John Malm Jr. - Early Career and Collaboration With Trent Reznor

Early Career and Collaboration With Trent Reznor

Malm grew up in Cleveland and completed a degree at Denison University in Mass Media Communications, with a minor in film. During this time he managed his university radio station. He knew at an early age that he wanted to work in the music industry. He was inspired to aim towards artist management after meeting Todd Rundgren's manager, Eric Gardner, to organise an interview for his radio station. After graduation, Malm worked in his family's machine equipment business by day and by night was a part-time promoter of local music acts, including the Exotic Birds, Lucky Pierre and System 56. He left the family business to manage the Birds full-time, in which Reznor was a "bit player". Malm quit in 1987 due to differences in artistic direction, and Reznor also quit shortly afterward. He took on Reznor as his client informally, without a written contract, after hearing some of Reznor's demo work that the latter had recorded independently at Right Track Studio.

Reznor's career took off quickly once NIN was formed. NIN performed its first show in 1988, and later that same year attracted interest from recording companies. Malm hired an attorney, Michael Toorock, to assist in negotiating a record contract between Reznor and TeeVee Toons, Inc. (aka TVT Records).