One of the most interesting things about Nine Inch Nails (NIN) is that the band is actually made up of one member, Trent Reznor, who is the singer, producer and instrumentalist for the band. Born on May 17, 1965 in Mercer, PA, Trent began playing the piano at age 5 and continued on to play the tenor saxophone and the tuba in high school. His early music was inspired mostly by classical but he began to have an interest in alternative rock and industrial music after attending Allegheny College for music and computers. Trent then became a studio engineer, fine tuning his expertise in music computer applications. NIN did not formulate until 1988, when Reznor was able to produce a debut album, Pretty Hate Machine, that he sent to more than ten US labels. The response was overwhelming, nearly every label wanted to sign Nine Inch Nails, but Reznor settled with TVT and released his first album in 1989. Pretty Hate Machine went triple platinum as of May 12, 2003.

Nine Inch Nails has experienced an incredible amount of commercial success for an alternative/industrial band and that in part can be accredited to the band’s popularity on MTV. After touring with Lollapalooza in 1991, NIN came out with The Downward Spiral in 1994 and that album later went quadruple platinum in 1998, selling both to the US and international markets. After the success of The Downward Spiral, Reznor took a five year hiatus from writing and recording, which some critics claim contributed to so many knock offs of Nine Inch Nails music style. Reznor returned with The Fragile in 1999 and With Teeth in 2005, both albums are certified gold and continue to climb the upwards to the platinum range.

With Teeth has been followed up with a massive US tour that sold out within minutes across the nation. Nine Inch Nails concert tickets continue to be in such high demand that the band added an additional segment of the tour for the fall of 2005, which also is now sold out across the nation. It is very clear that NIN has an extremely loyal fan base that not only buys their albums but supports their concerts around the world. With three triple platinum albums and two well on their way, it is very clear that Trent Reznor and his one man band have carved a niche in the alternative rock music history.