Source: Blabbermouth.net
During a brand new interview with NME TV, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich was asked if he thinks the streaming service Spotify is the future of music.
“I don’t know if it’s the only future; I don’t see things that ‘black and white’ in my life,” Ulrichreplied (see video below). “But certainly it’s been a great experience. And I love Daniel Ek[Spotify CEO and founder]; he’s just a great man. You can tell a lot about a company and the experience by the people; that’s my belief. And Danny, he’s a great man and he has a great soul. And I love Spotify. Now whether… we’ll talk about this ten years from now, whether it’s the future or not. I don’t know if it’s limited to a ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ but it certainly is working right now.”
Last December, METALLICA made all nine of its studio albums, as well as various live material, singles, remixes and collaborations, available on Spotify. The move was significant becauseSean Parker, who co-founded Napster, now sits on the board of Spotify. METALLICA waged a battle with Napster more than a decade ago over the illegal sharing of the band’s music, which resulted in both legal action and a battered public image for the band.
At the press conference in New York announcing the Spotify deal on December 6, 2012 Parkerand Ulrich appeared together and seemingly buried the hatchet. Ulrich said, “When [Parker] and I saw each other a few months ago. 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 statement at its web site, METALLICA said, “We are extremely proud to be a part ofSpotify, who not only has a proven track record, but is by far the best streaming service.”
METALLICA is now able to make these deals directly since, as of last year, the band has complete control over the master tapes of all its audio and video recordings. The band has also launched its own label, Blackened Recordings.