title=The nine lives of Trent Reznor | work=[[The Guardian]] | date=August 19, 2013 | access-date=August 20, 2013 | last=Beaumont|first=Mark | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130808221254/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/aug/08/the-nine-lives-of-trent-reznor | archive-date=August 8, 2013 }}</ref>

In July the Twenty Thirteen Tour was underway, beginning with a slew of festival appearances that included the [[Fuji Rock Festival]], and the [[Pukkelpop]], [[Hockenheim|Hockenheim, Germany]]'s Rock'n'Heim and the [[Reading and Leeds]] festivals in August.<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://consequence.net/2013/02/nine-inch-nails-to-play-fuji-rock-festival-2013/ | title=Nine Inch Nails to play Fuji Rock Festival 2013 | magazine=[[Consequence of Sound]] | date=February 27, 2013 | access-date=February 27, 2013 | author=Young, Alex | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130504094849/https://consequence.net/2013/02/nine-inch-nails-to-play-fuji-rock-festival-2013/ | archive-date=May 4, 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://pitchfork.com/news/49724-nine-inch-nails-announce-first-shows-of-big-return/ | title=Nine Inch Nails Announce First Shows of Big Return | publisher=[[Pitchfork Media|Pitchfork]] | date=February 27, 2013 | access-date=February 27, 2013 | last=Battan|first=Carrie | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130430155624/http://pitchfork.com/news/49724-nine-inch-nails-announce-first-shows-of-big-return/ | archive-date=April 30, 2013 |ref=none}}</ref> The Tension 2013 North American leg of the tour ran from September to November and added Palladino, [[Lisa Fischer]] and Sharlotte Gibson to the lineup with [[Godspeed You! Black Emperor]] and [[Explosions in the Sky]] as [[opening act]]s.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Scoczynski Filho|first1=Fernando|title=Nine Inch Nails announce "Tension 2013" US arena tour|url=http://antiquiet.com/music/2013/06/nine-inch-nails-us-2013-tour-dates/|website=Antiquiet.com|date=June 6, 2013 |access-date=December 17, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809124620/http://antiquiet.com/music/2013/06/nine-inch-nails-us-2013-tour-dates/|archive-date=August 9, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Bream|first1=Jon|title=The dark & the light of Nine Inch Nails' tour opener in St. Paul|url=http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/blogs/225687031.html|access-date=December 17, 2014|work=[[Star Tribune]]|date=September 29, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217075514/http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/blogs/225687031.html|archive-date=December 17, 2014}}</ref> This leg of the tour was documented and released in the spring as ''Nine Inch Nails Tension 2013''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Childers|first1=Chad|title=Nine Inch Nails unveil 'Tension' tour concert film, prepping 2014 release|url=http://loudwire.com/nine-inch-nails-tension-tour-concert-film/|website=[[Loudwire]]|date=December 5, 2013 |access-date=December 17, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217084645/http://loudwire.com/nine-inch-nails-tension-tour-concert-film/|archive-date=December 17, 2014}}</ref>

In 2014 the band extended its tour worldwide as a four-piece. The new lineup included previous collaborators, Ilan Rubin, Alessandro Cortini, and Robin Finck.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.spin.com/2013/12/nine-inch-nails-trent-reznor-ama-2014-tour-lineup/ | title=Nine Inch Nails Will Tour With a New Lineup in 2014 | work=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] | date=December 5, 2013 | access-date=December 6, 2013 |last=Martins|first=Chris | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150802060902/http://www.spin.com/2013/12/nine-inch-nails-trent-reznor-ama-2014-tour-lineup/ | archive-date=August 2, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.gigwise.com/news/86743/nine-inch-nails-to-tour-with-new-band-line-up-in-2014 | title=Nine Inch Nails to tour with new band line-up in 2014 | work=[[Gigwise]] | date=December 6, 2013 | access-date=December 6, 2013 | last=Trendell|first=Andrew | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131210221350/http://www.gigwise.com/news/86743/nine-inch-nails-to-tour-with-new-band-line-up-in-2014 | archive-date=December 10, 2013 }}</ref> The band was joined by [[Queens of the Stone Age]] for the Australia and New Zealand tour, during which a nightly coin toss determined who opened.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Minsker|first1=Evan|title=Nine Inch Nails and Queens of the Stone Age Announce Tour|date=October 9, 2013|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/52490-nine-inch-nails-and-queens-of-the-stone-age-announce-tour/|publisher=[[Pitchfork Media|Pitchfork]]|access-date=December 17, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141214040727/http://pitchfork.com/news/52490-nine-inch-nails-and-queens-of-the-stone-age-announce-tour/|archive-date=December 14, 2014}}</ref> The tour closed in Europe with supporting synth-pop act [[Cold Cave]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Whitehall|first1=Gaby|title=Nine Inch Nails Tickets for 2014 UK arena tour on sale now|url=http://www.gigwise.com/news/86311/nine-inch-nails-tickets-for-2014-uk-arena-tour-on-sale-today-9am|website=Gigwise|access-date=December 17, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217082709/http://www.gigwise.com/news/86311/nine-inch-nails-tickets-for-2014-uk-arena-tour-on-sale-today-9am|archive-date=December 17, 2014}}</ref> After a month-long break, Nine Inch Nails again hit the road on a joint tour with [[Soundgarden]]. The 23-day journey extended throughout the continental US, with experimental hip-hop group [[Death Grips]] scheduled to open most of the shows.<ref name=rs_coleman>{{cite magazine|last1=Coleman|first1=Miriam|title=Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden Embarking on Joint Tour|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/nine-inch-nails-soundgarden-embarking-on-joint-tour-20140316|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=March 16, 2014|access-date=December 17, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141230231715/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/nine-inch-nails-soundgarden-embarking-on-joint-tour-20140316|archive-date=December 30, 2014}}</ref> Two weeks prior to the tour, Death Grips announced its breakup and cancelled all subsequent live shows.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Slater|first1=Rob|title=Trent Reznor Responds to Death Grips Breakup; Wins Twitter|url=http://www.relix.com/blogs/detail/trent_reznor_responds_to_death_grips_breakup_wins_twitter|website=[[Relix]]|date=July 3, 2014|access-date=December 17, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217090906/http://www.relix.com/blogs/detail/trent_reznor_responds_to_death_grips_breakup_wins_twitter|archive-date=December 17, 2014}}</ref> [[Oneohtrix Point Never]], [[the Dillinger Escape Plan]] and Cold Cave each replaced Death Grips separately for the tour.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Minsker|first1=Evan|title=Oneohtrix Point Never, Cold Cave, Dillinger Escape Plan Replace Death Grips on Nine Inch Nails/Soundgarden Tour|date=July 14, 2014|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/55874-oneohtrix-point-never-cold-cave-dillinger-escape-plan-replace-death-grips-on-nine-inch-nailssoundgarden-tour/|publisher=[[Pitchfork Media|Pitchfork]]|access-date=December 17, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141123164216/http://pitchfork.com/news/55874-oneohtrix-point-never-cold-cave-dillinger-escape-plan-replace-death-grips-on-nine-inch-nailssoundgarden-tour/|archive-date=November 23, 2014}}</ref>

In 2014, its first year of eligibility,<ref name="rollingstone.com">{{cite magazine| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/green-day-nine-inch-nails-smiths-nominated-for-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-20141009| title=Green Day, Nine Inch Nails, Smiths Nominated for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame| magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]| publisher=[[Wenner Media]]| date=October 9, 2014| access-date=October 15, 2017| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015083824/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/green-day-nine-inch-nails-smiths-nominated-for-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-20141009| archive-date=October 15, 2017}}</ref> Nine Inch Nails was nominated for induction into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] with 14 other candidates.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hare|first1=Breeanna|title=Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Meet the 2015 class|date=December 16, 2014|url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/16/showbiz/music/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-2015-inductees/|publisher=[[CNN]]|access-date=December 17, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217085417/http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/16/showbiz/music/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-2015-inductees/|archive-date=December 17, 2014}}</ref> While they were not inducted that year, the band placed second in the 2015 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominees Fan Vote.<ref>{{cite web|title=Results for 'Voting Has Closed!: The 2015 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominees Fan Vote'|url=http://rockhall.com/voting/2015-rock-hall-nominees-fan-vote/|publisher=[[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]|access-date=December 17, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218070523/http://rockhall.com/voting/2015-rock-hall-nominees-fan-vote/|archive-date=December 18, 2014}}</ref> In 2015, Nine Inch Nails was once again nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Vote for the 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/vote-for-the-2016-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-inductees-20151008|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=October 30, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151009223341/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/vote-for-the-2016-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-inductees-20151008|archive-date=October 9, 2015}}</ref> However, they once again did not get inducted.

In June 2015, Nine Inch Nails released instrumental versions of ''The Fragile'' and ''With Teeth'' to stream exclusively on [[Apple Music]], a service of which Reznor is chief creative director.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spin.com/2015/06/nine-inch-nails-instrumental-the-fragile-apple-music/|title=Nine Inch Nails Release Instrumental Versions of 'The Fragile,' 'With Teeth' on Apple Music|work=Spin|date=June 30, 2015|access-date=July 6, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708014248/http://www.spin.com/2015/06/nine-inch-nails-instrumental-the-fragile-apple-music/|archive-date=July 8, 2015}}</ref> In an interview promoting the service, Reznor mentioned he has started "messing around with some things" in regards to a new Nine Inch Nails album, stating "It's not a record I'm trying to finish in a month. It's more just feeling around in the dark and seeing what sounds interesting".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/trent-reznor-speaks-out-on-apple-music-new-nine-inch-nails/|title=Trent Reznor Speaks Out On Apple Music, New Nine Inch Nails - Blabbermouth.net|work=BLABBERMOUTH.NET|date=July 2, 2015|access-date=July 6, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150704165035/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/trent-reznor-speaks-out-on-apple-music-new-nine-inch-nails|archive-date=July 4, 2015}}</ref> In December 2015, Reznor reported that "Nine Inch Nails will return in 2016".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://pitchfork.com/news/62620-trent-reznor-says-nine-inch-nails-will-return-in-2016/ | title=Trent Reznor Says Nine Inch Nails Will Return in 2016 | publisher=[[Pitchfork Media|Pitchfork]] | date=December 18, 2015 | access-date=December 19, 2015 | last=Gordon|first=Jeremy | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151218234731/http://pitchfork.com/news/62620-trent-reznor-says-nine-inch-nails-will-return-in-2016/ | archive-date=December 18, 2015 }}</ref>

=== ''The Trilogy (Not the Actual Events / Add Violence / Bad Witch)'' (2016–2019) ===
{{See also|Not the Actual Events|Add Violence|Bad Witch}}
In October 2016, in response to a fan's question about the lack of new Nine Inch Nails music, Reznor responded with "2016 is not over yet".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://consequence.net/2016/10/trent-reznor-on-the-return-of-nine-inch-nails-2016-is-not-over-yet/|title=Trent Reznor on the return of Nine Inch Nails: "2016 is not over yet"|work=Consequence of Sound|date=October 6, 2016|first=Alex|last=Young|access-date=December 28, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222093536/https://consequence.net/2016/10/trent-reznor-on-the-return-of-nine-inch-nails-2016-is-not-over-yet/|archive-date=December 22, 2016}}</ref> In December 2016, Reznor commented on his statement regarding Nine Inch Nails' return by the end of the year: "Those words did come out of my mouth, didn't they? ... Just wait and see what happens."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/trent-reznor-on-new-nine-inch-nails-soundtrack-experiments-w454963|title=Trent Reznor Talks New Nine Inch Nails, Boundary-Pushing Soundtracks|newspaper=Rolling Stone|access-date=December 17, 2016|url-status=live |date=	December 13, 2016 |first=Kory |last=Grow |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161214052056/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/trent-reznor-on-new-nine-inch-nails-soundtrack-experiments-w454963|archive-date=December 14, 2016}}</ref> Three days later, Reznor announced an EP titled ''[[Not the Actual Events]]'',<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://twitter.com/nineinchnails/status/809858992352526336|author=Nine Inch Nails |title=Not The Actual Events EP out 23 Dec. Preorder now. 180g Vinyl and Limited Digital + Physical Component version. |date=Dec 16, 2016 |newspaper=Twitter|access-date=December 16, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180404052029/https://twitter.com/nineinchnails/status/809858992352526336|archive-date=April 4, 2018}}</ref> along with reissues of ''Broken'', ''The Downward Spiral'', and ''The Fragile,'' with subsequent reissues of ''With Teeth'', ''Year Zero'', and ''The Slip'' to be released later in 2017, these plans however fell through.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nin.com/nine-inch-nails-records-reissued-vinyl/|title=All Nine Inch Nails Records Being Reissued On Vinyl |date=December 16, 2016|newspaper=nine inch nails|language=en-US|access-date=December 17, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220144007/http://www.nin.com/nine-inch-nails-records-reissued-vinyl/|archive-date=December 20, 2016}}</ref> Also announced was ''The Fragile: Deviations 1'', which comprised 37 instrumental, alternate and unreleased tracks, many of which have never been heard before anywhere.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nin.com/fragile-deviations-1-limited-edition-4x-vinyl-available-preorder-now/|title=The Fragile: Deviations 1 Limited Edition 4X Vinyl Available for Preorder Now |date=December 16, 2016|newspaper=nine inch nails|language=en-US|access-date=December 17, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161218200042/http://www.nin.com/fragile-deviations-1-limited-edition-4x-vinyl-available-preorder-now|archive-date=December 18, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/nine-inch-nails-plan-two-new-major-works-for-2017-w457669|title=Nine Inch Nails Plan 'Two New Major Works' for 2017|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=June 19, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170620014406/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/nine-inch-nails-plan-two-new-major-works-for-2017-w457669|archive-date=June 20, 2017 |date=	December 23, 2016 |first=Daniel |last=Kreps}}</ref> ''Not the Actual Events'' was released on December 23, 2016, with fans who pre-ordered it receiving their download links one day earlier.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://store.nin.com/collections/music/products/not-the-actual-events-digital-object|title=Not the Actual Events Brand New Nine Inch Nails Digital + Physical Component|website=Nine Inch Nails|access-date=December 16, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220143208/https://store.nin.com/collections/music/products/not-the-actual-events-digital-object|archive-date=December 20, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://twitter.com/trent_reznor/status/809846884076384256|title=Trent Reznor on Twitter|newspaper=Twitter|access-date=December 16, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161218180119/https://twitter.com/trent_reznor/status/809846884076384256|archive-date=December 18, 2016}}</ref> [[Atticus Ross]] was also revealed to be an official full-time member of the band, the first member other than Reznor to be added to the band.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2016/12/nin-announce-new-ep-atticus-ross-joins-band.html|title=Nine Inch Nails Are Releasing a New EP Next Week – Oh Yeah, and Atticus Ross Is an 'Official' Member Now|date=December 16, 2016|website=[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]]|access-date=August 15, 2024|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170205065259/http://www.vulture.com/2016/12/nin-announce-new-ep-atticus-ross-joins-band.html|archive-date=February 5, 2017}}</ref>

