The former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson discussed the Napster case in a new interview with WRIF.
Despite the case being settled out of court years ago, the move resulted in banning 300,000 users from the innovative music file-sharing service. Discussing Lars Ulrich’s case with Napster, the bassist recalled being told to shut up about it, although he knew Ulrich was right:
“He was 100 percent right. And, in fact, we were told by our manager, ‘Shut up. Don’t say anything about it. It’s too controversial. Stay out of it.’ But I totally — I mean, on the sidelines, I’m going, ‘He’s totally right.’ And like he said, he goes, ‘Look, we have the money to fight this.’ Unfortunately, it was an unwinnable thing and it was just such bad press, unfortunately.”
The Napster And Metallica Feud
The legal dispute between Napster and Metallica began when Lars Ulrich testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. This marked the commencement of a legal battle that ultimately resulted in Napster losing the case. In compliance with a preliminary injunction, Napster removed all copyrighted Metallica songs from its system within 72 hours. However, facing additional legal challenges and lawsuits, the streaming service filed for bankruptcy in the subsequent months.
Despite the legal victory for Metallica, Napster gained significant publicity, overshadowing the band. As a result, Metallica faced criticism, being labeled as outdated, hindering young people from accessing music.
Hetfield Thinks Ulrich Had Some ‘Bad Moves’ During His Napster Case
During the case, the spokesperson was planned to be Hetfield, but he allowed Ulrich to be their spokesperson as the frontman and his wife had just welcomed a baby, Castor Virgil Hetfield, in the same year. Consequently, Hetfield needed to prioritize taking care of his family during that time.
Well, it seems the drummer said some things he shouldn’t have. In fact, some made Hetfield ‘cringe’:
“My wife and I were giving birth to a second child, and family is number one. So Lars had to run with the torch, and there were a few bad moves. You know, Lars can get really mouthy and be a snotty-nosed kid at times. I cringed at certain interviews: ‘Oh dude, don’t say that…'”
Ulrich, too, knew he had made some moves that were not right during the case. He continued during the same interview:
“I said some things that were borderline silly. When Limp Bizkit embraced Napster and took $2 million to play this ‘free tour’—it is possible to play free shows without taking sponsorship money because we do that—I said it was total bullshit. I know a lot of people hate Fred Durst, but I think he’s really f*cking talented. I and Fred kissed and made up. When I open my mouth, most of the time something somewhat eloquent comes out, and once in a while, I talk a bunch of f*cking bullshit. I’m aware of that.”
You can see the recent interview below.
