Chat Transcripts
Tue May 2 16:02:41 2000
yahoomusic:
OK gang...here they are... please welcome Metallica!
 
 
metallica_james_live:
Hi friends, I'm here live and well!
 
 
metallica_lars_live:
Hi, I'm Lars.
 
 
metallica_james_live:
Jason: Howdy friends!
 
 
Pitchfork89asks:
I'm a fairly new fan, and the first song of yours that really got my attention,
the Unforgiven, I heard in mp3 form. I've now bought five of your albums and you
guys are my favorite band. Would you guys agree that there is at least some
merit in mp3 technology when it gets your music out to more potential fans?
 
 
metallica_james_live:
Jason: It can be used for good things, if used lawfully, certainly, just as any
part of the computer can be used for good or bad.
 
 
metallica_lars_live:
It's important to understand this is not about MP3 as a format. It's a vehicle
that carries music, like a CD. It's not about MP3, it's about who controls the
format. We have no problem with MP3. We realize that we will reach fans through
these vehicles. It's about who's conditions and who controls it.
 
 
zangfamasks:
Is this entire Napster ordeal, along with the crackdowns of the past few months,
a direct result of purely the band, or have Elektra and/or your management been
part of the driving force behind it?
 
 
metallica_james_live:
We have managers for a reason, they look out for us. We don't know everything
that goes on in this business world.
 
 
daneanegasks:
Do you think people even realize the ethical implication really, as they
download?
 
 
metallica_james_live:
Jason: Probably not, an element of danger in it probably draws some people to
it, so knowing that they are doing it probably makes it more exciting. Probably
a little of both. It's just a matter of Metallica trying to stand up for all
artists, not just Metallica, it's for every artist who wants to share their
music. They didn't ask us to share our music and steal our money.
 
 
metallica_james_live:
They could have asked us, and we could have shared in the distribution and it
could have been done properly. There has to be some laws and guidelines to go
by, before it gets too out of hand, and sucks the life out of musicians who will
stop making music.
 
 
metlover55asks:
first of all you guys rule. Do you guys feel stabbed in the back by Limp Bizkit,
who is supporting Napster?
 
 
metallica_lars_live:
I think that once again that the only people Limp Bizkit are stabbing in the
back are themselves. The only thing about this is we have done many shows for
free over the course of our career. It truly is for free because we pay for it,
we don't get sponsors When Napster is paying for the tour you have to wonder how
much money is going to Napster and how much is going to Limp Bizkit. I think
they're just pulling the wool over eveyone's eyes. Every one respects him as a
musician and a songwriter, but he's really good at making everyone hate him, he
continues to alienate himself because of his behavior. Everything we do is about
long term right and wrong. When Limp Bizkit wraps its arms around Napster,
it's...
 
 
metallica_james_live:
Jason: It's important that this free thing, Napster is paying them to perform,
you have to understand that. metallica_lars_live: That's the whole issue,
someone else is paying for it other than the kids.
 
 
caname2asks:
Lars has admitted in prior interviews to collecting bootlegs and the MetClub
magazine So Let It Be Written section gives reviews of bootleg recordings, also
In 1991 you allowed fans to record your concerts knowing full well that they
would become bootleg recordings released to those who know where to buy them.
Why the sudden change in attitude towards bootlegs?
 
 
metallica_lars_live:
This is not a change in attitude whatsoever. WE have always and will always
continue to condone allowing people to record our concerts, to freely trade live
concerts, interview. This is not what it is about, it's about the master
recording that we have recorded and written and clearly own. We are not going
after Napster for anything that relates to Metallica bootlegs, it's about
Metallica Master studio recordings as they appear on our studio records
 
 
metallica_james_live:
This is a clear case of a middle man cutting us out. metallica_james_live: Of
rewards we should reap for being a band and paying dues since the day we formed.
m Live recordings are absolutely a separate issue. We choose to allow fans to do
that. For this, we did not have a choice. It's a middle man cutting us out of
the loop. This is NOT some kid in the garage thinking this is a cool thing to
do. Napster is a big machine funded by big money. They are trying to smokescreen
everyone into thinking this is a free thing for the fans. It's a cheap ploy, in
trying to associate free and Napster together. Napster is a big machine. The
person who invented Napster is an employee of the big machine as we speak.
 