In early 2017, the band announced three headlining festival dates in North America. In January 2017, the band announced that it would be performing at the [[Panorama Music Festival]] in New York on July 30.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://consequence.net/2017/01/nine-inch-nails-to-make-live-comeback-at-nycs-panorama-music-festival/|title=Nine Inch Nails To Make Live Comeback At NYC's Panorama Music Festival|newspaper=Consequence of Sound|date=January 10, 2017|access-date=March 4, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305114202/https://consequence.net/2017/01/nine-inch-nails-to-make-live-comeback-at-nycs-panorama-music-festival/|archive-date=March 5, 2017}}</ref> On March 21, the band announced on their official [[Facebook]] page that it would be headlining Day 3 of [[FYF Fest]] in Los Angeles on July 23. In the same post, the band also announced their 2017 touring lineup, which included Reznor and Ross joined by the band's 2014 touring lineup, [[Robin Finck]], [[Alessandro Cortini]], and [[Ilan Rubin]]. The band appeared in [[Part 8 (Twin Peaks)|Part 8]] of the [[Twin Peaks (season 3)|third season]] of Twin Peaks, performing their song, "She's Gone Away".<ref>{{Citation|title="Twin Peaks" Part 8 (TV Episode 2017) – IMDb|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4108316/soundtrack/|access-date=2022-01-24}}</ref>

In June 2017, in an email that was issued out to customers waiting on delayed vinyl orders, Reznor confirmed that ''Not the Actual Events'' would actually make up the first part of a trilogy of EPs, with the second installment ''[[Add Violence]]'' being released on July 21<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nin.com/nine-inch-nails-add-violence-new-ep-coming-21-july/|title=Add Violence – New EP Coming 21 July|date=July 15, 2017}}</ref> and the third and final EP of the trilogy to follow in 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.deadpress.co.uk/71420/news-nine-inch-nails-confirm-not-the-actual-events-is-part-of-a-trilogy-two-eps-imminent|title=News: Nine Inch Nails confirm 'Not The Actual Events' is part of a trilogy; two EPs imminent!|work=DEAD PRESS! &#124; Alternative music news, reviews, interviews and more! |date=June 6, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170726122728/http://www.deadpress.co.uk/71420/news-nine-inch-nails-confirm-not-the-actual-events-is-part-of-a-trilogy-two-eps-imminent|archive-date=July 26, 2017}}</ref><ref name="villagevoice">{{cite web|last1=Goodman|first1=Lizzy|title=Trent Reznor's Soundtrack To The Apocalypse|url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2017/07/25/trent-reznor-nine-inch-nails-add-violence/|website=villagevoice.com|publisher=[[The Village Voice]]|date=July 25, 2017|access-date=July 25, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170726020448/https://www.villagevoice.com/2017/07/25/trent-reznor-nine-inch-nails-add-violence/|archive-date=July 26, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Melendez|first1=Monique|title=A New Nine Inch Nails EP Is Coming Soon|url=https://www.spin.com/2018/03/nine-inch-nails-ep-release-date/|magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|date=March 15, 2018|access-date=April 17, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180418092848/https://www.spin.com/2018/03/nine-inch-nails-ep-release-date/|archive-date=April 18, 2018}}</ref> The single "[[Less Than (song)|Less Than]]" was released a week prior to the second EP's release.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/nine-inch-nails-to-release-add-violence-ep-next-week-less-than-song-streaming/|title=Nine Inch Nails To Release 'Add Violence' EP Next Week; 'Less Than' Song Streaming|date=July 13, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170718134608/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/nine-inch-nails-to-release-add-violence-ep-next-week-less-than-song-streaming/|archive-date=July 18, 2017}}</ref>

Also in 2017, the pair were tasked to score the upcoming [[Ken Burns]] series ''[[The Vietnam War (film)|The Vietnam War]]'', and provide both original music and a compilation soundtrack of popular songs. Their score, which was released on September 15, 2017, included original compositions, and it also includes reworked pieces from other Nine Inch Nails songs and their award-winning scores for&nbsp;''[[The Social Network (soundtrack)|The Social Network]]''&nbsp;and&nbsp;''[[The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (soundtrack)|The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo]]''.&nbsp;<ref name="CoS on 'The Vietnam War OST'">{{Cite news|url=https://consequence.net/2017/08/trent-reznor-and-atticus-ross-detail-their-score-to-ken-burns-new-vietnam-war-documentary/|title=Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross detail their score to Ken Burns' new Vietnam War documentary|date=August 20, 2017|work=Consequence of Sound|access-date=September 17, 2017|language=en-US|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170821050143/https://consequence.net/2017/08/trent-reznor-and-atticus-ross-detail-their-score-to-ken-burns-new-vietnam-war-documentary/|archive-date=August 21, 2017}}</ref>

The band released their ninth studio album, ''[[Bad Witch]]'',<ref name="PF2">{{cite tweet |author=''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' |user=pitchfork |number=994589241354092544 |date=May 10, 2018 |title=Update: A representative for NIN has confirmed that Bad Witch is an album, not an EP http://p4k.in/zDVHilU |link=https://twitter.com/pitchfork/status/994589241354092544 |access-date=May 10, 2018}}</ref> on June 22, 2018.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nin.com/nine-inch-nails-bad-witch/|title=NINE INCH NAILS: BAD WITCH|date=May 10, 2018|work=nine inch nails|access-date=May 10, 2018|language=en-US|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180511080932/http://www.nin.com/nine-inch-nails-bad-witch/|archive-date=May 11, 2018}}</ref> The band also announced the "Cold and Black and Infinite 2018 North America Tour", where it toured with [[the Jesus and Mary Chain]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nin.com/nine-inch-nails-cold-and-black-and-infinite-north-america-2018/|title=NINE INCH NAILS: COLD AND BLACK AND INFINITE NORTH AMERICA 2018|date=May 10, 2018|work=nine inch nails|access-date=May 10, 2018|language=en-US|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180511080934/http://www.nin.com/nine-inch-nails-cold-and-black-and-infinite-north-america-2018/|archive-date=May 11, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/nine-inch-nails-announce-tour-and-new-bad-witch-ep/|title=Nine Inch Nails Announce Tour and New Album Bad Witch {{!}} Pitchfork|website=pitchfork.com|date=May 10, 2018|language=en|access-date=May 10, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180510162444/https://pitchfork.com/news/nine-inch-nails-announce-tour-and-new-bad-witch-ep/|archive-date=May 10, 2018}}</ref> To prevent [[Ticket resale|ticket scalping]], the band took the unusual step of only selling physical tickets that had to be purchased at the venue prior to the shows.<ref name="tickets">{{cite web|url=https://www.theindustryobserver.com.au/nine-inch-nails-physical-tickets/|title=Nine Inch Nails are only selling physical tickets for their upcoming US tour|website=www.theindustryobserver.com.au|date=May 13, 2018}}</ref> Reznor stated of the decision, "The promise of a world made better by computers and online connectivity has failed us in many ways, particularly when it comes to ticketing. Everything about the process sucks and everyone loses except the reseller. We've decided to try something different that will also likely suck, but in a different way."<ref name="tickets"/>

In October 2019, Nine Inch Nails was again nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hussey |first1=Allison |last2=Minsker |first2=Evan |title=Notorious B.I.G., Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails Nominated for Rock Hall of Fame 2020 |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/notorious-big-whitney-houston-nine-inch-nails-nominated-for-rock-hall-of-fame-2020/ |website=Pitchfork |date=October 15, 2019 |access-date=21 May 2021}}</ref>

=== ''Ghosts V–VI'' (2020–2022) ===
{{See also|Ghosts V–VI (disambiguation)}}<!--intentional link to DAB page-->
On January 15, 2020, Nine Inch Nails was officially named as members of the Class of 2020 for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Class of 2020 Inductees {{!}} Rock & Roll Hall of Fame|url=https://www.rockhall.com/class-2020-inductees|access-date=2020-11-10|website=www.rockhall.com}}</ref> However, due to the onset of the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States]], the induction ceremony was postponed indefinitely. Originally, only Trent Reznor was to be inducted as the sole full-time member of the group for most of its history. After holding discussions with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Reznor announced that former live band members Chris Vrenna and Danny Lohner, as well as current members Alessandro Cortini, Ilan Rubin (the youngest person ever inducted into the Hall of Fame), longtime guitarist Robin Finck, and the only other full time member of the band, Atticus Ross, would all be inducted as members of Nine Inch Nails.<ref>{{Cite web|date=September 3, 2020|first=Chad |last=Childers|title=Rock Hall Adds Six Nine Inch Nails Members to 2020 Induction|url=https://loudwire.com/rock-hall-adds-six-nine-inch-nails-members-2020-induction/|access-date=2020-11-10|website=Loudwire|language=en}}</ref>

On March 26, 2020, Nine Inch Nails released ''[[Ghosts V: Together]]'' and ''[[Ghosts VI: Locusts]]'', its tenth and eleventh studio albums and the sequels to their 2008 instrumental album ''Ghosts I–IV''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/nine-inch-nails-drop-new-album-ghosts-v-vi-listen/|title=Nine Inch Nails Drop New Album Ghosts V-VI|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|language=en|access-date=March 26, 2020|first1=Madison |last1= Bloom |first2=Jazz |last2=Monroe|date=March 26, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.spin.com/2020/03/nine-inch-nails-surprise-fans-with-two-new-albums/|title=Nine Inch Nails Surprise Fans with Two New Albums|date=March 26, 2020|website=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|access-date=March 26, 2020|first=Emily|last=Tan}}</ref> The albums were released for free as a show of solidarity with the band's fans during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/nine-inch-nails-new-albums-ghosts-v-vi-free-9343510/|title=Nine Inch Nails Drops Two Surprise New Albums For Free in These 'Weird Times'|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=March 26, 2020|access-date=March 26, 2020|first=Anna|last=Chan}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/26/21195266/nine-inch-nails-new-albums-just-ghosts-v-vi-free-download |title=Nine Inch Nails just released two new albums for free |last=Farokhmanesh |first=Megan |date=March 26, 2020 |website=[[The Verge]] |access-date=March 26, 2020 }}</ref>

Due to the pandemic, the live induction ceremony for the 2020 Hall of Fame Induction was cancelled on July 15, 2020, and simultaneously, an induction special was announced to be broadcast and available for streaming through HBO and [[HBO Max]], respectively, on November 7, 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-07-08|title=Rock Hall Induction Ceremony cancelled, replaced with special on HBO|url=https://fox8.com/news/coronavirus/rock-hall-induction-ceremony-cancelled-replaced-with-special-on-hbo/|access-date=2020-11-10|website=fox8.com|language=en-US}}</ref> In the interim, a special display was created to represent Nine Inch Nails' presence in the Hall of Fame that celebrated their popular, muddy performance at [[Woodstock '94]]; opened on the 26th anniversary of the concert.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-08-13|title=Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Exhibit|url=https://www.nin.com/rock-roll-hall-of-fame-exhibit/|access-date=2020-11-10|website=nine inch nails|language=en-US}}</ref> On November 6, 2020, Trent Reznor and the other to-be-inducted members of Nine Inch Nails were interviewed by journalist [[David Farrier]] about the history of the band and their feelings on being inducted.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Nine Inch Nails in Conversation {{!}} Rock & Roll Hall of Fame|url=https://www.rockhall.com/events/nin-conversation|access-date=2020-11-10|website=www.rockhall.com}}</ref> Then on November 7, Nine Inch Nails was formally inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Class of 2020, by punk icon [[Iggy Pop]].<ref>{{Cite magazine|last1=Kreps|first1=Daniel|date=2020-11-08|title=Read Iggy Pop's Nine Inch Nails 2020 Rock Hall Induction Speech|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/iggy-pop-nine-inch-nails-2020-rock-hall-induction-speech-1086579/|access-date=2020-11-10|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}</ref> Reznor thanked the fans, his family, and all of his many Nine Inch Nails collaborators in his acceptance speech, recorded from his home in [[Beverly Hills, California|Beverly Hills, CA]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Minsker|first=Evan|title=Nine Inch Nails at Rock Hall 2020: Watch Trent Reznor's Induction Speech|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/nine-inch-nails-at-rock-hall-2020-watch-trent-reznors-induction-speech/|access-date=2020-11-10|website=Pitchfork|date=November 8, 2020|language=en-us}}</ref>

On May 6, 2021, Nine Inch Nails released a new track, "Isn't Everyone"<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-05-06|title=HEALTH x NIN|url=https://www.nin.com/health-x-nin-isnt-everyone/|access-date=2021-05-11|website=nine inch nails|language=en-US}}</ref> in collaboration with noise rock group [[Health (band)|HEALTH]], who had previously been an opening act on their [[#Ghosts_I–IV_and_The_Slip_(2008–2012)|Lights In The Sky and Wave Goodbye tours]]. On May 7, they announced they would be playing two shows in Cleveland (September 21 and 23, 2021) with the [[Pixies (band)|Pixies]] to commemorate their inauguration into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which, according to the band, would be "the only NIN headline shows in 2021".<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-05-07|title=NINE INCH NAILS ANNOUNCE CLEVELAND SHOWS|url=https://www.nin.com/nine-inch-nails-announce-cleveland-shows/|access-date=2021-05-11|website=nine inch nails|language=en-US}}</ref> Those shows were cancelled on August 19, 2021, due to rising COVID-19 cases in the United States.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last1=Shaffer|first1=Claire|date=2021-08-19|title=Nine Inch Nails Cancel All Shows for 2021 Due to Covid-19|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/nine-inch-nails-cancel-shows-covid-19-1214361/|access-date=2021-08-20|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}</ref> Also in 2021, Reznor and Ross produced [[Halsey (singer)|Halsey]]'s album ''[[If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power]]''. It was later nominated for the [[Best Alternative Music Album]] award at the [[64th Annual Grammy Awards]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Pareles|first=Jon|date=2021-08-26|title=Backed by Nine Inch Nails, Halsey Connects Past and Future|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/26/arts/music/halsey-if-i-cant-have-love-i-want-power-review.html|access-date=2021-09-14|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

In February 2022, Nine Inch Nails announced a short tour of the United States for 2022, the group's first performances in nearly four years. A tour of the United Kingdom was announced shortly afterwards.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2022-02-07|title=Nine Inch Nails Announce 2022 U.S. Tour|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/nine-inch-nails-announce-2022-us-tour/|access-date=2022-02-09|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]}}</ref>

On September 24, 2022, Nine Inch Nails performed in their native Cleveland for the first time since 2013 after a "Nine Inch Nails Fan Day" at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame the previous day. Over the course of the performance, all the other six inductees, as well as former members [[Richard Patrick]] and [[Charlie Clouser]], joined Reznor on stage and even covered Patrick's [[Filter (band)|Filter]] hit, "[[Hey Man Nice Shot]]". Reznor posted on his Discord after the show, “When/If we tour again, it will be different. Not like [2018′s “Cold Black Infinite” tour] era – It's over.”<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Troy |title=Nine Inch Nails marks end of an era with historic performance |date=September 25, 2022 |url=https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2022/09/nine-inch-nails-marks-end-of-an-era-with-historic-performance.html |website=Cleveland.com}}</ref>

