Looks forward to “sitting down and talking to him (Trent Reznor)” on tour, and also says “the primary — not the only, but the primary — function of a record label is to act as a bank.”
Judging from a recent interview with the LA Times, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich may have finally started to see the handwriting on the wall. As the music world went digital, Metallica was front and center denouncing file-sharing and the changing music landscape, angering music fans who couldn’t understand why multi-millionaire artists were the most vocal on the subject.
Last August it seemed Ulrich was starting to warm up to the idea of file-sharing and alternative forms of reaching Metallica’s fan base in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine.
‘We’ve been observing Radiohead and Trent Reznor and in twenty-seven years or however long it takes for the next record, we’ll be looking forward to everything in terms of possibilities with the Internet,” he said.
Metallica then goes on to stress its “independence” by noting that its latest album, “Death Magnetic” is its last under contract with Warner Record, and that afterwards it intends to see how it can “embrace everything.”
Now Ulrich seemingly intends to make good on that promise by telling the LA Times that during Metallica’s upcoming European summer tour with NIN he plans on seeking frontman Trent Reznor’s advice.
“We’re doing a bunch of shows with Trent this summer in Europe,” he said. “I look forward to sitting down and talking to him about what’s on his radar.”
He also takes a jab at record labels, pointing out that they are little more than banks, and that the success of Metallica over the years means that it no longer needs them.
“Without offending any of the good people from the record company in the room, no,” Ulrich said. “Let’s cut to the chase. . . . The primary — not the only, but the primary — function of a record label is to act as a bank. When you’re fortunate enough to be successful and so on, you don’t need to rely on record companies as the banks.”
Let’s just hope he listens to what I’m sure will be excellent advice from Reznor. Techdirt’s Michael Masnick recently used him as case study for exactly how to succeed in today’s digital music age.
Connect With Fans (CwF) + Reason To Buy (RtB) = The Business Model ($$$$)
Trent Reznor has connected with fans (CwF) time and time again, having offered free album downloads, remixes, or even samples of an unreleased album.
Masnick noted that buying an album is a voluntary transaction, and that it’s nonsensical for artists to think to “think that there is some sort of obligation to buy.”
The sooner Metallica realizes that the better.
Being that Ulrich, the original anti-P2P crusader himself, admitted to “illegally” downloading “Death Magnetic” a few weeks ago, perhaps he’s halfway there already.
Related Posts
- Metallica Now Embraces File-Sharing?
- VIDEO: Trent Reznor on NIN”s Buisness Model, Future of Music
- Metallica on Album Leak to BitTorrent: ‘Happy Days’
- CASE STUDY: Trent Reznor and the Future of the Music Industry
- Trent Reznor Asks NIN Fans to Take Music Survey
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No matter what lars will ever do or say, I will never buy another metallica cd. They have no musical integrity whatsoever alot like gene simmons. I was a huge fan of metallica throughout the first 10 years. I bought everything I could but when that load crap came out, I had enough. When the napster thing happened my distain turned into hatred. Yeah thier new cd is heavy and alot like the old stuff but I get the feeling they did that to get some of the old school fans to give up the cash.
I’m a little more optimistic than you Nick. If Metallica actually starts to follow some of the initiatives of NIN than they will have redeemed themselves in my mind. Still won’t but their music, I’m not that segment of the market, but I would consider buying merchandise or attending a concert.
What impresses me here is that NIN may have started a new wave change. Lets hope this keeps expanding to more artists as the turn independent.
I agree with MR. I mean, its sort of a dammed if you dammed if you don’t thing for them at this point, and I’d rather have them creating news ways to reach fans instead of trying to hawk cds in front of a defunct Tower Records.
The skeptic in me says their motives are more profit-based than anything being that CDs are pretty much a thing of the past, but I too believe in redemption so we’ll have to see. As a side note, I picked up a 400 disc CD changer in perfect condition at a garage for 10 bucks. I think its safe to say nobody’s really into CDs to incorporate into a music collection anymore, or at least as they once were. Metallica is simply facing the music (pun intended),
Does it really matter if they are motivated by financial reasons. If their is financial incentives for artists to act more like NIN than I say let them be greedy. Its a much friendlier atmosphere than was has been developing in the last 10 years.
I hope Trent smacks the shit out of Lars first..for starting the damn P2P Wars. After that if they want to talk…fine.
cds are too expensive these days, we pay enought to goto concerts, surely at this stage of there careers they shudnt care as much about money.
i think metallica jumped the gun big time on the whole internet thing and now they are back tracking, which is a good thing. i don’t think they will ever win back even a fraction of the fans they lost throughout the mid-late 90’s up to death magnetic. not because of file sharing, just because of the poor quality of music they have released. i’d like to see every band go the way nin and others have gone and to hell with the music industry and all their price points and limited editions and reissues and other crap. i want 10 or 15 songs, no cd, no cover art, no b.s. i just need the music, like most everyone else. and if it is good, then i drop the $$$ on concert tickets, merchandise, and whatever digital media the music is distributed on (hopefully DRM free flac files). i’ve never thought twice about paying for something when it is worth buying.
Metallica’s new cd blew…and i pirated it. Thank god i didnt have to pay.
Metallica may be fcked but at least its steps in the right direction
Lars is a tiny whimpy little baby who has serious control issues.
What like im supposed to be impressed with him dropping Trent Reznors name?
A rather ironic change of heart, not that it truly counts as far as i am concerned.
I think Metallica is o.k. P2P can be corupted, ex. someone can dub in their granparents having loud sex in the background and mix it in at very low volume. I don’t want to listen to that! I also think music is to expensive so I try buying from legitimate bargain sites that don’t carry Metallica and other big bands. As for free music it has possibilities if it is legit, like from the bands own website. Heads up try downloading free MP3’s from Metallica’s website. You can get hours of music that way.