Metallica Join Spotify as Lars Ulrich and Former Napster Foe Sean Parker Make Peace
Metallica today (Dec. 6) announced that all nine of their studio albums are now available on the streaming service Spotify. In addition, there will also be some live material, singles, remixes and collaborations.
The band's battle with Napster more than a decade ago was legendary, and ironically enough, at today's announcement event in New York, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich appeared with Napster co-founder Sean Parker, who now serves on Spotify's board. It looks like the two one-time adversaries (pictured above at the press conference) have buried the hatchet.
"When [Parker} and I saw each other a few months ago," Ulrich said, "We could see that we had been put down as adversaries. We realize we had much more in common and sitting down was long overdue ... We were younger, maybe somewhat more ignorant. We sat down and had a heart to heart."
In a message on their web site, the band said, "In our never ending quest for total control of the way our music is presented, we always make it a point to be sure that we are offering you the very best service by partnering with ground-breaking technology companies. So with that said, we are extremely proud to be a part of Spotify, who not only has a proven track record, but is by far the best streaming service."
Metallica did not have to clear the Spotify deal with any outside record companies, because last week they took ownership of all their masters (recordings, not puppets) and formed their own label called Blackened Recordings. The first release for the new label will be the ‘Quebec Magnetic‘ DVD on Dec. 10, which showcases footage from two Quebec City live performances recorded in 2009.