=== ''Tron: Ares'' and Peel It Back Tour (2024–present) ===
{{See also|Tron: Ares (soundtrack)}}
On April 4, 2024, Nine Inch Nails revealed plans to create a project with [[Epic Games]] that they described as "something that is not exactly a video game, in the UEFN ecosystem Epic has built around ''[[Fortnite]]''", to develop a TV series with [[Christopher Storer]], and create a film with [[Mike Flanagan (filmmaker)|Mike Flanagan]]. The projects were being created from a newly established multimedia company With Teeth, run in partnership with the band's art director John Crawford and producer Jonathan Pavesi. The band is also working on a short film with artist Susanne Deeken, a clothing line called Memory Fade, as well as a music festival and a new record label set to launch alongside it.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Baron |first=Zach |date=April 4, 2024 |title=Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross Have a Plan to Soundtrack Everything |url=https://www.gq.com/story/trent-reznor-and-atticus-ross-creativity-awards-profile |access-date=August 15, 2024 |website=[[GQ]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240531172933/https://www.gq.com/story/trent-reznor-and-atticus-ross-creativity-awards-profile |archive-date=May 31, 2024 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Kaufman |first=Gil |date=April 5, 2024 |title=Trent Reznor Says Nine Inch Nails Have an Avalanche of Projects In Works Including: New Album, Festival, Short Film, Video Game |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/trent-reznor-nine-inch-nails-projects-album-festival-short-film-video-game-1235649720/ |access-date=August 15, 2024 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref>

On August 10, 2024, Reznor and Ross appeared at Disney's [[D23 (Disney)|D23]] fan event to announce Nine Inch Nails was producing the [[film score]] for ''[[Tron: Ares]]''. It was reported that the soundtrack would feature "new original songs" by the band. Previously, soundtracks were credited to simply Ross and Reznor, whereas the score for ''Tron: Ares'' specifically credited the Nine Inch Nails entity.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Larson |first=Jeremy D. |date=August 10, 2024 |title=Nine Inch Nails to Score New Tron Movie |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/nine-inch-nails-to-score-new-tron-movie/ |access-date=August 10, 2024 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240831173429/https://pitchfork.com/news/nine-inch-nails-to-score-new-tron-movie/ |archive-date=August 31, 2024 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Kreps |first=Daniel |date=August 10, 2024 |title=Nine Inch Nails to Score Upcoming 'Tron: Ares' Film |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/nine-inch-nails-score-tron-ares-film-1235077761/ |access-date=August 10, 2024 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] }}</ref>

Plans for a tour titled [[Peel It Back Tour|Peel It Back]] leaked on January 13, 2025. Details indicated August and September shows in the United States, Canada, and Europe,<ref name="Needle Leaks">{{Cite web |last=Roland |first=Tyler |date=January 13, 2025 |title=Nine Inch Nails set to announce 2025 Peel It Back world tour |url=https://theneedledrop.com/news/nine-inch-nails-announce-2025-peel-it-back-world-tour/ |access-date=January 13, 2025 |website=[[The Needle Drop]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250114135904/https://theneedledrop.com/news/nine-inch-nails-announce-2025-peel-it-back-world-tour/ |archive-date=January 14, 2025 |url-status=live }}</ref> as well as a [[Facebook post]] for a September 10 event in [[Tampa, Florida]], and an associated [[Ticketmaster]] listing.<ref name="Stereogum Appear">{{Cite web |last=Breihan |first=Tom |date=January 13, 2024 |title=Nine Inch Nails Appear To Plan 2025 World Tour |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2292807/nine-inch-nails-appear-to-plan-2025-world-tour/news/ |access-date=January 13, 2025 |website=[[Stereogum]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250114124320/https://www.stereogum.com/2292807/nine-inch-nails-appear-to-plan-2025-world-tour/news/ |archive-date=January 14, 2025 |url-status=live }}</ref> On January 14, the band confirmed they were touring, with further details to follow, but their announcement was paused due to the ongoing [[January 2025 Southern California wildfires|Los Angeles wildfires]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Surej |date=January 14, 2025 |title=Nine Inch Nails confirm 2025 tour plans |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/nine-inch-nails-have-confirmed-they-will-tour-in-2025-3828599 |access-date=January 14, 2025 |website=[[NME]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250114141112/https://www.nme.com/news/music/nine-inch-nails-have-confirmed-they-will-tour-in-2025-3828599 |archive-date=January 14, 2025 |url-status=live }}</ref> The band later announced the summer tour on January 22.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2025/music/news/nine-inch-nails-announce-peel-it-back-2025-tour-dates-1236281877/ |title=Nine Inch Nails Announced Peel It Back 2025 Tour Dates |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |last=Asward |first=Jem |date=January 22, 2025 |access-date=January 22, 2025}}</ref>

On July 17, 2025, the band released "[[As Alive as You Need Me to Be]]" as the lead single from the [[Tron: Ares (soundtrack)|''Tron: Ares'' soundtrack]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-17 |title=Nine Inch Nails Unleash New Song "As Alive As You Need Me to Be" |url=https://consequence.net/2025/07/nine-inch-nails-as-alive-as-you-need-me-to-be-tron-ares/ |access-date=2025-07-17 |website=Consequence |language=en}}</ref> The song would later be nominated for [[Grammy Award for Best Rock Song|Best Rock Song]] and [[Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media|Best Song Written for Visual Media]] at the [[68th Annual Grammy Awards]].<ref name="2026 Grammy noms">{{Cite web |last=Faulkner |first=Clara |date=2025-11-07 |title=2026 GRAMMYS: See The Full Nominations List {{!}} GRAMMY.com |url=https://grammy.com/news/2026-grammys-nominations-full-winners-nominees-list |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251107165829/https://www.grammy.com/news/2026-grammys-nominations-full-winners-nominees-list |archive-date=2025-11-07 |access-date=2025-11-07 |website=grammy.com}}</ref> On July 30, the band announced that Freese would rejoin the touring lineup after Rubin's departure to join the [[Foo Fighters]], who had released Freese earlier that year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Foo Fighters Find New Drummer as Their Previous One Joins Nine Inch Nails |url=https://people.com/foo-fighters-reveal-new-drummer-is-ilan-rubin-11782353 |access-date=2025-07-31 |website=People.com |language=en}}</ref> This marked the band's first lineup change in nine years, the longest timespan to date.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Millman |first=Ethan |date=July 30, 2025 |title=Foo Fighters' New Drummer Revealed (Exclusive) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/foo-fighters-new-drummer-replacing-josh-freese-1236333764/ |url-status=live |access-date=July 30, 2025 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250730232535/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/foo-fighters-new-drummer-replacing-josh-freese-1236333764/ |archive-date=30 July 2025}}</ref>

On September 16, 2025, it was announced that Nine Inch Nails and [[Boys Noize]] will perform at [[Coachella 2026]] as a [[Supergroup (music)|supergroup]] called Nine Inch Noize.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Bain |first=Katie |date=September 16, 2025 |title=Coachella 2026: Every Electronic Artist Playing The Festival |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/coachella-2026-lineup-every-electronic-artist-playing-1236067161/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250916144102/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/coachella-2026-lineup-every-electronic-artist-playing-1236067161/ |archive-date=September 16, 2025 |access-date=September 16, 2025 |magazine=Billboard}}</ref> Boys Noize had previously opened for the Peel It Back Tour, and would join the band on stage during the third act of every performance,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kaufman |first=Spencer |date=August 7, 2025 |title=Nine Inch Nails Kick Off North American Tour with Josh Freese on Drums: Video + Setlist |url=https://consequence.net/2025/08/nine-inch-nails-kick-off-2025-north-american-tour-video-setlist/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250807205134/https://consequence.net/2025/08/nine-inch-nails-kick-off-2025-north-american-tour-video-setlist/ |archive-date=August 7, 2025 |access-date=September 16, 2025 |website=[[Consequence (publication)|Consequence]]}}</ref> with the Coachella performances acting as an extension of the third act.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last1=Vozick-Levinson |first1=Simon |last2=Newman |first2=Jason |date=September 16, 2025 |title=Coachella 2026 Lineup Questions and Rumors, Explained |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/coachella-2026-lineup-rumors-radiohead-nine-inch-noize-1235425397/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250916203632/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/coachella-2026-lineup-rumors-radiohead-nine-inch-noize-1235425397/ |archive-date=September 16, 2025 |access-date=September 16, 2025 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref> On October 1, a second North American leg of the Peel It Back tour was revealed, scheduled for February and March 2026.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harrison |first=Scoop |date=2025-10-01 |title=Nine Inch Nails Announce 2026 Tour Dates |url=https://consequence.net/2025/10/nine-inch-nails-2026-tour-dates/ |access-date=2025-10-01 |website=Consequence |language=en}}</ref>

==Artistry==
===Musical style===
Nine Inch Nails has been described as incorporating [[alternative rock]],<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/article/2015/12/18/trent-reznor-new-nine-inch-nails-2016/ |title=Trent Reznor promises new Nine Inch Nails in 2016 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=December 18, 2015 |last=Renner Brown |first=Eric |access-date=December 21, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222051401/http://ew.com/article/2015/12/18/trent-reznor-new-nine-inch-nails-2016/ |archive-date=December 22, 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.radio.com/2016/04/07/13-alt-rock-acts-that-should-be-in-the-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame/ |website=[[Radio.com]] |title=13 Alt-Rock Acts That Should Be In The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame |last=Ives |first=Brian |date=April 7, 2016 |access-date=December 21, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222053217/http://news.radio.com/2016/04/07/13-alt-rock-acts-that-should-be-in-the-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame/ |archive-date=December 22, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.today.com/popculture/britney-spears-gets-close-nine-inch-nails-wbna29187440 |title=Britney Spears gets close to Nine Inch Nails |date=February 13, 2009 |access-date=December 21, 2017 |work=[[Today (U.S. TV program)|Today]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222051906/https://www.today.com/popculture/britney-spears-gets-close-nine-inch-nails-wbna29187440 |archive-date=December 22, 2017 }}</ref> [[industrial rock]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/03/arts/pop-view-how-pop-music-lost-the-melody.html?pagewanted=all |title=Pop View – How Pop Music Lost the Melody |work=[[The New York Times]] |last=Holden |first=Stephen |date=July 3, 1994 |access-date=December 21, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222053816/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/03/arts/pop-view-how-pop-music-lost-the-melody.html?pagewanted=all |archive-date=December 22, 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2013/jul/08/nione-inch-nails-beginners-guide |title=Nine Inch Nails: a beginner's guide |work=[[The Guardian]] |first=Jon |last=Cronshaw |date=July 8, 2013 |access-date=December 21, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222051425/https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2013/jul/08/nione-inch-nails-beginners-guide |archive-date=December 22, 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/top-most-influential-rock-bands-2898297 |title=Top 10 Most Influential Rock Bands |publisher=[[ThoughtCo]] |last=Grierson |first=Tim |work=ThoughtCo |access-date=December 21, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014130616/https://www.thoughtco.com/top-most-influential-rock-bands-2898297 |archive-date=October 14, 2017 }}</ref><ref name="Rolling Stone Bio">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/nine-inch-nails/biography|title=Nine Inch Nails—Bio|first=Evan|last=Serpick|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=October 20, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171025174825/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/nine-inch-nails/biography|archive-date=October 25, 2017}}</ref> [[industrial dance]],<ref name="AMG" /> [[industrial music|industrial]],<ref name="AMG" /><ref>{{cite magazine |title=My Back Pages |last=Klosterman |first=Chuck |date=March 2006 |volume=22 |number=3 |issn=0886-3032 |magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] |page=104}}</ref><ref name=Krajewski>{{cite web |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/an_essential_guide_to_nine_inch_nails |title=An Essential Guide to Nine Inch Nails |work=[[Exclaim!]] |last=Krajewski |first=Jill |date=June 7, 2016 |access-date=December 21, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222105015/https://exclaim.ca/music/article/an_essential_guide_to_nine_inch_nails |archive-date=December 22, 2017 }}</ref> [[electro-industrial]],{{sfn|Carr|2011|p=21}} [[industrial metal]],<ref>{{cite web|first=George|last=Pham |url=https://impact89fm.org/52037/music/closer-a-nine-inch-nails-concert-experience/|title=Closer-A Nine Inch Nails Concert Experience|date=November 6, 2018|access-date=July 4, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/style/industrial-metal-ma0000012276 |title=Industrial Metal Music Style Overview |work=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=September 15, 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230731093727/https://www.allmusic.com/style/industrial-metal-ma0000012276 |archive-date=July 31, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/nov/30/nine-inch-nails-sell-instruments |title=Nine Inch Nails to sell 'hundreds of instruments' in eBay auction |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=November 30, 2009 |last=Michaels |first=Sean |access-date=December 21, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222051704/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/nov/30/nine-inch-nails-sell-instruments |archive-date=December 22, 2017 }}</ref> [[electronic rock]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-nine-inch-nails-jimmy-kimmel-20131108-story.html |title=Watch Nine Inch Nails make their network TV debut with Jimmy Kimmel |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |last=Brown |first=August |date=November 8, 2013 |access-date=December 21, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222052428/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-nine-inch-nails-jimmy-kimmel-20131108-story.html |archive-date=December 22, 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Rock Hardware |last1=Trynka |first1=Paul |last2=Bacon |first2=Tony |publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |year=1996 |isbn=9780879304287 |page=[https://archive.org/details/rockhardware40ye00tryn/page/57 57] |url=https://archive.org/details/rockhardware40ye00tryn/page/57 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Music |author=DK |publisher=Penguin |year=2013 |isbn=9781465421265 |page=337}}</ref> and [[alternative metal]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/style/alternative-metal-ma0000012328|title=Alternative Metal Music Genre Overview|website=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Mike|last=McPadden|title= Alt-Metal A To Z: 26 Bands That Define The Genre |website= [[VH1]] |date= 8 September 2015 |access-date= 19 August 2022 |url= https://www.vh1.com/news/rjhh9u/alt-metal-a-to-z|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220604172058/https://www.vh1.com/news/rjhh9u/alt-metal-a-to-z|url-status= live|archive-date= June 4, 2022}}</ref> [[AllMusic]]'s Steve Huey states that "Nine Inch Nails were the most popular industrial group ever and were largely responsible for bringing the music to a mass audience".<ref name="AMG" /> Reznor has never referred to his own work as industrial music, but admits to borrowing techniques from such early industrial bands as [[Throbbing Gristle]] and [[Test Dept.]]<ref name="Axcess" /> Despite the disparity between those artists initially operating under the term "industrial" and Nine Inch Nails, it has become common in journalistic descriptions of Reznor's body of work to describe it as such. Reznor acknowledged in ''Spin'' magazine that "[[Down in It]]" was influenced by early [[Skinny Puppy]], particularly the band's song "[[Dig It (Skinny Puppy song)|Dig It]]"; other songs from ''Pretty Hate Machine'' and ''With Teeth'' have been described as [[synth-pop]].<ref name="NIN Spin 1996" />{{rp|35}}<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/nine-inch-nails-with-teeth | title=Nine Inch Nails: With Teeth | magazine=[[Slant Magazine]] | date=May 3, 2005 | access-date=December 31, 2015 | last=Cinquemani|first=Sal | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924152217/http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/nine-inch-nails-with-teeth | archive-date=September 24, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14890-pretty-hate-machine/| title=Review: Pretty Hate Machine| publisher=[[Pitchfork Media]]| date=May 3, 2005| access-date=December 31, 2015|last=Breihan|first=Tom| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151228212459/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14890-pretty-hate-machine/| archive-date=December 28, 2015}}</ref> Reviewing ''[[The Fragile]]'', critic Steve Cooper noted that the album juxtaposes widely varied genres, such as solo piano in "The Frail" and [[drum and bass]] elements in "[[Starfuckers, Inc.]]"<ref>{{cite web |title=NIN's New Effort Threads the Line Between Beauty and Destruction |first=Steve |last=Cooper |work=The Cavalier Daily |url=http://cavalierdaily.com/CVArticle.asp?ID=768&pid=469 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013123034/http://cavalierdaily.com/CVArticle.asp?ID=768&pid=469 |archive-date=October 13, 2007 |date=September 24, 1999 |access-date=August 26, 2007}}</ref> [[Ambient music]] has been featured in some of Nine Inch Nails' music, including on ''Ghosts I–IV'' (which is specifically [[dark ambient]]),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.popmatters.com/nine-inch-nails-ghosts-i-iv-2496169332.html |title=Nine Inch Nails: Ghosts I-IV |last=Price |first=Marc A. |date=March 10, 2008 |access-date=December 21, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222053850/https://www.popmatters.com/nine-inch-nails-ghosts-i-iv-2496169332.html |archive-date=December 22, 2017 }}</ref> ''Hesitation Marks'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://teamrock.com/feature/2016-10-10/every-nine-inch-nails-album-ranked-from-worst-to-best |title=Every Nine Inch Nails Album Ranked From Worst To Best |publisher=[[TeamRock]] |last=Chillingworth |first=Alec |date=October 10, 2016 |access-date=December 21, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222052126/http://teamrock.com/feature/2016-10-10/every-nine-inch-nails-album-ranked-from-worst-to-best |archive-date=December 22, 2017 }}</ref> ''The Downward Spiral'',<ref>{{cite web |url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-downward-spiral-deluxe-edition/30526337 |title=The Downward Spiral (Deluxe Edition) by Nine Inch Nails on Apple Music |publisher=[[iTunes]] |access-date=January 16, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180107061729/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-downward-spiral-deluxe-edition/30526337 |archive-date=January 7, 2018 }}</ref> ''The Slip'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thequietus.com/articles/13230-nine-inch-nails-hesitation-marks-review |title=Nine Inch Nails Hesitation Marks |work=[[The Quietus]] |last=Raggett |first=Ned |date=August 29, 2013 |access-date=December 21, 2017}}</ref> and ''The Fragile''.<ref name=Krajewski />

