After a protracted holdout, Metallica has now licensed its catalog for digital download on the iTunes Music Store. “Over the last year or so, we have seen an ever-growing number of Metallica fans using online sites like iTunes to get their music,” the band said on its website. The group also noted that it is “now offering fans the opportunity to obtain our songs individually,” a major sticking point previously. The group has been offering bundled album downloads for years on destinations like Napster, but has previously refused to allow a-la-carte sales.
The latest development is part of a jagged digital transition for the group. Metallica was on the front lines against Napster in 2000, both through public comments and in the courtroom. The group forced the removal of all illegal Metallica usernames from the upstart P2P, though the group received a backlash from fans and the media for appearing greedy. Meanwhile, its prolonged absence from iTunes also indicates a resistance to certain digital trends, especially since most digital music fans prefer to download individual tracks.
