Nine Inch Nails‘ Atticus Ross was honored with the BMI Icon Award at the 2025 BMI Film, TV and Visual Media Awards, held Wednesday in Beverly Hills.
The prize recognizes Ross’ “outstanding body of work across film and television,” which is often in collaboration with NIN frontman Trent Reznor.
BMI President and CEO Mike O’Neill presented Ross with the award, noting that the rocker’s “innovative spirit and passion for pushing the boundaries of composition have literally reengineered the way we experience storytelling.”
Ross said in his acceptance speech, “The thing I love about film music is that there aren’t any rules, there aren’t any pros. Essentially, to my mind, it’s all about how we make people feel, and that’s what music is about.”
He added, “I put a lot of effort into making sure that this never feels like a job. I wake up every day grateful for the opportunity to make music, this is my dream, and I don’t take it lightly.”
Ross’ work with Reznor includes the Oscar-winning scores for The Social Network and Soul, as well as the soundtracks for Gone Girl, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Challengers and the Watchmen TV series. He’s also a co-composer on the series Shōgun.
You can catch Ross live with Reznor on NIN’s Peel It Back U.S. tour, launching in August.
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