<div style="float: right;">
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Songs such as "[[Wish (Nine Inch Nails song)|Wish]]" and "[[The Day the World Went Away]]" exhibit terraced [[dynamics (music)|dynamics]]. Reznor's singing follows a similar pattern, frequently moving from whispers to screams. He also has used software to alter his voice in several songs, as evident in "Starfuckers, Inc." and "[[Burn (Nine Inch Nails song)|Burn]]". The band's music also occasionally contains complex [[time signatures]], notably in "The Collector" from ''With Teeth'' and concert favorite "[[March of the Pigs]]".<ref name = "PopMatters review" /><ref>{{Cite news| title = Arts reviews: Nine Inch Nails| work = [[The Independent]]| date = April 5, 2005| last = Nash |first=Rob}}</ref> Reznor uses [[noise (audio)|noise]] and distortion in his song arrangements and incorporates [[Consonance and dissonance|dissonance]] with [[chromatic]] melody and/or harmony.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|pp=171–172}} These techniques are all used in the song "[[Hurt (Nine Inch Nails song)|Hurt]]", which contains a highly dissonant [[tritone]] played on guitar during the verses, a B5#11, emphasized when Reznor sings the eleventh note on the word "I" every time the B/E# [[dyad (music)|dyad]] is played.<ref>{{Cite book| author = Reynolds, Tom| title = I Hate Myself and I Want to Die| page = 227| isbn = 978-1-86074-628-4| date = June 13, 2005| publisher = Sanctuary Publishing
}}</ref> "[[Closer (Nine Inch Nails song)|Closer]]" concludes with a chromatic piano [[Motif (music)|motif]]: the melody is debuted during the second verse of "[[Piggy (song)|Piggy]]" on organ, then reappears in power chords at [[drop D tuning]] throughout the chorus of "Heresy", while an inverted (ascending) version is used throughout "A Warm Place", and then recurs in its original state for the final time on "The Downward Spiral".<ref name = "PopMatters review" />

On ''The Fragile'', Reznor revisits the technique of repeating a motif multiple times throughout different songs, either on a different musical instrument with a transposed harmony or in an altered tempo.<ref>{{cite web| title = The Fragile| publisher = Lollipop Online| url = http://www.lollipop.com/archive_temp.php3?content=issue50/50-04a-13.php3| date = May 2000| author = Marburger, Lex| access-date = December 20, 2006| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130801070725/http://www.lollipop.com/archive_temp.php3?content=issue50%2F50-04a-13.php3| archive-date = August 1, 2013}}</ref> Many of the songs on ''[[Year Zero (album)|Year Zero]]'' contain an extended instrumental ending, which encompasses the entire second half of the three-minute long "The Great Destroyer". AllMusic's review described the album's laptop-mixed sound: "Guitars squall against glitches, beeps, pops, and blotches of blurry sonic attacks. Percussion looms large, distorted, organic, looped, screwed, spindled and broken."<ref name="AMG review">{{cite web| url = {{AllMusic|class=album|id=r1039249/review|pure_url=yes}}| website = [[AllMusic]]| title = Nine Inch Nails – Year Zero| access-date = March 13, 2008}}</ref>

===Lyrical themes===
Lyrical themes found in Nine Inch Nails songs are largely concerned with dark explorations of the self ranging from [[religion]], [[greed]], fame, [[lust]], [[addiction]], [[self-deception]], [[Ageing|aging]], [[regret]], and [[nihilism]].{{sfn|Huxley|1997|pp=44–46}} Occasionally, the lyrics depart from their introspective nature to deal with a topic like politics, which is the focus of ''Year Zero''.<ref name="Best Buy bonus interview"/> Three Nine Inch Nails albums are [[concept album]]s: ''The Downward Spiral'', ''The Fragile'', and ''Year Zero''. The album ''[[With Teeth]]'' was originally set to be a concept album about an endless dream occurring in reality, but Reznor eventually took this idea out of the record.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=69127| publisher = BLABBERMOUTH.NET| title = 'Year Zero' Not NINE INCH NAILS' First Attempt At Concept Album| access-date = January 2, 2010| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080116173303/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=69127| archive-date = January 16, 2008}}</ref>

===Influences===
{{Multiple image
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Reznor's earliest influence was the [[Eagles (band)|Eagles]], whom he has cited as inspiring him to form a band. He would later recall, "The first concert I ever saw was the Eagles in 1976. The excitement of the night struck a chord with me and I remember thinking, 'Someday I'd love to be up on that stage.'"<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Kerrang!]]|date=1 July 2000|url=https://www.theninhotline.com/archives/textarch/article/kerrang070100.html|title=Trent Reznor Comes Clean}}</ref> Another major inspiration for the band is [[Gary Numan]]; Reznor has said that "after hearing '[[Cars (song)|Cars]]' I knew I wanted to make music with synthesizers".<ref name=mervis_gazette>{{cite news|last1=Mervis|first1=Scott|title=Synth-rock pioneer Gary Numan adds a shot of industrial power|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/music/2014/03/20/Synth-rock-pioneer-Gary-Numan-adds-a-shot-of-industrial-power/stories/201403200114|access-date=January 2, 2015|work=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150118010700/http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/music/2014/03/20/Synth-rock-pioneer-Gary-Numan-adds-a-shot-of-industrial-power/stories/201403200114|archive-date=January 18, 2015}}</ref> Other influences include [[Ministry (band)|Ministry]] and [[Skinny Puppy]], which helped shape 1989's ''Pretty Hate Machine''.<ref name=AMG /> The album's liner notes also paid tribute to [[Public Enemy (group)|Public Enemy]] and [[Prince (musician)|Prince]].<ref name=wapo_klein>{{cite news|last1=Klein|first1=Joshua|title=Nine Inch Nails' Body Of Work Gains 'Teeth'|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/03/AR2005050301368.html|access-date=December 17, 2014|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=May 4, 2005|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217100338/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/03/AR2005050301368.html|archive-date=December 17, 2014}}</ref> The 2005 single "[[Only (Nine Inch Nails song)|Only]]" exemplifies the disco-style beats and synthesizers drawn from Numan's persuasion.<ref name=wapo_klein /> Other artists of significance to Nine Inch Nails include acts such as [[Depeche Mode]],<ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/trent-reznor-tony-hawk-talk-depeche-mode-fandom-112324/ |title= Trent Reznor, Tony Hawk Talk Depeche Mode Fandom |magazine= Rolling Stone |date= 11 May 2017 |access-date= 11 May 2017}}</ref> [[Queen (band)|Queen]], [[King Crimson]], [[Devo]],<ref>Scaggs, Austin, [https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/trent-reznor-we-finally-put-new-metal-back-where-it-belongs-20051117 "Trent Reznor: 'We Finally Put New Metal Back Where It Belongs'"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905110438/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/trent-reznor-we-finally-put-new-metal-back-where-it-belongs-20051117 |date=September 5, 2017 }}, ''Rolling Stone'', November 17, 2005.</ref> [[the Cure]], [[Joy Division]], [[U2]], [[Bauhaus (band)|Bauhaus]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.portraitofdecay.com/nin.com/tr/index2006.html |title=TR Updates from Trent – Entry 03-23-2006 |website=Nin.com |date=23 March 2006 |access-date=9 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211220831/http://www.portraitofdecay.com/nin.com/tr/index2006.html |archive-date=11 December 2013 |url-status=live|quote=Bauhaus has been a major influence of mine over the years. Their sound, look and style made me want to start a band. One of the first tours we were on was with Peter Murphy – a hero of mine. To share the stage with these guys now is truly an honor. }}<br />{{cite web |first1=Wilbert L. |last1=Cooper |title=Trent Reznor Talks About Making It Out of the Midwest |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/nine-inch-nails-trent-reznor-on-making-it-out-of-the-midwest-456/ |website=Vice |publisher=Vice Media LLC. |access-date=30 March 2020 |date=15 January 2015 |quote=The other important thing that happened when I went to college was I finally had access to college radio. I never realized how much shit was out there. I discovered Bauhaus after they'd broken up and Joy Division and Throbbing Gristle and tons of shit that I just didn't know existed. You know that feeling where you find a new band you haven't heard of, then you discover them and you realize they have like three albums out? To me that's a great feeling because you can't wait to digest and absorb them. Well, that was happening with, like, 30 bands to me in college. It felt very inspiring to be a music fan.}}</ref> [[Adam Ant]],<ref name=wapo_klein /> [[Coil (band)|Coil]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Quietus {{!}} Features {{!}} Trent Reznor On Coil & Nine Inch Nails, Plus Recoiled Review|url=https://thequietus.com/articles/14600-trent-reznor-interview-coil-nine-inch-nails|access-date=2021-01-14|website=The Quietus|date=February 27, 2014 |language=en-us}}</ref> and [[Soft Cell]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Reznor|first1=Trent|title=Radio One Rock Show hosted by Trent Reznor|url=http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/manager/display_article.php?id=88|website=The NIN Hotline|date=April 5, 2005|access-date=May 23, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022213807/http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/manager/display_article.php?id=88|archive-date=October 22, 2012}}</ref>  Reznor and Vrenna saw [[Jane's Addiction]] in 1988 during the making of ''Pretty Hate Machine'' and were influenced by the live presentation and raw rock sound of the band.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3skqyLqDoA&t=421s Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin] Interview with Trent Reznor, 2023-06-16.</ref>

Reznor has toured with some of his influences, including a brief tour opening for Skinny Puppy in 1988.<ref name=AMG /><ref name=sfgate_dushane>{{cite news|last1=DuShane|first1=Tony|title=Skinny Puppy / Among industrial music band's fans are Trent Reznor and Marilyn Manson, and once you're in, it's a lifelong commitment|url=http://www.sfgate.com/thingstodo/article/Skinny-Puppy-Among-industrial-music-band-s-fans-2585209.php|access-date=December 17, 2014|work=[[San Francisco Gate]]|date=June 21, 2007|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909005838/http://www.sfgate.com/thingstodo/article/Skinny-Puppy-Among-industrial-music-band-s-fans-2585209.php|archive-date=September 9, 2017}}</ref> In 1995, Nine Inch Nails went on tour with [[David Bowie]], who, along with [[Pink Floyd]], had been a significant influence on ''[[The Downward Spiral]]''.<ref name=AMG /> In 2006, Nine Inch Nails went on tour with Bauhaus, on their Summer Amphitheatre Tour.<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.nin.com/tour/previous4.html
 |title       = Nine Inch Nails: Live: With Teeth 2006 (5_06 – 7_06)
 |publisher   = Nine Inch Nails
 |access-date  = 2008-02-10
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20080205073504/http://www.nin.com/tour/previous4.html
 |archive-date = 2008-02-05
}}</ref>

==Legacy==
[[File:Boric,_Gabriel_-FILSA_2015_11_06_fRF04.JPG|thumb|Chilean president [[Gabriel Boric]] wearing a Nine Inch Nails hat]]

