You can bitch and bitch about Metallica's business decisions until the cows come home. They aren't listening. In a new interview will Billboard, for an article that focuses on corporate brands' increasing roles in music, Lars was asked if anything was "off the table" when it comes to marketing:
Increasingly in our career, absolutes don’t play a role. The minute we have a conversation about “what does the fan want?” we stop ourselves, because it’s a lost cause. If you put 20 Metallica fans around this table, they’re going to tell you 20 different things. We really turn the conversation inward: “What are we comfortable with? Is this something we feel we can get behind?” It’s not about selling out, but whether it’s selling our souls. As you lay in bed every night, [you ask yourself], “Do I feel good about the choices I made?”
The emphasis added is mine. Obviously, when you're a band as big as Metallica, there are going to be a lot of fan opinions pulling you in different directions. Ultimately, the band has to make a decision they feel comfortable with. Last year, James Hetfield made a similar assertion:
"It's a catch-22, because I completely understand what people want. It's like they're asking you to recreate a memory in their past and you cannot do that. It's a moment of time.
"We're one of those bands that doesn't really care what people want.
"We have been artists since day one. We're not going to roll over for anyone and, you know, we're Metallica for a reason and we're going to keep doing that."
Well, get to it then. The Billboard article notes that Metallica has once again begun writing new material, so that's good. And, the article might suggest that when Metallica are ready to release the music, they might not go the traditional route. Lars was gushing about U2's recent marketing marriage with Apple where the new U2 album was automatically downloaded onto every Apple device for free, securing the band a reported $100 million dollars. Lars likes that:
I think U2 are the coolest… it's 2014 and anybody who thinks outside the box, or attempts in any way, shape or form, to break the status quo in the world of music, should be applauded. To me, it's not about whether the endeavor is a success or not. It's the fact that they have the balls and the foresight to throw something this radical at all of us. We are embedded in our creative process right now and this type of attempt to reinvent the wheel inspires me immensely.
Is it really that radical when Jay-Z did a virtually identical promotion with Apple's competitor, Samsung, a year prior? The only difference is users opted into the album download as opposed to having it forced upon them.
Either way, look for Metallica's new album to infect Microsoft Zunes everywhere in 2015!
