Back in 2000, Metallica famously sued the file sharing service Napster, and drummer Lars Ulrich delivered a truckload of paper to Napster, Inc. listing hundreds of thousands of people who allegedly used the company’s software to share unauthorized MP3s of Metallica songs.
Napster, file sharing and the digitizing of music certainly changed the music industry and how people consume music.
In a recent episode of the “SmartLess” podcast, Ulrich joined actors/hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett to discuss the changes in the music industry over the years. He also revealed how he feels about file sharing today, and it’s a much softer stance than he had a few decades ago.
“Well, obviously it’s changed quite a bit,” Ulrich said. “And in your guys’ industry, some of the same things that we were dealing with 20 years ago are happening.”
“Big picture, and I know this may sound like a little bit of a cop-out, I’m just happy that f*cking anybody cares about what we’re doing and shows up to see us play and still stream or buy or steal our records or whatever. The engagement itself, I think, is the triumph and the victory. Obviously, it’s way, way harder for a lot of the younger bands nowadays because they don’t get the support of the record companies for basic things — just like gear and tour support. So there is very much of a different thing.”
Ulrich also commented on how difficult it is for current bands to get the mainstream exposure that was afforded to bands like Metallica through record labels and radio.
“Talent, good songwriting eventually will find a home with a larger group of people,” he said.
“And whether you do it from your bedroom or through a record company or whatever, I believe that everybody will be heard eventually if they’re talented. But it is tough. It’s tough for a lot of the younger bands out there and for a lot of the… The bands that 20 years ago could make a living playing clubs or theaters are having a harder time now because they don’t sell as many records and you really have to be out there and pushing it.”
“The key thing as an artist… I think when you write songs, and it’s the same with you guys, you wanna start a conversation, you want people to engage, you want people to hear your music. How they hear it, I guess, eventually becomes second tier. And you understand that it’s a changed model than it was 25 years ago, 50 years ago, or whatever.”