Following the release of ''The Downward Spiral'', mainstream artists began to take notice of Nine Inch Nails' influence: David Bowie compared Reznor's influence to that of [[The Velvet Underground]].<ref name="Bowie">{{Cite magazine| title = Nine Inch Nails| last = Bowie| first = David| author-link = David Bowie| magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] | date =April 21, 2005| url = https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/7250012/94_nine_inch_nails| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090506001940/http://rollingstone.com/news/story/7250012/94_nine_inch_nails| archive-date = May 6, 2009| url-status = dead| access-date = March 13, 2007}}</ref> [[Guns N' Roses]] singer [[Axl Rose]] was influenced heavily by Nine Inch Nails in changing his band's sound to an industrial style in the mid-90s.<ref name="Wall2008">{{cite book|first=Mick|last=Wall|title=W.A.R.: The Unauthorized Biography of William Axl Rose|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IyM2nd4ZswwC&pg=PA355|date=5 February 2008|publisher=St. Martin's Publishing Group|isbn=978-1-4299-2884-7|page=263}}</ref> Bob Ezrin, producer for [[Pink Floyd]], [[Kiss (band)|Kiss]], [[Alice Cooper]], and [[Peter Gabriel]], described Reznor in 2007 as a "true visionary" and advised aspiring artists to take note of his no-compromise attitude.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://torontoist.com/2007/04/thank_god_for_t.php| title = Thank God for Trent Reznor| work = [[Gothamist|The Torontoist]]| publisher = Ink Truck Media| date = April 19, 2007| access-date = April 20, 2007| first = Marc| last = Lostracco| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131022161546/http://torontoist.com/2007/04/thank_god_for_t/| archive-date = October 22, 2013}}</ref> Nine Inch Nails has been credited by music journalists for popularizing industrial music, despite ambivalence from Reznor.<ref name="AMG" />{{sfn|Huxley|1997|pp=46–47, 170–171}}

The act has received four awards from 25 nominations, including two [[Grammy Award]]s for the songs "[[Wish (Nine Inch Nails song)|Wish]]" and "[[Happiness in Slavery]]" in 1993 and 1996 respectively.<ref name="LA Times">{{cite news| url = http://theenvelope.latimes.com/factsheets/awardsdb/env-awards-db-search,0,7169155.htmlstory?searchtype=person&query=nine+inch+nails&x=0&y=0| title = Awards Database| work = [[Los Angeles Times]]| access-date = November 10, 2007| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130203071332/http://theenvelope.latimes.com/factsheets/awardsdb/env-awards-db-search,0,7169155.htmlstory?searchtype=person&query=nine+inch+nails&x=0&y=0| archive-date = February 3, 2013}}</ref> Nine Inch Nails have received two [[Kerrang! Awards|''Kerrang!'' Awards]]; one of them being the ''Kerrang!'' Icon in 2006, honoring the band's overall contributions since 1988 and long-standing influence on rock music.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/news/20070823_kerrang.shtml| title = Kerrang Awards revealed| publisher = [[BBC Radio 6 Music]]| date = August 23, 2007| access-date = September 12, 2007| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071226124718/http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/news/20070823_kerrang.shtml| archive-date = December 26, 2007}}</ref><ref name="Kerrang songwriter">{{cite news| url = https://www.theguardian.com/media/2005/aug/26/pressandpublishing| work = [[The Guardian]]| title = Green Day triumph at Kerrang! awards| date = August 26, 2005| last = Jones| first = Sam| access-date = August 31, 2008| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161008154340/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2005/aug/26/pressandpublishing| archive-date = October 8, 2016}}</ref> The band has also received nine nominations from the [[MTV Video Music Awards]] for several of its videos, including two nominations for the "Closer" music video and five nominations for "The Perfect Drug" music video, including [[MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year|Video of the Year]].<ref name="LA Times" />

In 1997, Reznor appeared in ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine's list of the year's most influential people, and ''Spin'' described him as "the most vital artist in music".<ref name="Time">{{Cite magazine| title = Time's 25 most influential Americans| magazine = [[Time (magazine)|Time]]| date = April 21, 1997| volume = 149| issue = 16| page = 66}}</ref> The [[Recording Industry Association of America]] certified sales for 10.5 million units of the band's albums in the United States,<ref name="RIAAbestsellers">{{cite web| url = https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=3&table=tblTopArt&action=| title = Best Sellers: Gold & Platinum Top Artists| publisher = [[Recording Industry Association of America]]| date = July 31, 2006| access-date = February 5, 2007| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130827163822/http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=3&table=tblTopArt&action=| archive-date = August 27, 2013}}</ref> which accounted for roughly half of the band's reported sales worldwide at that time.<ref name="Yahoo!Court">{{cite web| last = Amter| first = Charlie| title = Reznor Bares Teeth in Court| publisher = [[Yahoo! Music]]| date = May 17, 2005| url = http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/19364126| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050817202811/http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/19364126| archive-date = August 17, 2005| access-date = October 8, 2007
}} Retrieved from Internet Archive December 29, 2013.</ref> In 2003, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine placed ''The Downward Spiral'' at No.&nbsp;200 in a 2003 list of ''[[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]]'',<ref name="200great5001">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6599404/200_the_downward_spiral |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070707121925/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6599404/200_the_downward_spiral |archive-date=July 7, 2007 |title=Rolling Stone : 1988 The Downward Spiral| magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |url-status=dead | access-date=April 15, 2007}}</ref> and by the following year ranked Nine Inch Nails at No.&nbsp;94 in their ''The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time'' list.<ref name="Bowie" />

In 2019, Reznor and Ross received songwriting and production credits for the number-one single "[[Old Town Road]]" by [[Lil Nas X]], which sampled their track "34 Ghosts IV" from ''Ghosts I–IV''.<ref name="RecordDeal">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/8502868/lil-nas-x-signs-columbia-records|title='Old Town Road' Rapper Lil Nas X Signs to Columbia Records|magazine=Billboard|date=March 22, 2019|access-date=March 29, 2019|first=Tatiana|last=Cirisano}}</ref> "Old Town Road" broke the record for [[List of Billboard Hot 100 chart achievements and milestones#Most weeks at number one|most consecutive weeks at number one]] on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/lil-nas-x-old-town-road-breaks-record-longest-streaming-songs-chart-number-one/ |title=Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road' Breaks Record for Longest Stay Atop Streaming Songs Chart |last=Rutherford |first=Kevin |date=July 31, 2019 |website=Billboard.com}}</ref> As producers for the song, Reznor and Ross won a [[Country Music Association Awards|CMA Award]] for the 'Musical Event of the Year', along with Lil Nas X, featured artist [[Billy Ray Cyrus]] and producer [[YoungKio]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2056388/old-town-road-cma-nominaton-trent-reznor-lil-nas-x/news/ |title=Congrats To Trent Reznor On His First CMA Award Nomination |last=Rettig |first=James |date=August 28, 2019 |website=stereogum.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/trent-reznor-cma-awards-old-town-road-911941/|title=CMA Awards 2019: Trent Reznor Wins His First Country Award|last=Freeman|first=Jon|date=November 13, 2019|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=April 10, 2020}}</ref>

In January 2020, after previous nominations in 2014 and 2015, Nine Inch Nails ([[Alessandro Cortini]], [[Robin Finck]], [[Danny Lohner]], [[Trent Reznor]], [[Atticus Ross]], [[Ilan Rubin]] and [[Chris Vrenna]]) were named as inductees of the 2020 class of the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Greene |first1=Andy |title=Nine Inch Nails, Notorious B.I.G., Whitney Houston Lead Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2020 Class |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/nine-inch-nails-notorious-big-whitney-houston-rock-hall-of-fame-937737/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=January 15, 2020 |date=January 15, 2020}}</ref>

Nine Inch Nails has influenced many newer artists, which according to Reznor range from "generic imitations" dating from his initial success to younger bands echoing his style in a "truer, less imitative way".<ref>{{Cite web| title = Geoff Rickly interviews Trent Reznor| url = http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/manager/display_article.php?id=11| last = Rickly| first = Geoff| author-link = Geoff Rickly| work = [[Alternative Press (music magazine)|Alternative Press]]| date = June 26, 2004| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304084640/http://theninhotline.net/archives/articles/manager/display_article.php?id=11| archive-date = March 4, 2016}}</ref> Many artists and bands cite Nine Inch Nails as an influence, including:

