Another opinion of Metallica fan

[Shadow, Thief of the Sun]

Here's what i found when i was looking for St. Anger review (just to read it, not because i want to buy the album or listen to it). Tell me what you think about it:

"Regarding file sharing:
1. It does affect cd sales. In big student towns record sales are down since napster and kazaa by 30% or more, (yes I have seen figures).
2. I get lars' point. He's not bothered about the money, like you say, he has more then he can ever spend and more coming in all the time. He campaigns for small bands with little money who will lose money and not have the chance to be musicians because of file sharing. He has said this in interviews before, (including about not caring about the money), and I support him. I want to make a living in the music industry and if I got stopped because people were downloading and burning my cds it would make me pretty bitter I must say.
I must admit that I use kazaa myself, but on a try before you buy basis. I download a few tracks by an artist recommended to me, and, if I like them, I buy the cd. I appreciate that others do this too but they have to realise not everybody does. I know someone who downloads whole albums every day and burns to cd for himself or his friends. He has over 300 albums done like this, (ADSL internet connection). Those are the people I have a problem with. Would you live in a house and not expect to pay rent? No, so why should you get access to other people's hard work for free? If bands want to put out tracks to get exposure, fine, but wait and see if they give free download access to all their master recordings when they become known and relatively successful."

Edit: + another opinion:

"The internet is great, and every independent band is lucky to be able to have their music accessible to millions of people. However, the point is that you want these people to sample your music, and then buy your album, because if everybody that likes your stuff, just download's it instead of buying it, your band will never get out of your Dad's garage.

I have a problem with this whole thing of people being against Metallica's side just because they are rich. This is so stupid.

They earned it, nobody gave it to them on a silver spoon. They made amazing original music, and toured, and toured, and toured.

It takes a lot of hard work, and a sacrifice of a normal personal life, to get to where Metallica got, and they did it on their own, through out many years of building a very big fanbase, without radio or MTV help. To me, they deserve everything they have, and I am not even a big fan, but I have been following their development since Kill em' all, and have great respect for what they achieved."


Taken from IBreatherMusic Forums > http://www.ibreathemusic.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=10840#post10840 (New metallica album review)

[Wolfie]

I get lars' point. He's not bothered about the money, like you say, he has more then he can ever spend and more coming in all the time. He campaigns for small bands with little money who will lose money and not have the chance to be musicians because of file sharing. He has said this in interviews before, (including about not caring about the money), and I support him.

If memory serves when Lars declared war on Napster he's main problem was with ppl downloading METALLICA songs not anyone elses.

There would not have been lawsuit against napster if ppl where not downloading big money making music as oppose to the stuff by the so called small bands. The reaction was the result big time players (both musicians and executives) losing money not the starving bands.

Not about the money?? Please don't make me laugh....

[Shadow, Thief of the Sun]

Yeah - i agree that guys from Metallica DO want money and

there's probably nothing bad about it. But its stupid to say that

they did not wanted to get a lot of money from Napster and they

want to get even more money now by trying to make friendship

with people who are downloading music (on the other hand,

Lars is trying to stop people who are "burning" CD's and giving

them away to friends, which is almost a crime for his fans

mentioned above).

Now - there's another situation. I want to burn CD's with music and send them to some person in Russia. He (just like me) can't afford to buy trucks of licensed CD's costing 20 bucks per item. So, am i commiting crime by "burning" CD for him ? In my opinion - not.

[Sephiroth]

Originally posted by Shadow, Thief of the Sun
"Regarding file sharing:
1. It does affect cd sales. In big student towns record sales are down since napster and kazaa by 30% or more, (yes I have seen figures).

Even thought tuition has gone up while the amount of money students have hasnt.. Im sorry i couldnt buy the number of CDs that a bunch of guys sat in a office and estimated that i would be buying but things like i dunno eating are a little more important.

Dont forget about the economic recession and the shit that has been put out that isnt worth buying.

Plus to top it off everything in college towns are generally more expenisve than elsewheres.

[Shadow, Thief of the Sun]

I should also add this link:

http://slashdot.org/interviews/00/05/26/1251220.shtml

Just one excerpt:

"Now, are we aware of the Gnutellas and all these other things? Of course we are, but you can only take it one step at a time. And I believe, and the people that we talk to about this, we believe, that the minute some of these companies become active, when they basically come to a point that they become fully funcitonal, we believe that there will be technology and a way to go after them in the way they can invent this technology and make it untraceable. We believe that as quickly as they can make it untraceable we believe that you can find a way to fuck with it, and we have already heard about different ways of doing that. So I think it's clear that there is nothing that people can talk about for the future that becomes bulletproof. So it's sort of like -- the thing about this sort of mob mentality, what we call the 'Internet Extremists,' it's all kind of cute -- 'Yeah, we want to fuck with the system,' 'Yeah, we have a right to get everything for free.' But I believe that if you have the energy and the resources to chase 'em -- and that's one thing we have is a lot of energy and a lot of resources -- We believe that there will never be a point where they will be uncatchable, and we believe that obviously there will come a point, that we will, this is the question that was asked, where we will sit down and figure out what's right for us. Right now, you know, we know what is not right for us, which is Napster. And we know why it's not right for us, which is that we do not condone and want to be part of some kind of illegal trading of our masters through sources we have not authorized, it's that simple."

