It's no secret that how music is consumed has drastically changed over the past few decades. Sure, there are plenty of folks who still sit down with vinyl and CDs, or even stream full albums front to back while spending some dedicated time listening to them. Though by and large, music seems to be consumed as soundbites or background noise via streaming services. And if you ask Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor, he'll tell you that sucks.
In an interview with IndieWire, Reznor discussed the difference between movie soundtracks and albums, as well as the state of music consumption in 2024. He said: "What we're looking for [from film] is the collaborative experience with interesting people. We haven't gotten that from the music world necessarily, for our own choice. You mentioned disillusionment with the music world? Yes. The culture of the music world sucks.
"That's another conversation, but what technology has done to disrupt the music business in terms of not only how people listen to music but the value they place on it is defeating. I'm not saying that as an old man yelling at clouds, but as a music lover who grew up where music was the main thing. Music [now] feels largely relegated to something that happens in the background or while you're doing something else. That's a long, bitter story."
Reznor also touched on Nine Inch Nails' 1997 video album Closure, which compiled footage from the Self-Destruct and Further Down the Spiral tours. Closure has been out of print for quite some time, though Reznor notes that Interscope is working on some back catalog reissues (amid work on a new record).
"I'm trying to think what I'm able to say right now. We are doing some things with Interscope again. There's a renewed interest in making sure the back catalog is being curated and maintained properly. I'll bring that up as — I haven't been paying close attention to what the status of those things are because this is a relatively new development. But that's a good thing to mention because I would like to have that in some consumable fashion, whether it be streamable or something."