{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
*[[5 Seconds of Summer]]<ref name="RS42">{{cite magazine|title=Watch 5 Seconds of Summer's Gloomy Video for Nine Inch Nails-Inspired 'Easier'|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/5-seconds-of-summer-easier-interview-new-song-837008/|last=Spanos|first=Brittany|date=23 May 2019|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=7 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523133135/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/5-seconds-of-summer-easier-interview-new-song-837008/amp/|archive-date=23 May 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Aaliyah]]<ref name=idols2001>{{cite web|first=George|last=Lang|url=https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2001/08/31/promising-singer-worthy-of-posthumous-praise/62132698007/|title=Promising singer worthy of posthumous praise|date=August 31, 2001|access-date=June 21, 2022|work=[[The Oklahoman]]|quote=her principal idols were Sade, whom she tried to emulate on much of her mid-tempo material like "Rock da Boat," and Trent Reznor, whose industrial influence was felt on the final album's closer, the genre-bending What If.|archive-date=June 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621075332/https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2001/08/31/promising-singer-worthy-of-posthumous-praise/62132698007/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Billie Eilish]]<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/billie-eilish-cover-story-triumph-weird-863603/ |title=Billie Eilish and the Triumph of the Weird|magazine=Rolling Stone|first=Josh|last=Eells|date=31 July 2019 |url-access=subscription|access-date=26 August 2025}}</ref>
* [[Deadmau5]]<ref name="rollingstone">{{cite magazine|last=R. Weingarten|first=Christopher|date=June 17, 2014|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/while-1-20140617|title=Deadmau5 White (1<2) Album Review|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=March 19, 2015}}</ref>
* [[Deftones]]<ref>{{cite magazine | url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/deftones-diamond-eyes | title=Deftones - Diamond Eyes | magazine=[[Slant Magazine]] | date=May 3, 2010 | access-date=November 14, 2015 | author=Cole, Matthew}}</ref>
*[[Dope (band)|Dope]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.epiphone.com/News-Features/News/2005/An-Interview-With-Edsel-Dope.aspx |title=An Interview With Edsel Dope |publisher=Epiphone.com |access-date=October 29, 2015 |archive-date=January 31, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131124900/http://www.epiphone.com/News-Features/News/2005/An-Interview-With-Edsel-Dope.aspx |url-status=dead }} (September 1, 2005)</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/dope-frontman-we-didn-t-grow-up-listening-to-korn/ |title=Dope Frontman: 'We Didn't Grow Up Listening To Korn |date=August 6, 2005 |publisher=[[Blabbermouth]]}}</ref>
* [[Evanescence]]<ref name="miami">{{cite web|url=https://www.miaminewtimes.com/music/through-the-open-door-6333275|title=Through the Open Door|work=[[Miami New Times]]|date=October 18, 2007|access-date=October 18, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802164937/https://www.miaminewtimes.com/music/through-the-open-door-6333275|archive-date=August 2, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Fat Dog (band)|Fat Dog]]<ref>{{Cite web | title=Fat Dog, London's Latest Breakout Band, Takes on the World With Debut Album 'Woof': We 'Hope You Feel It in Your Gut' | date=September 6, 2024 | url=https://uk.news.yahoo.com/fat-dog-london-latest-breakout-120000176.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240920050533/https://uk.news.yahoo.com/fat-dog-london-latest-breakout-120000176.html | access-date=2025-07-28 | archive-date=2024-09-20}}</ref>
* [[Fear Factory]]<ref>Multiple sources:
*{{Cite web |last=Weingarten |first=Christopher |date=January 1, 2008 |title=Fear Factory's Burton C. Bell Interviews Ministry's Al Jourgensen |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/fear-factorys-burton-c-bell-interviews-ministrys-al-jourgensen/ |access-date=2025-06-17 |website=[[Revolver (magazine)|Revolver]] |language=en-US}}
*{{cite web |url=https://www.metalunderground.com/interviews/details.cfm?newsid=122700 |title=Fear Factory Reconstructs "Demanufacture" |publisher=Metal Underground |date=April 18, 2016 |access-date=May 11, 2020}}
*{{cite web |url=http://metalassault.com/Interviews/2013/12/21/in-depth-interview-with-fear-factory-guitarist-dino-cazares/ |title=In-depth interview with Fear Factory guitarist Dino Cazares |last=Bansal |first=Andrew |date=December 21, 2013 |access-date=May 11, 2020}}
*{{cite web |url=http://noisecreep.com/fear-factory-remember-when-they-had-to-fight-to-be-heard/ |title=Fear Factory remember when they had to fight to be heard |work=[[Noisecreep]] |last=Wiederhorn |first=Jon |date=February 24, 2010 |access-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref>
* [[Gary Numan]]<ref name="theq">{{cite web|url=https://thequietus.com/interviews/bakers-dozen/gary-numan-favourite-albums/|title=Music for a Chameleon: Gary Numan's 13 Favourite Albums|author=Marszalek, Julian|publisher=The Quietus|date=6 December 2012|access-date=6 June 2025}}</ref>
* [[Godflesh]]<ref name="MSleg">{{cite web |last1=Rosenberg |first1=Axl |title=Show Review: Godflesh Bring People Together |date=11 April 2014 |url=http://www.metalsucks.net/2014/04/11/show-review-godflesh-bring-people-together/ |publisher=[[MetalSucks]] |access-date=17 December 2018}}</ref>
* [[Grimes]]<ref name="aphex">{{cite web|first=Bryan|last=Hood|url=https://www.vulture.com/2012/02/grimes-on-visions-anime-and-being-the-next-phil-spector.html|title=Grimes on Visions, Anime, and Being the Next Phil Spector|work=[[Vulture.com]]|date=February 21, 2012|access-date=January 4, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011051117/http://www.vulture.com/2012/02/grimes-on-visions-anime-and-being-the-next-phil-spector.html|archive-date=October 11, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Gustavo Cerati]]<ref name="ET JC">{{cite web|access-date=2022-03-09 |date=2014-10-02 |language=spanish|first=Jacobo |last=Celnik |publisher=Casa Editorial El Tiempo |title=Influencias en Cerati |url=https://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/CMS-14626115 |website=El Tiempo}}<!-- auto-translated from Spanish by Module:CS1 translator --></ref>
* [[Halsey (singer)|Halsey]]<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=Daly |first=Rhian |date=2021-11-26 |title=Halsey: "I've always been driven to reinvent myself and reinvent my genre" |url=https://www.nme.com/big-reads/halsey-cover-interview-2021-if-i-cant-have-love-i-want-power-bandlab-nme-awards-2022-3105246 |access-date=2023-04-17 |website=NME |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2158832/halsey-nine-inch-nails-new-album-stream/music/|title=Halsey Discusses Their Nine Inch Nails Collaborative Album: "I Was Like, Please Make Weird Choices"|website=Stereogum|date=August 27, 2021|access-date=6 June 2025|first=James|last=Rettig}}</ref>
* [[Health (band)|Health]]<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/nine-inch-nails-health-isnt-everyone-1165570/|title=Nine Inch Nails and Health Team Up for New Song 'Isn't Everyone'|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=May 6, 2021|access-date=June 9, 2025|first=Kory|last=Grow}}</ref>
* [[Helmet (band)|Helmet]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 15, 2015 |title=FEAR FACTORY's DINO CAZARES Explains GENE HOGLAN Split, Clarifies KORN And COAL CHAMBER 'Ripoff' Claims |url=https://blabbermouth.net/news/fear-factorys-dino-cazares-explains-gene-hoglan-split-clarifies-korn-and-coal-chamber-ripoff-claims |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230620220703/https://blabbermouth.net/news/fear-factorys-dino-cazares-explains-gene-hoglan-split-clarifies-korn-and-coal-chamber-ripoff-claims |archive-date=June 20, 2023 |access-date=October 6, 2024 |website=blabbermouth.net |quote=Some of those bands have been quoted saying that Fear Factory influenced them. And that's great. I mean, we were influenced by a lot of bands. And I can tell you every band that we were influenced by that we love — everything from Helmet to fucking early, early [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] to every [[grindcore]], [[death metal]] band to all the killer industrial bands: [[Godflesh]], [[Ministry (band)|Ministry]], Nine Inch Nails, [[KMFDM]].}}</ref>
* [[Kanye West]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/trent-reznor-kanye-west-weeknd-ripped-nine-inch-nails-stage-shows/|title= Trent Reznor: Kanye West, The Weeknd "Ripped Off" Nine Inch Nails' Stage Shows|website=Revolver|date=June 26, 2018|first=Zoe|last=Camp|access-date=6 June 2025}}</ref><ref name="esquire">{{cite news| url=http://www.esquire.com/blogs/culture/kanye-west-yeezus| title=The Chaos of Kanye West's ''Yeezus''| work=[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]| date=June 18, 2013| access-date=June 19, 2013| author=Raymer, Miles| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130623020749/http://www.esquire.com/blogs/culture/kanye-west-yeezus| archive-date=June 23, 2013| df=mdy-all}}</ref>
* [[KMFDM]]<ref name="IGC">{{cite book | chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZHP-r9-eqdAC&q=sascha+konietzko&pg=PA70 | title=Alternative Rock | chapter=The Industrial Gothic Complex | pages=70–71 | author=Thompson, Dave | publisher=[[Hal Leonard Corporation]] | year=2000 | access-date=September 9, 2010 | isbn=978-0-87930-607-6}}</ref>
* [[Korn (band)|Korn]]<ref name="uti">{{cite web |url=http://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/opinion/under-the-influence-korns-james-munky-shaffer |title=Under the Influence: Korn's James "Munky" Shaffer |work=[[The Skinny (magazine)|The Skinny]] |last=Kerr |first=Dave |date=January 6, 2015 |access-date=April 10, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150624014512/http://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/opinion/under-the-influence-korns-james-munky-shaffer|archive-date=June 24, 2015}}</ref><ref name=steffen>{{cite web|access-date=March 12, 2021|url=https://www.allmusic.com/blog/post/korn-guitarist-munky-looks-back-on-their-debut-20-years-later|publication-date=October 1, 2015|title=Korn Guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer Looks Back on Their Debut and Early Days|first=Chris |last=Steffen|website=[[AllMusic]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151004122427/http://www.allmusic.com/blog/post/korn-guitarist-munky-looks-back-on-their-debut-20-years-later|archive-date=October 4, 2015 }}</ref>
* [[Lady Gaga]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/lady-gaga-blacks-out-every-time-around-nin-trent-reznor/|title= Lady Gaga Says She Blacks Out 'Every Time' She's Around NIN's Trent Reznor|website=Vice|first=Stephen Andrew|last=Galiher|date=March 12, 2025|access-date=June 6, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/lady-gaga-howard-stern-trent-reznor-mayhem-1235920290/|title= Lady Gaga Opens Up About Meeting Trent Reznor: 'Stoked'|magazine=Billboard|date=March 12, 2025|access-date=6 June 2025|first=Jessica|last=Lynch}}</ref>
* [[Linkin Park]]<ref>{{cite web|first=Derek|last=Oswald|url=https://www.altwire.net/2015/03/12/behind-the-artist-playlist-chester-bennington/|title=Behind The Artist Playlist: Music That Influenced Chester Bennington|work=Altwire|date=March 12, 2015|access-date=September 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180929080253/https://www.altwire.net/2015/03/12/behind-the-artist-playlist-chester-bennington/|archive-date=September 29, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-story-of-the-downward-spiral|title="It serves as a testament to doing what entertains you with no borders." How Trent Reznor created a masterpiece with Nine Inch Nails' timeless The Downward Spiral - and influenced everyone from Korn to Johnny Cash in the process|website=Metal Hammer|date=2 April 2024|access-date=12 September 2025|first=Sam|last=Coare}}</ref>
*[[Marilyn Manson]]<ref name="LoudwireAC">{{cite web |url=http://loudwire.com/marilyn-manson-antichrist-superstar-album-anniversary/ |title=19 Years Ago: Marilyn Manson Makes Creative Leap With 'Antichrist Superstar' |author=Childers, Chad |work=[[Loudwire]] |publisher=[[Townsquare Media]] |date=October 8, 2015 |access-date=March 31, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170429062130/http://loudwire.com/marilyn-manson-antichrist-superstar-album-anniversary/ |archive-date=April 29, 2017}}</ref>
* [[M.I.A. (rapper)|M.I.A.]]<ref name="Paste">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2010/07/mia---y.html|title=M.I.A. : /\/\ /\ Y /\|last=Saba|first=Michael|date=12 July 2010|website=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]|access-date=14 September 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161008111135/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2010/07/mia---y.html|archive-date=8 October 2016}}</ref>
* [[Miley Cyrus]]<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/black-mirror-nine-inch-nails-songs-miley-cyrus-8514578/|title=''Black Mirror'' Creators Talk Transforming Nine Inch Nails Songs Into Miley Cyrus Pop Hits|access-date=2025-06-16|last=Spruch|first=Kirsten|date=2019-06-05|magazine=Billboard}}</ref><ref name="nme-review">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/miley-cyrus-plastic-hearts-review-pop-superstar-2824255|title=Miley Cyrus – 'Plastic Hearts' review: pop star reborn as a rock'n'roller|work=[[NME]]|date=November 27, 2020|access-date=November 27, 2020|archive-date=November 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127001702/https://www.nme.com/reviews/miley-cyrus-plastic-hearts-review-pop-superstar-2824255|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Motionless in White]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abqjournal.com/287892/entertainment/albuquerque-metal-music.html |title=Albuquerque Journal &#124; Motionless in White aims to set itself apart on its latest album |publisher=Abqjournal.com |access-date=October 31, 2015}}</ref>
* [[Muse (band)|Muse]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kroq.cbslocal.com/2014/01/23/muse-says-their-live-show-is-inspired-by-nin/|title=Muse Says Their Live Show Is Inspired By Nine Inch Nails|website=Kroq|date=January 23, 2014|access-date=June 9, 2025|first=Nadia|last=Noir|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140127124803/http://kroq.cbslocal.com/2014/01/23/muse-says-their-live-show-is-inspired-by-nin/#.UuIHiF1Ili8.twitter|archive-date=January 27, 2014}}</ref>
* [[Placebo (band)|Placebo]]<ref name="NIN">{{cite journal |date=20 October 2000 |title=I'm the Anti-Eminem |journal=[[Melody Maker]] |url=http://www.placeboworld.co.uk/archive/melodymoct.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080220112809/http://www.placeboworld.co.uk/archive/melodymoct.htm |archive-date=20 February 2008 |access-date=26 June 2013}}</ref>
* [[Poppy (singer)|Poppy]]<ref name="allmusicgenres">{{cite web|first=Neil|last=Yeung|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/poppy-mn0003667565/biography|title=Poppy Biography|work=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=March 29, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405094535/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/poppy-mn0003667565/biography|archive-date=April 5, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Porcupine Tree]]<ref>
* {{cite web |url=http://www.musicplayers.com/features/guitars/2007/0707_Steven_Wilson.php |title=Steven Wilson: Fear of a Blank Interview |website=MusicPlayers.com |first=Scott |last=Kahn |access-date=8 April 2008}}
* {{cite web|first=Roy|last=Povarchik|url=http://www.alternative-zine.com/interviews/en/110|title=Interview with: Porcupine Tree lead guitarist/singer/songwriter Steven Wilson|date=26 June 2007|access-date=7 April 2008|location=Tel Aviv|website=Alternative-Zine.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070626193727/http://www.alternative-zine.com/interviews/en/110|archive-date=26 June 2007}}
* {{cite web|first1=David|last1=Felix|first2=Carlos|last2=Rodrigues|url=http://www.rockeyez.com/interviews/int-porcupine-tree.html|title=Interview: Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree)|publisher=Rock Eyez|date=12 May 2005|access-date=7 April 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051025045819/http://www.rockeyez.com/interviews/int-porcupine-tree.html|archive-date=25 October 2005}}
</ref>

* [[Rammstein]]<ref name="louderTbT">{{cite web |last1=Edwards |first1=Briony |last2=Lewry |first2=Lewry |last3=Pattillo |first3=Alice |title=Rammstein - Rammstein: your ultimate track-by-track guide |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-new-rammstein-album-your-ultimate-track-by-track-guide |website=[[Metal Hammer|Louder]] |publisher=[[Future plc]] |access-date=15 January 2021 |date=19 May 2020}}</ref>
* [[Rob Zombie]]<ref>{{cite web |date=July 31, 1998 |title=Rob Zombie's Solo Debut Is Monstrous |publisher=MTV |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/500032/rob-zombie-solo-debut-is-monstrous/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160317070208/http://www.mtv.com/news/500032/rob-zombie-solo-debut-is-monstrous/ |archive-date=March 17, 2016 }}</ref>
* [[Sevendust]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://crypticrock.com/interview-clint-lowery-of-sevendust/ |title=Interview: Clint Lowery of Sevendust |work=Cryptic Rock |date=July 25, 2013 |last=Malerba |first=Frank}}</ref>
* [[Skrillex]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mtvu.com/music/the-freshmen/fall-2011-freshmen-5/ |title=Required Listening For Fall |work=[[mtvU]] |publisher=[[Viacom (2005–present)|Viacom]] |date=September 26, 2011 |access-date=August 28, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109105035/http://www.mtvu.com/music/the-freshmen/fall-2011-freshmen-5/ |archive-date=November 9, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Slipknot (band)|Slipknot]]<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/corey-taylor-talks-next-slipknot-album-were-trying-to-think-of-where-we-can-go-musically/ |title=Corey Taylor Talks Next Slipknot Album: 'We're Trying To Think Of Where We Can Go Musically' |work=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |date=May 16, 2016 |access-date=October 26, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160517102718/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/corey-taylor-talks-next-slipknot-album-were-trying-to-think-of-where-we-can-go-musically/|archive-date=May 17, 2016|quote= ... we're kind of looking to our influences now. 'Cause we loved everything from old-school thrash to bands like Neurosis, Nine Inch Nails, you know, and [we're] just trying to kind of take stock of wearing our influences a little more on our sleeve and seeing where that will take us.}}</ref><ref name="mciver">{{cite book |title=Slipknot: All Hope Is Gone |last=McIver |first=Joel |author-link=Joel McIver |publisher=Omnibus Press |year=2012 |isbn=9780857127723 |access-date=October 26, 2017 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wDoDAwAAQBAJ&q=slipknot+influences&pg=PT286}}</ref>
* [[St. Vincent (musician)|St. Vincent]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.iheart.com/content/2021-07-11-st-vincent-opens-up-about-her-love-for-metallica-and-nine-inch-nails/|title=St. Vincent Opens Up About Her Love For Metallica And Nine Inch Nails|website=iHeart|date=July 11, 2021|access-date=June 9, 2025|first=Katrina|last=Nattress}}</ref>
*[[Static-X]]<ref>{{cite web |website=Revolver |last=Enis |first=Eli |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/hear-static-xs-new-cover-nine-inch-nails-terrible-lie-featuring-wayne-static-vocals |title=Hear STATIC-X's new cover of NINE INCH NAILS' "Terrible Lie" featuring WAYNE STATIC vocals |date=February 8, 2023 |access-date=February 8, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theprp.com/2023/02/08/news/static-x-to-release-final-project-regeneration-album-in-november-debut-video-for-wayne-static-fronted-cover-of-nine-inch-nails-terrible-lie/|title=Static-X To Release Final "Project: Regeneration" Album In November, Debut Video For Wayne Static-Fronted Cover Of Nine Inch Nails' "Terrible Lie"|date=February 8, 2023|work=ThePRP|access-date=February 14, 2023}}</ref>
* [[The Weeknd]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/trent-reznor-says-kanye-the-weeknd-ripped-off-nins-live-shows/|title=Trent Reznor Says Kanye, the Weeknd "Ripped Off" NIN's Live Shows|website=Pitchfork|date=26 June 2018|first=Sam|last=Sodomsky|access-date=26 August 2025}}</ref>
* [[Timbaland]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/jul/15/urban.timbaland |title=Soundtrack of my life: Timbaland &#124; Music &#124; Observer Music Monthly |publisher=Observer Music Monthly |author=Will Hodgkinson |date=July 15, 2007 |access-date=2008-10-27 |location=London |archive-date=June 10, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080610023158/http://music.guardian.co.uk/urban/story/0,,2123761,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Tool (band)|Tool]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/news/tools-maynard-james-keenan-confesses-to-stealing-song-ideas-from-nine-inch-nails-trent-reznor|title=Tool's Maynard James Keenan confesses to stealing song ideas from Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor|website=Metal Hammer|date=August 25, 2022|access-date=June 9, 2025|first=Paul|last=Brannigan}}</ref>

{{div col end}}

==Corporate disputes==
===TVT Records===
In the early 1990s, Nine Inch Nails was involved in a much-publicized feud with TVT Records, the first record label to sign the band. Reznor objected to the label's attempted interference with his intellectual property.<ref name = "Shock" /> Ultimately, Nine Inch Nails entered into a joint venture with Interscope Records in which Reznor forfeited a portion of his publishing rights to TVT Music in exchange for the freedom of having his own [[Nothing Records]] imprint.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|pp=81–82}} In 2005, Reznor sued his former friend and manager John Malm, co-founder of Nothing, for fraud, breach of contract and fiduciary duty, and other claims.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Court Holds Reznor/Malm Contract Not Unconscionable|url=https://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/1413034/court-holds-reznormalm-contract-not-unconscionable|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=February 4, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613005155/http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/1413034/court-holds-reznormalm-contract-not-unconscionable|archive-date=June 13, 2015}}</ref> Their relationship was formally severed in a New York courtroom, with damages awarded to Reznor in excess of $3 million.<ref name = "E! Online">{{cite web| url = http://uk.eonline.com/uberblog/archive.jsp?uuid=0d53d346-74a1-496c-a624-3ce5e8054ae4| title = Reznor bails on MTV, nails manager| author = Amter, Charlie| work = [[E!|E! Online]]|publisher=[[Comcast|Comcast Entertainment Group]]| date = May 27, 2005| access-date = November 28, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221033223/http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b49960_Reznor_Bails_on_MTV_Nails_Manager.html|archive-date=February 21, 2009}}</ref>

