Listeners on Spotify have reported that much of the 1999 double-album The Fragile by Nine Inch Nails is no longer available. Most tracks appear greyed out or missing entirely, while only two songs (“We’re In This Together” and “Into the Void”) remain playable. As per fan posts, the removal seems to have taken effect suddenly.
Nine Inch Nails album removed
The Fragile was released on September 21st, 1999 via the labels Nothing Records and Interscope Records. The Fragile is widely regarded as a landmark album, both artistically and commercially for the band. Its sudden partial disappearance from a major streaming platform raises questions about streaming rights, licensing arrangements, and the fragility of digital catalogs. We’ve seen artists like Neil Young remove their music from Spotify for political reasons, but this seems different.
It could likely be a licensing or rights-renewal issue. When streaming deals expire or contracts change hands, albums can temporarily disappear or be reduced in availability. In cases where only two songs remain, it may indicate that only part of the licensing (for example, the singles) remains cleared for streaming. Nine Inch Nails have always been digital friendly, so NIN will definitely find a way for fans to listen to The Fragile online, especially during such an active time for the band with the Tron: Ares soundtrack and major touring.
Despite the band’s recent return, things haven’t been going as planned for NIN. Apart from struggling with ticket sales, Future Ruins, the film-music festival organized by Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, has also been canceled a month before its planned launch in Los Angeles. The festival cited “logistical challenges and complications” that would prevent it from materializing as planned, via a statement on social media. Refunds will be issued automatically, according to the statement.
John Carpenter, Mark Mothersbaugh, Questlove, Goblin, and Hildur Guðnadóttir were among the composers booked for the festival’s inaugural edition on November 8th at Los Angeles’ Equestrian Center.
Billed by Live Nation as the “first of its kind,” it was conceived as an opportunity for composers “to tell new stories in an interesting live setting,” Reznor said in the initial announcement.
“There’s no headliner. There’s no hierarchy. This is a stacked lineup of visionaries doing something you might not see again.”
The organizers’ statement reads, “Unfortunately Future Ruins will not move forward this year. The reality is, due to a number of logistical challenges and complications, we feel we cannot provide the experience that’s defined what this event was always intended to be. Rather than compromise, we’re choosing to re-think and re-evaluate.”
