METALLICA
Metallica is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California. In 2000, Metallica was among a number of artists who filed a lawsuit against Napster for sharing the band’s copyright-protected material for free without consent from any band member. The band’s eponymous 1991 album has sold over 16 million copies in the United States, making it the best-selling album of the SoundScan Era. Metallica ranks as one of the most commercially successful bands of all time, having sold over 110 million records worldwide. (More from Wikipedia)
The “music-sharing” website from the late 1990’s called Napster had millions of songs easily available as free downloads in the mp3 format. When the heavy metal band Metallica learned that their new single “I Disappear” was available on Napster even before it was officially released (and subsequently discovered the rest of their catalogue on the site as well), they filed suit against the service in 2000.
(August 2012)
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As to the stance that Phil Gammage takes on Cry of the City, other rockers have taken this tack, but it usually doesn’t sound that bad. Bob Seger’s “Turn the Page” – a longtime favorite of mine, and if anything, Metallica’s 1998 cover of “Turn the Page” is even better than the 1973 original – explores themes of boredom and isolation, but not poverty and danger. This is not true of the music video that accompanied the Metallica song, however, which follows a single mother who works as an exotic dancer and a prostitute.
(March 2015)
