Internet ignorance leaves Metallica looking like cyber bullies… again

by Stevie Smith - Jun 12 2008, 11:53

Despite recent image-improving moves to introduce fresh downloadable musical content via hit interactive videogame experience Rock Band, pioneering metal outfit Metallica -- the feared vanquishers of the original Napster -- have this week taken a backwards step regarding the Internet by clumsily angering the mighty online blogosphere.

The flare up transpired after Metallica invited a select group of bloggers and journalists to an advanced private listening session of the band’s upcoming album, which many of the attendees subsequently appraised and conveyed to their eager online audiences after the event.

However, journalists and bloggers actually reporting on what they heard at the event was clearly not something Metallica had foreseen when it elected to invite them instead of perhaps infirm OAPs or deaf people. As a result, the band quickly responded to the rush of blog postings by demanding that any content related to the preview session was immediately removed.

Amazingly, it has emerged that prior to bathing in Metallica’s new sound, the band did not require any of the attendees to sign NDAs (non-disclosure agreements), which is a basic precautionary embargo standard for any advanced media unveiling and certainly something that should have been implemented.

This lack of protective forethought should have left the online reporters legally clear to refuse the band’s call to pull related content, however it would appear that ominous corporate muscle supporting the band has provided bloggers with enough compelling incentive to acquiesce to the withdrawal requests.

The upshot of which is, of course, that reportedly fairly decent reaction to the event has been unnecessarily trashed while a hugely influential area of the online community has become none too happy with Metallica and its conduct -- and the band’s upcoming retail performance may suffer as a consequence.

Of course, this isn’t the first time Metallica has incited an angry reaction via the Internet.

The band infamously targeted the original Napster eight years ago when it discovered the music portal was illegally distributing its music. While Metallica undoubtedly held the legal high ground in the Napster case, the band still managed to anger fans and P2P users when it delivered the names of thousands of downloaders to Napster’s offices.

Following a subsequent rash of legal complaints from other disgruntled music artists, Napster was forced to close in July of 2001.

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