Metallica Gets A+ in Creating Fan-Friendly Content; Lars, Too, Gets A+

There are those who are shocked how Metallica has become so fan-friendly of late. I mean, they have excelled with this angle in promoting the new album, Death Magnetic. And it’s more than just promotion. They are really embracing their fans.

Some are surprised because we are not far removed from the time when drummer Lars Ulrich and Metallica turned in their own fans for what the band considered to be piracy (or known to fans as simply file sharing).

But I’m not shocked by the friendly fan embrace. What shocked me was when they took the tough stance on file sharing. That shocked me. Afterall, it was guys like Lars Ulrich who used to trade music demos and tapes of NWOBHM bands with other music fans and metal pen pals all over the world. Lars, for instance, was the ultimate fan. He, basically, file shared… but on a smaller scale. I know because I was doing the same thing at the time.

And it is Lars, especially, that has drawn a lot of criticism for his actions. But I think he is the man behind all this recent good cheer. The fan-friendly embrace is more than promotion of new material or schmoozing the fans back. This is the REAL Lars. In essence, this is the REAL Metallica. Welcome back.

Lars may have a huge ego — that can be inevitable with any rock star — but I have always liked the guy. Not just for his solid drumming or band leadership but because he is a true fan. He loves music. Lars is one of my favorite rock musicians because he is one of us.

Visit Metallica’s site and see for yourself. But while you’re at it, check out the band’s video channel on YouTube, Metallica TV (see Lars’ introduction below).

And if you have XM Satellite Radio check out Mandatory Metallica, channel 51 (a tribute channel through September 30). This channel has even outdone the mighty Led Zeppelin in tribute radio channels. Whereas the Zeppelin XM channel (now defunct) repeated a lot of songs (every time I put it on, it seemed, I heard “Stairway To Heaven”), Mandatory Metallica plays a lot more live concert footage, new material, b-sides, cover songs (“Remember Tomorrow” by Maiden is a standout track!), interviews, and other snippets (a great one that played recently had guitarist Kirk Hammett explaining how he puts his child to sleep every night to Metallica’s Rockabye Baby! CD).