At the behest of [[Prudential Financial|Prudential Securities]] bankruptcy proceedings, TVT put the rights to Reznor's recordings for the label on auction in 2005. This offer included the whole TVT catalog, including ''Pretty Hate Machine'', and a percentage of royalties from Reznor's song publishing company, Leaving Hope Music/TVT Music. [[Rykodisc]], which did not win the auction but was able to license the rights from Prudential, reissued the out-of-print ''Pretty Hate Machine'' CD on November 22, 2005.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://theninhotline.net/news/archives/backissue.php?y=05&m=10#1130439320| title = Rykodisk to reissue pretty hate machine *updated*| publisher = The NIN Hotline| date = October 27, 2005| access-date = November 28, 2006| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071128011519/http://www.theninhotline.net/news/archives/backissue.php?y=05&m=10#1130439320| archive-date = November 28, 2007}}</ref> Ryko also reissued the "Head Like a Hole" CD and a vinyl edition of ''Pretty Hate Machine'' in 2006. The label considered releasing a deluxe edition, just as Interscope had done for ''The Downward Spiral''. They were influenced by Reznor and liked the idea, but did not want to pay him for the album and the idea was scrapped.<ref name="Toronto Sun">{{cite web|url=http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/N/Nine_Inch_Nails/2005/11/07/1296952.html|title=Reznor grits his teeth|author=Ladouceur, Liisa|date=November 8, 2005|work=[[The Toronto Sun]]|publisher=[[Sun Media]]|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130115141839/http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/N/Nine_Inch_Nails/2005/11/07/1296952.html|archive-date=January 15, 2013|access-date=May 14, 2008}}</ref>

===Universal Music Group===
In May 2007, Reznor made a post on the official Nine Inch Nails website skeptical of [[Universal Music Group]] (parent company of Nine Inch Nails' record label, [[Interscope Records]]) for its pricing and distribution plans for ''Year Zero.''<ref name="RollingStoneKreps">{{cite magazine| last = Kreps| first = Daniel| title = Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor Slams Records Labels for Sorry State of the Industry| magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]| date = May 14, 2007| url= https://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/05/14/nine-inch-nails-trent-reznor-slams-records-labels-for-sorry-state-of-the-industry/| access-date = April 12, 2011| url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080406103223/http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/05/14/nine-inch-nails-trent-reznor-slams-records-labels-for-sorry-state-of-the-industry/|archive-date=April 6, 2008}}</ref> He labeled the company's retail pricing of ''Year Zero'' in Australia as "ABSURD", concluding that "as a reward for being a 'true fan' you get ripped off". Reznor went on to say that he hated Interscope, and in later years the "climate" of record labels may have an increasingly ambivalent impact on consumers who buy music.<ref name="UMG">{{cite web| url = http://www.nin.com/tr| access-date = August 22, 2007| last = Reznor| first = Trent| title = Updates from Trent| date = May 13, 2007| publisher = Nine Inch Nails| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070517041353/http://nin.com/tr/| archive-date=May 17, 2007}}</ref> Reznor's post, specifically his criticism of the recording industry at large, elicited considerable media attention.<ref name="Reznor Smashes UMG">{{cite web| title = Reznor Smashes UMG, Websites Write About It| publisher = The NIN Hotline| date = May 17, 2007| url = http://www.theninhotline.net/news/archives/backissue.php?y=07&m=5#1179461909| access-date = May 19, 2007| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071128011751/http://www.theninhotline.net/news/archives/backissue.php?y=07&m=5#1179461909| archive-date = November 28, 2007}}</ref> In September 2007, Reznor continued his attack on UMG at a concert in Australia, urging fans there to "steal" his music online instead of purchasing it legally.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.smh.com.au/news/web/steal-away-steal-steal-and-steal-some-more/2007/09/18/1189881482912.html| title = Nails frontman urges fans to steal music| work = [[Sydney Morning Herald]]| publisher = [[Fairfax Media]]| date = September 18, 2007| access-date = September 18, 2007| last = Moses| first = Asher| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071011201345/http://www.smh.com.au/news/web/steal-away-steal-steal-and-steal-some-more/2007/09/18/1189881482912.html| archive-date = October 11, 2007}}</ref> Reznor went on to encourage the crowd to "steal and steal and steal some more and give it to all your friends and keep on stealing".<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.theninhotline.net/news/archives/backissue.php?y=07&m=9#1189989696| title = Trent follows up on Universal AU| publisher = The NIN Hotline| date = September 16, 2007| access-date = September 18, 2007| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071128011811/http://www.theninhotline.net/news/archives/backissue.php?y=07&m=9#1189989696| archive-date = November 28, 2007}}</ref>

Reznor announced on October 8, 2007, that Nine Inch Nails had fulfilled its contractual commitments to Interscope Records and was now free to proceed as a "totally free agent, free of any recording contract with any label".<ref name="BBFreeAgent">{{cite magazine| last = Cohen| first = Jonathan| url = https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1048419/nine-inch-nails-celebrates-free-agent-status| title = Nine Inch Nails Celebrates Free Agent Status| access-date = October 20, 2017| magazine = [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]| publisher = [[Nielsen Company]]| date = October 8, 2007| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180423152622/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1048419/nine-inch-nails-celebrates-free-agent-status| archive-date = April 23, 2018}}</ref> Reznor also speculated that he would release the next Nine Inch Nails album online in a similar fashion to ''[[The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!]]'', which he produced.<ref>{{cite web| work = [[New York (magazine)|New York]]| publisher = New York Media| author = Westhoff, Ben| url = https://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2007/10/trent_reznor_and_saul_williams.html| title = Trent Reznor and Saul Williams discuss their new collaboration ...| date = October 30, 2007| access-date = October 31, 2007| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071031021032/http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2007/10/trent_reznor_and_saul_williams.html| archive-date = October 31, 2007}}</ref> Reznor later released the first nine tracks of ''[[Ghosts I–IV]]'' and the entirety of ''[[The Slip (album)|The Slip]]'' in 2008 for free download.

In another post on his website, Reznor again openly criticized Universal Music Group for preventing him from launching an official interactive fan remix website. Universal declined to host the site just days before its scheduled launch, citing the potential "accusation", in Reznor's words, "that they are sponsoring the same technical violation of copyright they are suing [other media companies] for".<ref>{{cite magazine| magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]| author = Kreps, Daniel| url = https://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/11/20/trent-reznor-puts-new-nin-site-on-hold-warns-of-apocalyptical-lawsuit/| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071122163426/http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/11/20/trent-reznor-puts-new-nin-site-on-hold-warns-of-apocalyptical-lawsuit/ |archive-date=November 22, 2007| title = Trent Reznor puts new NIN site on hold| date = November 20, 2007| url-status=dead| access-date = November 21, 2007}}</ref> Reznor wrote in response that he was "challenged at the last second to find a way of bringing this idea to life without getting splashed by the urine as these media companies piss all over each other's feet".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-11-22 |title=nin.com [the official nine inch nails website] |url=http://nin.com/ |access-date=2025-01-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071122224318/http://nin.com/ |archive-date=November 22, 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = https://gizmodo.com/gadgets/music-industry/universals-legal-tangles-with-youtube-kill-official-nine-inch-nails-fan-remix-site-326634.php| work = [[Gizmodo]]| publisher = [[Gawker Media]]| title = Universal's Legal Tangles With YouTube Kill Official Nine Inch Nails Fan Remix Site| date = November 26, 2007| access-date = January 29, 2008| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080211180410/http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/music-industry/universals-legal-tangles-with-youtube-kill-official-nine-inch-nails-fan-remix-site-326634.php| archive-date = February 11, 2008}}</ref> Despite these obstacles, the remix website was launched in November 2007.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-12-22 |title=Nine Inch Nails - Remix.nin.com |url=https://www.nin.wiki/Remix.nin.com#about |access-date=2025-01-31 |website=nin.wiki |language=en}}</ref>

===Other corporations===
Nine Inch Nails was scheduled to perform at the 2005 [[MTV Movie Awards]], but withdrew from the show due to a disagreement with the network over the use of an unaltered image of [[George W. Bush]] as a backdrop to the band's performance of "[[The Hand That Feeds]]". Soon afterwards, Reznor wrote on his official website: "Apparently, the image of our president is as offensive to MTV as it is to me."<ref name="E! Online" /> MTV replied that it respected Reznor's point of view, but was "uncomfortable" with the performance being "built around partisan political statements". A performance by [[Foo Fighters]] replaced Nine Inch Nails' time slot on the show.<ref name="MTV Awards">{{cite web| url = http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1503082/story.jhtml| last = Montgomery| first = James| title = Nine Inch Nails Drop Out Of MTV Movie Awards Over Bush Dispute| publisher = MTV. [[Viacom (2005–present)|Viacom]]| date = May 27, 2005| access-date = August 20, 2007| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930225112/http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1503082/story.jhtml| archive-date = September 30, 2007}}</ref>

Another ceremony incident had occurred at the [[56th Annual Grammy Awards]] in 2014. The band performed "[[Copy of A]]" and "[[My God Is the Sun]]" with [[Queens of the Stone Age]], [[Lindsey Buckingham]], and [[Dave Grohl]] towards the end of the broadcast; however, the performance was not shown in full to the audience at home as advertisements had cut-in midway through the second song. Despite an apology from producer [[Kenneth Ehrlich]], Reznor later heavily criticized the situation.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2014-03-05|title=Trent Reznor says Grammys were "an utter waste of time"|work=FasterLouder |url=http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/news/38504/Trent-Reznor-says-Grammys-were-an-utter-waste-of-time|access-date=2021-09-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305021451/http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/news/38504/Trent-Reznor-says-Grammys-were-an-utter-waste-of-time|archive-date=March 5, 2014}}</ref>

In 2006, after being alerted by a fan website, Reznor issued a [[cease and desist]] to [[Fox News Channel]] for using three songs from ''The Fragile'' on air without permission. The songs "La Mer", "The Great Below", and "The Mark Has Been Made" appeared in an episode of ''[[War Stories with Oliver North]]'' detailing the [[battle of Iwo Jima]].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://theninhotline.net/news/archives/backissue.php?y=06&m=10#1161617908| title = Fox News, War Stories, and Nine Inch Nails| publisher = The NIN Hotline| date = October 23, 2006| access-date = November 29, 2006| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071128011620/http://www.theninhotline.net/news/archives/backissue.php?y=06&m=10#1161617908| archive-date = November 28, 2007}}</ref> A post appeared on Reznor's blog, which read: "Thanks for the Fox News heads-up. A cease and desist has been issued. <!--ATTENTION: This a direct quote, not vandalism. Please check the source provided and discuss on talk page BEFORE removing, or your deletion will be reverted.-->FUCK Fox Fucking News."<ref name="FOX archive">{{cite web| last = Reznor| first = Trent| title = Updates from Trent| publisher = Nine Inch Nails| date = October 24, 2006| url = http://www.nin.com/tr| access-date = August 22, 2007| archive-date = May 17, 2007| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070517041353/http://nin.com/tr/| url-status = dead}}</ref>

As part of the alternate reality game which accompanied the release of ''Year Zero'', three tracks from the album ("My Violent Heart", "Survivalism", and "Me, I'm Not") were intentionally "leaked" prior to their official release at a number of Nine Inch Nails concerts on [[USB flash drive]]s.<ref name="CoolerThanLost" /> The high-quality audio files quickly circulated the internet, and owners of websites hosting the files soon received cease and desist orders from the [[Recording Industry Association of America]], despite the fact that the viral campaign, and the use of USB drives, was sanctioned by Nine Inch Nails' record label.<ref name="BillboardPaolette">{{cite magazine| last = Paoletta| first = Michael| title = Online Odyssey Stoking Interest In New NIN Album| magazine = [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]| publisher = [[Nielsen Company]]| date = March 30, 2007| url = https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1053298/online-odyssey-stoking-interest-in-new-nin-album| access-date = May 20, 2007| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130708192307/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1053298/online-odyssey-stoking-interest-in-new-nin-album| archive-date = July 8, 2013}}</ref> The source that broke the story was quoted as saying, "These fucking idiots are going after a campaign that the label signed off on."<ref name="BillboardPaolette" />

The music of Nine Inch Nails has reportedly been used by the [[United States Armed Forces|U.S. military]] as [[music torture]] to break down the resolve of detainees.<ref>{{cite web| title = Musicians don't want tunes used for torture| publisher = [[Today.com]]. [[NBC Universal]]/[[Microsoft]]| url = https://www.today.com/popculture/musicians-don-t-want-tunes-used-torture-wbna28144557| date = December 9, 2008| access-date = December 9, 2008}}</ref> Reznor objected to the use of his music in this way with the following message on the front page of the Nine Inch Nails website: "It's difficult for me to imagine anything more profoundly insulting, demeaning and enraging than discovering music you've put your heart and soul into creating has been used for purposes of torture. If there are any legal options that can be realistically taken they will be aggressively pursued, with any potential monetary gains donated to human rights charities. Thank GOD this country has appeared to side with reason and we can put the Bush administration's reign of power, greed, lawlessness and madness behind us."<ref>{{cite web|title=Trent Reznor Upset His Music Used To Torture Prisoners, Dude From Drowning Pool Not So Much|url=https://www.stereogum.com/41132/trent_reznor_upset_his_music_used_to_torture_priso/news/|website=Stereogum|access-date=August 18, 2014|date=December 12, 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140415062711/http://www.stereogum.com/41132/trent_reznor_upset_his_music_used_to_torture_priso/news/|archive-date=April 15, 2014}}</ref>

Aside from disagreements over the usage of Nine Inch Nails material, some corporations have dismissed content due to perceived obscenity. In 2009, [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] rejected an update to Nine Inch Nails' [[iPhone]] application, ''NIN: Access'', because it found ''The Downward Spiral'' to contain "offensive or obscene content", referring to the lyrical content.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.side-line.com/news_comments.php?id=42064_0_2_0_C |title=Nine Inch Nails' iPhone application gets the boot from Apple |work=Side-Line Music Magazine |publisher=Seba Dolimont |date=March 4, 2009 |access-date=May 4, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506125141/http://www.side-line.com/news_comments.php?id=42064_0_2_0_C |archive-date=May 6, 2009 }}</ref><ref name=bbc_apple>{{cite news| url = https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8039779.stm| title = Reznor takes a byte out of Apple| work = [[BBC News]]| date = May 8, 2009| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090511121246/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8039779.stm| archive-date = May 11, 2009}}</ref> Reznor criticized their decision, citing the audio was also available through the [[iTunes]] application.<ref name=bbc_apple />

A similar incident involving digital content distribution occurred in 2013 when Nine Inch Nails re-released the original 1993 film ''[[Broken (1993 film)|Broken]]'' on [[Vimeo]]. Within hours of launch, the video was removed due to terms of service violation on material that "harass, incite hatred or depict excessive violence".<ref>{{cite tweet|number=331488703950229505|user=nineinchnails|title=And just like that, the Broken movie ...|access-date= May 6, 2013|date=May 6, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.theverge.com/2013/5/6/4305438/underground-nine-inch-nails-snuff-film-finally-officially-released| title = Nine Inch Nails' 20-year old 'Broken' film is too violent for Vimeo (update)| work = The Verge| publisher = Nathan Ingraham| date = May 6, 2013| access-date = May 6, 2013| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130507194717/http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/6/4305438/underground-nine-inch-nails-snuff-film-finally-officially-released| archive-date = May 7, 2013}}</ref>