 
metallica_lars_live:
Remember one thing that Napster is a company that has employees who get paid to
do what they do. metallica_lars_live: This is not a service that they're
offering for the good of man kind, to spread love and music. They're doing it
for potential IPO's for alignment with a big company where there will be a major
cash transfer to the investors. This is about money. The people who work for
Napster are not doing it because they have nothing better to do with their time.
It's the American Way!
 
 
athena_metalchicasks:
What do you hope to accomplish with this lawsuit?
 
 
metallica_lars_live:
The ideal situation is clear and simple - to put Napster out of business.
 
 
metallica_james_live:
Jason: Also to spearhead some kind of activity within the powers that be, the
government, to lay down the laws with the computer, to exercise some kind of
control, and govern companies like Napster that steal outright from artists.
 
 
metallica_james_live:
We are trying to get someone to pay attention to that and make it fair for
everyone involved. For people saying Metallica has all kinds of money, this band
has been together for 20 years working very hard. We were playing probably
before a lot of you were even born.
 
 
smdevoasks:
Isn't it true that the underground tape trading in L.A. was a big part of your
early success?
 
 
metallica_lars_live:
But that once again is irrelevant to the issue. We're not saying that bands who
want to be part of Napster should not be allowed to. We were never given the
choice or option about whether or not we wanted to partake.
 
 
mephallickaasks:
When an individual joins the Napster community, that person agrees to hold the
sole legal responsibility for trading mp3 files. This is all very
straight-forward. Isn't your lawsuit akin to suing Eudora for allowing
individuals to send copyrighted material, or suing Hewlett Packard for allowing
individuals to print out copyrighted images? Why don't you bite the bullet and
sue each of your 335,435 fans who are trading the files?
 
 
metallica_lars_live:
We're suing Napster for one reason and one reason because they exist to pirate
music, nothing more, nothing less.
 
 
i_am_takerasks:
How is Napster different than radio? Anyone can make a CD or a tape off of
radio.
 
 
metallica_james_live:
Jason: There is no way to have it the same quality, or to make CD's like you can
off the computer.
 
 
metallica_james_live:
James: That is our choice, it is our way of bringing the music to the people. We
can control that. We feel Metallica should be in control of how our music is
brought to the people. We've always been in control of that since day one.
 
 
lcsmdq2lasks:
I'm a little illiterate about this but what if Napster paid a fee for the rights
to use your music
 
 
metallica_lars_live:
They know how to get in touch with our managers and lawyers. It's not just about
money at the end of the day. It's about trying to put your foot down before this
whole internet thing runs amok and get people to start a debate about, to get
Congress to start setting relative parameters about where technology is going.
Technology progresses so rapidly that Congress has a hard time keeping up.
metallica_lars_live: We want to start a debate and get people to understand what
the issues are, and try with other people to figure out what the best solutions
are. Paying the artists through the internet, setting up police monitors to see
who's trading. some kind of monitoring or policing of the internet is what
people are talking about possible solutions, not police. So the artists can get
paid for their property that's being transferred from one entity to another.
 
 
viperasdasks:
How might someone obtain Mp3's "legally"?
 
 
metallica_lars_live:
There are sites that sell artist sanctioned MP3s and Metallica is looking into
that for the future as a way of getting our music to our fans. MP3 is just a
format.
 
 
marphious_manasks:
do you really think Napster will slow down your CD sales
 
 
metallica_james_live:
Jason: Saying the same thing over again - it's about representing the artists
who make music today and tomorrow and who want to continue making it the way we
do without getting ripped off and undermined.
 
 
metallica_james_live:
There has to be some laws set up now for the future so it's not ruined for the
big guys like Metallica, and the little guys, it's just about making it fair for
people. metallica_james_live: We have nothing to do with the internet being used
to share, but when it's done illegally it's wrong, plain and simple.
 
 
Wyndborneasks:
Why do you think you guyz are the first to take this to court? m
 
 
metallica_james_live:
Jason: There has to be someone that is established, with integrity, and who has
respect from all aspects of the music industry and beyond, and Metallica is one
of those bands.
 
 
metallica_james_live:
There are only a few people doing it now, stealing with this service, but what
about in five years from now? There has to be somebody who steps up to represent
musicians. No one else had the balls to step up and take the first step.
Metallica has never been in the back seat, we've always been in the driver's
seat. We've always had opinions on it, and we're voicing them as we speak, if I
may be redundant.
 
 
destro_187asks:
Am I going to be sued because I have d/l your songs?
 
