Pilgrimage

The sound recording of "Pilgrimage" by Nine Inch Nails, released in 1999, falls under the protection of federal copyright law as amended by the Music Modernization Act (MMA). Specifically, recordings fixed on or after February 15, 1972, are afforded federal copyright protection. The MMA, particularly 17 U.S.C. § 1401, extended federal protection to pre-1972 sound recordings but also affirmed the federal protection for recordings made from 1972 onward, standardizing their copyright terms. As "Pilgrimage" was released in 1999 by Nothing Records and Interscope Records, it is well within this post-1972 period. Trent Reznor, as the primary creative force behind Nine Inch Nails, would hold the initial copyright, or it would be assigned to the record labels as a work made for hire, common in the music industry. Under current law, this recording would be protected for 95 years from its publication date if considered a work made for hire, or for the life of the author plus 70 years if Reznor retained individual authorship rights, which would extend well into the 21st century given his birth year. Therefore, anyone wishing to use the specific sound recording of "Pilgrimage" (e.g., for sampling, synchronization in film, or direct reproduction) would need to obtain a license from the copyright holder(s), typically Interscope Records (as the distributor/parent label) or its successors.