==Live performances==
{{Expand section|reason=Way too short and not that complete.|date=September 2025}}
{{Main|Nine Inch Nails live performances}}
[[File:NIN @ Aragon, Chicago 10 25 2018 (46252620014).jpg|thumb|Atticus Ross (left) and Reznor (right) performing in October 2018.]]
Until Atticus Ross joined in 2016, Reznor was the sole official member of Nine Inch Nails. However, Reznor tours with a group of musicians.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Zahlaway|first1=Jon|title=Live Review: Nine Inch Nails in Boston|url=http://www.livedaily.com/reviews/Live_Review_Nine_Inch_Nails_in_Boston-8158.html|publisher=[[LiveDaily]]|access-date=February 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070601044050/http://www.livedaily.com/reviews/Live_Review_Nine_Inch_Nails_in_Boston-8158.html|archive-date=June 1, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=DVD Review: Nine Inch Nails Live|url=http://media.www.westerncourier.com/media/storage/paper650/news/2007/03/23/TheEdge/Dvd-Review.Nine.Inch.Nails.Live-2789289.shtml|publisher=[[The Western Courier]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090427085045/http://media.www.westerncourier.com/media/storage/paper650/news/2007/03/23/TheEdge/Dvd-Review.Nine.Inch.Nails.Live-2789289.shtml|archive-date=April 27, 2009}}</ref>

The lineup of the live band often changes between major tours. Reznor cited the long gestation period between studio albums as part of the reason for these frequent personnel changes,<ref>{{cite episode| title = Trent Reznor talks to Ian Camfield| series = [[Xfm London]]| date = July 22, 2005
}}</ref> as well as his desire for fresh interpretations of his music.<ref name = "Reimink">{{Cite news| last = Reimink| first = Troy| title = Changes in songs, lineup keep Nails sharp| work = [[Grand Rapids Press]]|publisher=[[Booth Newspapers]]| page = D1| date = March 5, 2007}}</ref> Band members have occasionally been invited to participate in the recording process, but creative control within the studio has always been exclusively with Reznor.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=202}}

The [[Tapeworm (band)|Tapeworm]] project was created in 1995 as a Nine Inch Nails side-project between Reznor and various live-band members as a more "democratic" creative environment.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Wiederhorn|first1=Jon|title=Nine Inch Nails, Tool Frontmen Recording Together|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1456878/nine-inch-nails-tool-frontmen-recording-together/|publisher=[[MTV]]|access-date=February 4, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150204144549/http://www.mtv.com/news/1456878/nine-inch-nails-tool-frontmen-recording-together/|archive-date=February 4, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal| title = Pretty Quake Machine| first = Paul| last = Semel| journal = Incite| date=June 2000| issue = 7
}}</ref> The band initially included live band members [[Danny Lohner]] and [[Charlie Clouser]], but eventually expanded to include other frequent Nine Inch Nails contributors [[Josh Freese]], [[Atticus Ross]], and [[Alan Moulder]].<ref name="Freese picture">{{cite web|url=http://www.tapeworm.net/06.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020802232006/http://www.tapeworm.net/06.html |access-date=February 16, 2008 |archive-date=August 2, 2002 |title=tapeworm |publisher=[[Tapeworm (band)|Tapeworm]] |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="mtv">{{cite web| url = http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1439359/20010213/id_1162708.jhtml| title = NIN's Reznor Teams With Tool's Keenan For Tapeworm| first = Joe| last = D'Angelo| publisher = MTV. [[Viacom (2005–present)|Viacom]]| date = February 13, 2001| access-date = August 14, 2007| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071013113812/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1439359/20010213/id_1162708.jhtml| archive-date = October 13, 2007}}</ref> However, after 9 years of studio sessions, no material was ever officially released from the group, and it was confirmed to be no longer active in 2005.<ref name="access">{{cite web| url = http://www.nin.com/access/5_08_04/index.asp| title = Nine Inch Nails: Access| author = Reznor, Trent| author-link = Trent Reznor| publisher = Nine Inch Nails| date = May 8, 2004| access-date = May 21, 2007| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070718105114/http://www.nin.com/access/5_08_04/index.asp| archive-date=July 18, 2007}}</ref>

===Tours===
{{See also|List of Nine Inch Nails concert tours}}
* Pretty Hate Machine Tour Series (1988–1991)
* [[Self Destruct Tour]] (1994–1996)
* [[Fragility Tour]] (1999–2000)
* Live: With Teeth Tour (2005–2006)
* [[Performance 2007 Tour]] (2007)
* Lights in the Sky Tour (2008)
* Wave Goodbye Tour (2009)
* [[Twenty Thirteen Tour]] (2013–2014)
* I Can't Seem To Wake Up (2017)
* Cold and Black and Infinite (2018)
* U.S. 2022 & U.K. 2022 (2022)
* [[Peel It Back Tour]] (2025–2026)

==Band members==
{{Main|List of Nine Inch Nails band members}}

===Official members===
*[[Trent Reznor]]&nbsp;– lead and backing vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, synthesizers, saxophone, piano, [[Programming (music)|programming]], drums, percussion (1988–present){{efn|name=a|group=main}}
*[[Atticus Ross]]&nbsp;– keyboards, synthesizers, programming, bass, backing vocals (2016–present){{efn|name=a|group=main}}

===Additional touring lineup===
*[[Robin Finck]]&nbsp;– guitars, synthesizers, keyboards, [[lap steel]], [[violin]], backing vocals (1994–1996, 1999–2000, 2008–2009, 2013–present){{efn|name=a|group=main}}
*[[Alessandro Cortini]]&nbsp;– bass, keyboards, synthesizers, guitars, backing vocals (2005–2008, 2013–present){{efn|name=a|group=main}}
*[[Josh Freese]]&nbsp;– drums, [[marimba]] (2005, 2005–2008, 2025–present)

===Key former members===<!-- The following list of members were specifically mentioned by Reznor during his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2020. "There’s been a number of other key players involved over the years I’d like to recognize and thank..." -->
*[[Chris Vrenna]]&nbsp;– drums, percussion, keyboards, [[Sampler (musical instrument)|samplers]] (1988–1990, 1992–1996){{efn|name=a|group=main}}
*[[Richard Patrick]]&nbsp;– guitars, backing vocals (1989–1993)
*[[Jeff Ward (musician)|Jeff Ward]]&nbsp;– drums (1990–1991; <small>died 1993</small>)
*[[James Woolley]]&nbsp;– keyboards, synthesizers, programming, backing vocals (1991–1994; <small>died 2016</small>)
*[[Danny Lohner]]&nbsp;– bass, guitars, synthesizers, backing vocals (1993–2003){{efn|name=a|group=main}}
*[[Charlie Clouser]]&nbsp;– keyboards, synthesizers, [[theremin]], percussion, programming, backing vocals (1994–2001)
*[[Jerome Dillon]]&nbsp;– drums, guitars (1999–2005)
*[[Jeordie White]]&nbsp;– bass, guitars, backing vocals (2005–2007)
*[[Aaron North]]&nbsp;– guitars, backing vocals (2005–2007)
*[[Justin Meldal-Johnsen]]&nbsp;– bass, backing vocals (2008–2009)
*[[Ilan Rubin]]&nbsp;– drums, percussion, bass, guitars, [[cello]], keyboards, backing vocals (2008–2009, 2013–2025){{efn|name=a|group=main}}

==Discography==
{{Main|Nine Inch Nails discography|List of songs recorded by Nine Inch Nails}}
<!-- Please do not remove the EPs (Broken, Not the Actual Events, and Add Violence). The consensus is that the three EPs should be regarded as equal to the full-length albums. Discussions occurred on the talk page already. -->

*''[[Pretty Hate Machine]]'' (1989)
*''[[Broken (Nine Inch Nails EP)|Broken]]'' (1992){{efn|name=b|group=main}}
*''[[The Downward Spiral]]'' (1994)<!-- Quake is not added to the list due to the discussion on the talk page. -->
*''[[The Fragile]]'' (1999)
*''[[With Teeth]]'' (2005)
*''[[Year Zero (album)|Year Zero]]'' (2007)
*''[[Ghosts I–IV]]'' (2008)
*''[[The Slip (album)|The Slip]]'' (2008)
*''[[Hesitation Marks]]'' (2013)
*''[[Not the Actual Events]]'' (2016){{efn|name=b|group=main}}
*''[[Add Violence]]'' (2017){{efn|name=b|group=main}}
*''[[Bad Witch]]'' (2018)
*''[[Ghosts V: Together]]'' (2020)
*''[[Ghosts VI: Locusts]]'' (2020)
*''[[Tron: Ares (soundtrack)|Tron: Ares]]'' (2025){{efn|name=c|group=main}}<!-- Please do not add soundtracks that are credited to Reznor/Ross. -->

==Awards==
{{Main list|List of awards and nominations received by Nine Inch Nails}}
<!-- ATTENTION: If you wish to delete this section, the reason must not be that you despise the Grammy Awards or that you think no one takes them seriously. Regardless of whether that is true, this content is still notable enough to be on Wikipedia. See: [[Wikipedia: Notability]]-->
Nine Inch Nails has been nominated for 13 [[Grammy Awards]] and has won awards on two occasions—for "[[Wish (Nine Inch Nails song)|Wish]]" in 1992 and "[[Happiness in Slavery]]" in 1995:

{{awards table|fixed-widths=no}}
|-
| 1992
| "[[Wish (Nine Inch Nails song)|Wish]]"
| [[Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance|Best Metal Performance]]<ref name="AwardsDatabase">{{cite news |url= http://theenvelope.latimes.com/factsheets/awardsdb/env-awards-db-search,0,7169155.htmlstory?searchtype=person&query=nine+inch+nails&x=0&y=0 |title= Awards Database |work= [[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date= November 10, 2007 |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130203071332/http://theenvelope.latimes.com/factsheets/awardsdb/env-awards-db-search,0,7169155.htmlstory?searchtype=person&query=nine+inch+nails&x=0&y=0 |archive-date= February 3, 2013 }}</ref>
| {{won}}
|-
| 1995
| ''[[The Downward Spiral]]''
| [[Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album|Best Alternative Music Performance]]<ref name="AwardsDatabase" />
| {{nom}}
|-
| 1995
| "[[Happiness in Slavery]]" (from ''[[Woodstock '94]]'' compilation)
| Best Metal Performance<ref name="AwardsDatabase" />
| {{won}}
|-
| 1996
| "[[Hurt (Nine Inch Nails song)|Hurt]]"
| [[Grammy Award for Best Rock Song|Best Rock Song]]<ref name="AwardsDatabase" />
| {{nom}}
|-
| 1997
| "[[The Perfect Drug]]"
| [[Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance|Best Hard Rock Performance]]<ref name="AwardsDatabase" />
| {{nom}}
|-
| 1999
| ''[[The Fragile]]''
| Best Alternative Music Album<ref name="AwardsDatabase" />
| {{nom}}
|-
| 1999
| "[[Starfuckers, Inc.]]"
| Best Metal Performance<ref name="AwardsDatabase" />
| {{nom}}
|-
| 2000
| "[[Into the Void (Nine Inch Nails song)|Into the Void]]"
| [[Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance|Best Male Rock Vocal Performance]]<ref name="AwardsDatabase" />
| {{nom}}
|-
| 2005
| "[[The Hand That Feeds]]"
| Best Hard Rock Performance<ref>{{Cite news| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/08/arts/09gram-list.html| work = [[The New York Times]]| access-date = April 13, 2008| title = The Complete List of Grammy Nominations| date = December 8, 2005| url-status = live| archive-url = https://archive.today/20131025071334/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/08/arts/09gram-list.html?_r=0| archive-date = October 25, 2013}}</ref>
| {{nom}}
|-
| 2006
| "[[Every Day is Exactly the Same]]"
| Best Hard Rock Performance<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/49th_Show/list.aspx |title= 49th Annual Grammy Awards Nominee List |publisher= [[National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences]] |access-date= December 7, 2006 |archive-url= http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20061220160454/http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/49th_Show/list.aspx <!--Added by H3llBot--> |archive-date= December 20, 2006}}</ref>
| {{nom}}
|-
| 2009
| "[[Ghosts I–IV|34 Ghosts IV]]"
| [[Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance|Best Rock Instrumental Performance]]<ref name="2009 Grammy noms">{{cite web| url = http://www.grammy.com/grammy_awards/51st_show/list.aspx| title = The 51st Annual Grammy Awards Winners List| publisher = [[National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences]]| access-date = February 9, 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090207085806/http://www.grammy.com/Grammy_Awards/51st_Show/list.aspx <!--Added by H3llBot-->| archive-date = February 7, 2009}}</ref>
| {{nom}}
|-
| 2009
| ''[[Ghosts I–IV]]''
| [[Grammy Award for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package|Best Boxed Set or Limited Edition Package]]<ref name="2009 Grammy noms" />
| {{nom}}
|-
| 2013
| ''[[Hesitation Marks]]''
| [[Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album|Best Alternative Music Album]]<ref name="2013 Grammy noms">{{cite news |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/06/grammy-nominations-2014_n_4385205.html |title=Grammy Nominations 2014: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Lorde, Robin Thicke Make The Honoree List |work=[[Huffington Post]] |access-date=December 11, 2013 |first=Jacobs |last=Matthew |date=December 6, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131210024557/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/06/grammy-nominations-2014_n_4385205.html |archive-date=December 10, 2013 }}</ref>
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2025
| rowspan="2" | "[[As Alive as You Need Me to Be]]"
| Best Rock Song<ref name="2026 Grammy noms" />
| {{pending}}
|-
| [[Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media|Best Song Written for Visual Media]]<ref name="2026 Grammy noms" />
| {{pending}}
{{end}}

==References==
===Citations===
{{notelist|group=main|refs=
{{efn|name=a|This member was inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]].}}
{{efn|name=b|Released as a studio EP.}}
{{efn|name=c|Released as a soundtrack album.}}
}}
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===
* {{Cite book|title=Nine Inch Nails' Pretty Hate Machine |last=Carr |first=Daphne |year=2011 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |isbn= 9781441186379 }}
* {{Cite book| last = Huxley| first = Martin| title = Nine Inch Nails: Self Destruct| url = https://archive.org/details/nineinchnailssel00huxl|url-access=registration| date = September 1997| location = New York| publisher = St. Martin's Press| isbn = 0-312-15612-X| via = the [[Internet Archive]]}}

==External links==
{{sister project links|d=Q11647|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|wikt=no|s=no|m=no|mw=no|species=no}}
* {{official website}}
* {{discogs artist}}

{{Nine Inch Nails|state=expanded}}
{{Navboxes
|title = [[List of awards and nominations received by Nine Inch Nails|Awards for Nine Inch Nails]]
|list =
{{Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance}}
{{2020 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}
}}
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{{Authority control}}

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