Old interview, but its stilll valuable.

[MauerPower]

Okay, here is my opinion:

First, the economical issues. Whether you think it does or not, file sharing does affect the economy. Of course, everything affects the economy. I am not siding with the RIAA or anything like that, because I do believe the crooked record companies overcharge for CDs. But you have to look at things from a sensible level and the fact is that each time someone downloads something from a P2P program, it changes the economy, good or bad.

Second, I see Lar's point too. I mean, I admit that file sharing is stealing. Of course, it may be one of those things that you can't technically call it stealing, but it is basically finding a way around buying a CD and getting the music that is on that CD for free. And let's not forget that we live in America. I mean, isn't that the dream, to work and earn wages so that life can be supported?

Third, I actually didn't care about the whole Napster scenario. I mean, I know lots of people that really wanted to kill the members of Metallica for speaking out against Napster. The reason I didn't care about it was that it was before my P2P birth. I started initially with Morpheus, but I had heard all of the news about Napster. I thought it was so funny because after Napster, no one else immediately spoke out. And once I learned of the gazillion P2P programs that exist, all of the fuss really became a mute point.

Just my opinion.

[TipYourBartender]

Every artist that starts out loves the underground. Even before P2P, hell, before computers, people were giving out cassettes to each other to copy. Artists that are new love that, because it is free publicity. But once they are established, they start getting pissed at those same people because these people are not buying their albums.

Yes, Metallica earned all the success they have. But now they are in the role of the established artist looking to get more people to buy their CD's. The fact is, in music industry circles, unless you are Pearl Jam, you are only as good as the sales of your last album. It's not about the money to Lars; it's about prestige and power. To the record label, it's probably about money.

[TC75580]

Originally posted by Shadow, Thief of the Sun
I know someone who downloads whole albums every day and burns to cd for himself or his friends. He has over 300 albums done like this, (ADSL internet connection). Those are the people I have a problem with. Would you live in a house and not expect to pay rent? No, so why should you get access to other people's hard work for free?
Same with me, but I don't give out to friends because they don't go asking for anything (because they don't know what I have). I probably download around 50 discs for every one I buy, but that's what I can afford. I only receive weekly allowance, and I spend it only on CDs (and CD-Rs when they go on a 50 pack $5 sale). But as you can see, I download freely and still purchase as much as I can. I buy more, in fact, than I would if I didn't have my favorite p2p programs.

Lars' opinion only holds for some people

[wingnut2600]

I totallly agree with Sephiroth. No wonder he is my favorite moderator.

Metallica has been going downhill since Cliff Burton died. Justice was good, and some of the Black album was good, but they are dinosaurs. Fossils are cool, but dinosaurs can only be appreciated fully in the time that they existed. Their time has passed.

[FrozenShadow23]

Campaign for small bands? No, i'm sorry, Metallica just wants more money, but who can blame them, everyone does. About the drop in music sales, did you also read the stats about decreased number of represented artists. Less artists = less profit, learn-it, know-it, don't-forget-it.

[MoonMan]

Maybe one day, when file sharing is legal and walking naked outside isn't forbidden, we can all rejoice as we watch the public execution of Larz on live tv (right after Friends). *sigh* Wishful thinking.

[Sawa]

I could care less what Metallica does. I listen to their music, and the quality of that is all I care about.

I disagree with their opinions. But is that going to make me some rampaging asshole ex-fan?

Drop the subject. There are so many other things worth worrying about than what Lars does on his day off. Like breathing.

[TipYourBartender]

Originally posted by Sawa
I could care less what Metallica does. I listen to their music, and the quality of that is all I care about.

I disagree with their opinions. But is that going to make me some rampaging asshole ex-fan?

Drop the subject. There are so many other things worth worrying about than what Lars does on his day off. Like breathing.

I'ma rampaging asshole ex-fan because their music has gotten worse and worse, NOT because of their stance on Napster. And, hell, we've got nothing better to talk about, otherwise we wouldn't be here, would we?

[Sawa]

That's what the fans should be concerned about. The music. 1990 - now = teh sux.