Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails (abbreviated as NIN) is an American industrial rock
band, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main
producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only
official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for
its direction. NIN's music straddles a wide range of genres, while
retaining a characteristic sound using electronic instruments and
processing. After recording a new album, Reznor usually assembles a
live band to perform with him; this live component is a separate entity
from Nine Inch Nails in the recording studio. On stage, NIN often
employs spectacular visual elements to accompany its performances,
which frequently culminate with the band destroying their instruments.
Underground music audiences warmly received Nine Inch Nails in its
early years. The band produced several highly influential records in
the 1990s that achieved widespread popularity: many Nine Inch Nails
songs became radio hits, two NIN recordings won Grammy Awards, and the
band has sold over twenty million albums worldwide, with 10.5 million
sales certified in the United States alone. In 2004, Rolling Stone
placed Nine Inch Nails at 94 on their list of the 100 greatest rock
artists of all time. In spite of this acclaim, the band has had several
feuds with the corporate side of the recording industry. Trent Reznor
announced in 2007 that Nine Inch Nails would proceed independently of
record labels.