Napster Founder Might Buy Metallica’s Record Label

[RJhog (Admin)]

from crawdaddy.com

 

By: Howard Wyman

published on March 24, 2011

Ha! This is just too great. Sean Parker is in talks with investors to purchase Warner Music Group. My, how the worm turns!

So, remember about a decade ago, how Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich became the most outspoken rock celeb to lash out at Napster, which was at that point the biggest illegal file-sharing service and the first to get in trouble? An unreleased Metallica demo was leaked and wound up on the radio, which clued the band into the fact their entire back catalog was being shared freely between Napster users, and so they became the first artists to stack their own lawsuit on top of the one the RIAA had already planted. It was the RIAA that shut them down, but they did later also pony up a huge financial settlement with Metallica, too. It was the dawn of the ethics conversation regarding file-sharing that continues even today, and Lars, though he had a point, also set himself up through the manner of his public discourse to be viewed as a rich, arrogant, fan-hating prick craving only further riches. Well, look who might be signing your checks now, Lars! Sean Parker, co-founder of Napster, who of course went on to become a billionaire via Facebook (see J-Tim’s character in The Social Network).  

Yes, Sean Parker is in talks with some investor buddies to discuss the possibility of purchasing Warner Music Group, which is for sale in the neighborhood of $2.5b and happens also to be the record company home of Metallica. So, it’s a good thing Parker already has some experience writing checks to Metallica, only in the future perhaps it won’t be too begrudgingly. As for Ulrich’s rep, time seems to have healed that wound somewhat, and Hollywood is poised to heal it more. Ten years is a long time, after all, and now, in the wake of his Get Him To The Greek cameo, the drummer is set to make his big-time acting debut, starring alongside Nicole Kidman, Clive Owen, and Robert Duvall in an upcoming HBO movie, and not playing himself. The movie’s called Hemingway & Gellhorn; it’s about the author’s five-year marriage to journalist/novelist Martha Gellhorn, and Ulrich will play a Dutch documentary filmmaker presumably studying the couple.

 

[RJhog (Admin)]

[Jon]

And for some reason...I don't care.

[RJhog (Admin)]

Me neither, I just found it amusing.

[TageRyche]

I was on Metallica's side when they went against Napster.

[Jon]

So was I and still am. However, this is old news (Metallica vs Napster) and just seems that they're trying to make a mountain out of a molehill.

[RJhog (Admin)]

Absolutely TR!  They were absolutely in the right.  I'm laughing at the thought of the dude they sued now signing their paychecks, that's all.

[Scandal 2000]

I agree. Did you see where Jon Bon Jovi recently went off of Steve Jobs about selling music online, etc. Napster and others has absolutely destroyed the music business. Though record companies did often stick it to buyers, there was something special about saving up your money and go to a record/CD story on a Tuesday when new music came out (back in the day even camping out hours before to be one of the first to buy a new album) and purchasing an album not just for the music, but the liner notes, album cover, etc.

 

To me Napster really hurt the up and coming struggling band. People got mad at Lars because Metallica were/are huge so I think they took it as being greedy. I always viewed it as him looking out for the smaller bands. It is well known that Lars is a true fan of music and many of his favorites were lesser known hard rock and metal bands.