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Nine Inch Nails Part Ways With Longtime Manager

Nine Inch Nails, manager

There’s a change at the helm of the good ship Nine Inch Nails. The alternative-rock luminaries are no longer working with veteran manager Jim Guerinot of Rebel Waltz, according to Billboard. Confirmation reportedly came from Guerinot himself, although he opted not to say more.

Guerinot’s split with NIN ends a nearly decade-long working relationship at a moment when the band is promoting its first album in five years, Hesitation Marks (one of SPIN’s 50 Best Albums of 2013). The group has some non-U.S. tour dates scheduled for next year, including a stint Down Under with Queens of the Stone Age as well as festival slots at Lollapalooza Chile and Lollapalooza Brasil. Trent Reznor has said NIN will mount a U.S. tour in 2014, too, with a revamped lineup.

Guerinot and Rebel Waltz are also thought to have parted ways with Reznor’s How to Destroy Angels, according to Billboard. Per the article, the management company’s website still listed the Welcome oblivion crew as a client, but now that’s no longer the case. Rebel Waltz manages the Offspring, No Doubt, Gwen Stefani, the Band’s Robbie Roberston, and powerhouse drummer Josh Freese (whose impressive credits include a stint with NIN).

NIN have yet to speak out about the matter, but this isn’t the first time they’ve changed managers. In 2003, Reznor split with John Malm of J. Artist Management, his manager since the mid-’80s. About a year after they parted ways, Reznor sued Malm for “fraud and breaches of fiduciary duties,” MTV reported at the time. Malm filed a countersuit. In 2005, a New York jury awarded Reznor $2.95 million in the case, according to the AP.

NIN’s break with Rebel Waltz marks something of a pattern for high-profile in recent acts in recent months. Lady Gaga parted ways with longtime manager Troy Carter, multiple sources told The Hollywood Reporter just before the release of her new ARTPOP. More recently, Billboard reports John Mayer has stopped working with Michael McDonald (no relation), his manager since 2001.

NIN recently shared their brutally exquisite, 77-minute Tension concert film. They also featured in SPIN’s Best Live Photos of 2013. Outside of the band, Reznor is chief creative officer for Beats Music, a music streaming service set to start competing with Spotify in January.