 
metallica_lars_live:
We're gonna send James over to your house. lol
 
 
metallica_james_live:
We are going after Napster, the main artery here. All the people doing illegal
things here, whether with good or bad intentions, we are not going after
individual fans. Metallica has always felt fans are family. The list we are
going to deliver to Napster is hopefully just to show the world and artists how
huge this is and how important, and hopefully other artists will join our fight.
 
 
metallica_lars_live:
Once again, I said this before, this is a battle we feel is being fought on many
fronts. One of those fronts is education. Two weeks ago when we served Napster
with a lawsuit, there was a high degree of ignorance about this issue. There has
been a lot of education, these kinds of chats, and people being able to give
their opinions is helping. This can redefine the way people have access to music
and redefine the relationships between artists and their fans and friends.
That's why it's so important that everyone who partakes in it understands
Remember the reason we're giving these names to Napster is because they dared us
to come and prove to them that people were trading Metallica around through
their vehicle. They refused to take Metallica off their list, so they asked for
it. Now the ball is in their court again. Basically what Napster is doing,
they're trying to make this an issue between Metallica and our fans and our
friends, when the issue is really between Napster and Metallica. they're trying
in a PR way to make Metallica the bad guys in the eyes of our fans and that's
what pisses us off even more.
 
 
metallica_james_live:
Jason: There are a lot of questions from people saying why shouldn't music be
free.
 
 
metallica_james_live:
My question is what is your occupation, what do you do for a living? And would
you go do your job five days a week for absolutely nothing, just to do it? This
is a love of ours, buy not just a hobby. Anyone who has a hobby it doesn't
sustain them living. If we were doing this just for the joy of playing music, we
could not focus on what we do and come up with new challenges for ourselves, we
would have to have regular jobs. And that was one of the reasons I started
playing music, so as to not have a regular job. So essentially, this could kill
Metallica and music if we were doing it for free.
 
 
metallica_james_live:
Jason: As fast as the computer thing is growing, what happens when it develops,
what could this become? That is what we are trying to stop from happening,
something both the artists and the fans couldn't handle. There has to be some
control.
 
 
 
Most I know who use Napster purchase far more music now than before they began
to use the program. Moreover, the music purchased is that which they download
and listen to the most. What do you think of the argument that despite the wider
(and admittedly uncompensated) distribution of your music, you are still likely
to receive at least as many receipts as before, if not more? Second, can you
speak to whether or not you have conclusive evidence of a falloff in sales of
your music since the advent of Napster?
 
 
metallica_james_live:
Jason: The future - it takes a long time for laws to pass - it takes a long time
for these rules to come into play. It has to start somewhere. It is about what
is in the future. We want to keep playing music for people along with other
artists.
 
 
metallica_james_live:
The computer is going to play such a big part of our children's lives and our
grandchildren's lives. There has to be something to sustain musicians. The
computer is going to play such a big part of our children's lives and our
grandchildren's lives. There has to be something to sustain musicians. :
 
 
etownstaffasks
do you believe that music distribution will be almost entirely done digitally
one day?
 
 
metallica_lars_live:
Yes I do.
 
 
mccluckerasks:
Why don't you just sue to have YOUR music removed? Why shut the whole thing
down?
 
 
metallica_lars_live:
That's what we have done, and they have not responded to that, so the only way
we can get our music removed is to shut the whole thing down. If Napster removed
"Metallica Studio Masters", It's not about interviews, or bootlegs. If they
would just do that, thank you, we're done, bye bye
 
 
Natron_44asks:
Evening fellas. Thanks for getting in touch with your fans to clear the air.
It's always appreciated. My question is, what do you say to those who say that
Metallica is being "hypocritical", being that Metallica - by your own admission
- made it to where they are today by depending on others to circulate your first
demo? Why should it be any different in 2000 than it was in 1982?
 
 
metallica_james_live:
That was exactly how we started, and that was our choice. We started that!
 
 
metallica_james_live:
Jason: We invented it!
 
 
metallica_james_live:
James: NOT!
 
 
metallica_james_live:
We are not stopping the legitimate cool underground fan trading that they do and
love doing, whether its the live show from Greenland or Kirk's sweaty underwear!
 
 
metallica_lars_live:
I'd like to respond to a question I saw up there earlier. The question was about
if we realized that we have lost the respect of a lot of our fans because of
this. My answer is if some of our fans do not respect the fact that we want to
and have the right to do what we feel is important about what's right for us,
then I don't want them to respect us, and I don't respect them.
 
