On April 13, 2000, Metallica would file one of the crucial notorious lawsuits within the historical past of music, in a transfer that’d mark a brand new period in music listening habits. Taking over P2P filesharing service Napster for what drummer Lars Ulrich claimed was copyright infringement, following the widespread sharing of a demo model of the band’s 2000 observe I Disappear on Napster’s platform, Metallica threw themselves within the firing line of followers and friends who accused them of being grasping capitalist monsters out to upend the way forward for music.
The truth wasn’t as black and white as that. Napster could have finally bitten the mud after submitting for chapter following the fallout from Metallica’s lawsuit, however different streaming platforms shortly arose as a replacement.
At present, streaming is by far the largest avenue by means of which music is listened to – usually to the detriment of the artists concerned, with many high-profile streaming companies being accused of massively underpaying the musicians by means of which their platforms thrive. In some ways, Lars was proper – it is a mannequin that simply does not serve artists pretty on a monetary stage.
That does not imply he or Metallica essentially went about all the things the precise manner on the time, after all. For a begin, delivering an inventory of 300,000 consumer names to Napster and asking them to terminate every account was a swing and a miss in public relations phrases.
After which there was that MTV video. Aired through the 2000 VMA awards, it took the type of a faux industrial, starring VMAs host Marlon Wayans as an keen younger Metallica fan fortunately gobbling down their music by means of Napster in his school dorm.
Cue Lars Ulrich’s arrival for a short lesson in financial ‘equity’. “Frat boy! What the hell do you assume you are doing, man?!” he asks sternly. “Holy crap!” squeals Wayans. “Have you learnt who you’re?!” What follows is an ungainly trade by which Lars claims that if Wayans can “share” Metallica’s music, Lars ought to have the ability to “share” (AKA steal) no matter he likes – beginning with Wayans’ can of Pepsi.
“I am simply sharing ten years of groupies with ya, frat boy!” Lars smirks as Wayans takes an excited glug. Lars then proceeds to put declare to Wayans’ laptop, his trophies and, um his girlfriend.
“I am beginning to like this entire sharing factor,” beams the drummer as he slaps Napster stickers on all the things he can discover, earlier than calling in some heavies to take away all of Wayans’ worldly possessions. “Napster: sharing’s solely enjoyable when it is not your stuff,” looms a Lars voiceover on the finish.
It was clearly a little bit of self-parody as a lot as a barb at Napster themselves, however the public response to the clip was lukewarm at finest (followers of a sure age could keep in mind these viral Camp Chaos ‘NAPSTER, BAAAAAD!’ cartoons that got here out in response).
In reality, Napster bought to take a shot proper again at Metallica nearly instantly – co-founder Shawn Fanning turned as much as the exact same awards present, performed on stage with a blast of Metallica’s For Whom The Bell Tolls, no much less, whereas carrying a Metallica shirt. Ouch! He was there to introduce Britney Spears, however he made time to reference his selection of apparel, joking: “a pal shared it with me!”. Ah, basic early-00s banter proper there.
Metallica could have gained the battle by ending off Napster, however music sharing companies and streaming undoubtedly gained the warfare. Fortuitously, these days Metallica are roundly considered certainly one of steel’s nicest bands, having fashioned one of many strongest and most healthful bonds with their followers of any main rock act on the earth. Whereas the Napster enterprise is usually nonetheless raised in sure, indignant corners of the web, it actually appears that, for essentially the most half, Metallica have lengthy put the difficulty firmly behind them. Very like that bizarre video, fortunately.