 
metxxxmanasks:
Any plans for an ANTI-NAPSTER Free Tour?
 
 
metallica_james_live:
James: If the money's right! LOL! ROTFL!
 
 
metallica_lars_live:
Maybe when we can get Limp Bizkit to come support us on that tour.
 
 
roughneck1970asks:
What do I do with all my Metallica music I downloaded? Delete it?
 
 
metallica_lars_live:
Howard King our lawyer is going to answer that one. Enjoy it, don't transfer it.
 
 
yahoomusic:
what about other sites, who do what Napster does? will you go after them all?
 
 
metallica_james_live:
We can't fight every battle, we had to choose what we felt was the most
important, to send a message out there to other artists, Napster and our fans
about how we feel about this.
 
 
Ziggy8675309asks:
Has Metallica ever used or seen the Napster program?
 
 
metallica_james_live:
Who?
 
 
metallica_lars_live:
I've never been on any of these internet sites.
 
 
bananaphonicasks:
Assuming that you are not filing your lawsuit simply for monetary gain, then why
not withdraw it, and file a criminal charge against Napster for "aiding and
abetting a criminal", since they are helping people to break copyright
violations?
 
 
metallica_lars_live:
Were not the government or the f**king cops.
 
 
lars_rocks_99asks:
Hey guys, I think you are getting more publicity, and for every song I've gotten
from Napster, I own the CD, whatever happens U GUYS ROCK!
 
 
metallica_james_live:
We appreciate all the positive comments we are getting, even though they are not
in question form, we appreciate your support!
 
 
pharcydeasks:
Would you ever consider dropping your music career for professional golf?
 
 
metallica_james_live:
Hi Tiger!
 
 
jerryteacupasks:
So do you guys know HOW your new unreleased song got out?
 
 
metallica_lars_live:
Yes, this is definitely triggered by the release or appearance of early working
versions of the song "I Disappear." We don't know exactly how it got leaked, but
we have suspicions, and beyond that it's not necessary to go into.
 
 
metallica_james_live:
It's unfortunate that Metallica cannot choose how to present it's music to
people. When we make songs, when we create songs, and we put them out there for
our fans to enjoy, we put a whole package together. We put pictures, lyrics,
something with impact to go along with the music, that don't get around through
the internet. As Metallica, we should choose how our music is represented.
 
 
wolvesspirit1asks:
What does Metallica see for itself after this Napster ordeal is over?
 
 
metallica_lars_live:
Continuing to do what we do best which is focusing on our music.
 
 
metallica_james_live:
Whatever happens with all of this bullshit, at the end of the day Metallica is
alive for the music, That's what we enjoy doing. We don't want to have to worry
about being lawyers, we like playing music for us and our fans, and I would like
to thank everyone who has been behind us through all of this bullshit. Love -
James!
 
 
metallica_lars_live:
I would like to say that the last two weeks we've had an overwhelming amount of
support for what we're doing, and there are obviously people who do not agree
with what we're doing, and that's ok But people have to remember that Metallica
is about believing in what you do and believing in who you are and Metallica has
always been the underdog Over the past 20 years, we've weathered a lot of storms
and taken a lot of shit for the things that we thought were right for us. Thanks
for your support and for the doubters out there, Metallica will carry on for the
next 20 years, whether your along for the ride or not, that's your problem, not
ours.
 
 
SeanMclauasks:
Where can we email letters of support?
 
 
metallica_james_live:
metclub@aol.com
 
 
 
Rayboskieasks:
Metallica has always been the best!!!
 
 
devon003asks:
Metallica isn't in it only for the money!!!! They love there fans
 
 
metallica_james_live:
Thanks for all your support! see you this summer!
 
 
metallica_lars_live:
Once again, thanks for the support and the belief. Don't let anybody f*ck with
you for what you believe in!
 
 
yahoomusic:
I'm afraid that's all we have time for tonight folks thanks for coming out to
share your thoughts with Metallica we're sorry if we couldn't answer your
question but Metallica chatted for over 1 hour and we received many many many
thousands of questions
 
 
delirium_roseasks:
when will the transcript be posted?
 
 
yahoomusic:
hey delirium...thanks for coming out tonight the transcript will be posted
shortly if you missed any portion of his event be sure to check for the
transcript in the very near future at www.artistdirect.com.


thanks for joining us.


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