IU unite, boycott Metallica

Metallica is back in the press. After several years of hiatus and the departure of bassist Jason Newsted, the group has announced the June 10 release St. Anger, its first album of new material since 1997's Reload. While this could be the best metal album of the century thus far (the competition isn't that tough at the moment), it could also be a giant flop, and I'm guessing it's the latter. But that's not why IU students should boycott Metallica.\nThere's no doubt Metallica has crafted some of the best metal albums in history. Its style has evolved over time and despite ongoing criticism of "selling out," I honestly believe Metallica is making the type of music it wants to make. The band is going to sell several million copies regardless, why would it need to make the album radio friendly?\nMy disgust with Metallica dates back to my freshman year, to the advent of music-sharing technology. Metallica was at the forefront of this movement, campaigning to stop the theft of music via the Internet. They certainly weren't alone, as many artists have since come out against companies like Napster (which no longer exists) and Kazaa (the latest craze). But Metallica's methods were completely wrong. For that, I urge a boycott.\nTo fight its battle, Metallica bypassed Napster itself and went straight to the users and ISPs, specifically universities from which the band knew it could garner media attention for its cause. Metallica launched a lawsuit aimed at several universities including IU, Stanford and MIT. Instead of fighting a legal battle, IU backed down and banned Napster permanently from its network.\nBut why IU? Because it had already made headlines for banning Napster because of its effect on server space. It was brought back and Mark Cuban even made an offer to pay for the extra bandwidth, only to have Metallica force it off again. IU clearly didn't want to risk an extended fight in court, one that could drain the University's resources, especially if it lost. So the decision was sound.\nIt is Metallica that is at fault. No one should sue a public university so frivolously.\nMetallica also forced Napster to ban anyone who had downloaded a Metallica song, kicking them off permanently from the service. Napster has since disappeared, crumbling under the weight of continuous losses in the courtroom. But Metallica lives on, still doing pretty well as far as anyone can tell, albums such as S&M and Garage, Inc. have both gone multi-platinum despite the persistence of file-sharing software.\nI don't want to say Metallica's James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich are sell-outs (though Ulrich is a giant tool), but they haven't promoted themselves with the best image lately. Newsted left saying Metallica (Hetfield in particular) was hampering his participation in side projects, though Hetfield has many. Newsted was an integral part of the Metallica live show, but had little input into the music itself. He left for the band Echo Brain and is currently doing bass duties for Vovoid. Metallica has yet to announce who its new bassist will be, though the band's longtime producer Bob Rock reportedly did much of the work on the album.\nDespite the lack of a touring bassist, Metallica has announced the sequel to its Summer Sanitarium Tour and no, Indianapolis is not a stop on the tour. The extravaganza will feature the best of today's metal: Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Deftones and Mudvayne. Hooray for nu-metal! This tour will be the biggest waste of money ever to enter an arena not near you. If Metallica was serious about real metal, maybe it should invest in some new or dedicated talent, rather than these worthless metal wannabes. It's clear Metallica is doing this tour because it sells, not because it will make good music. Ticket prices are sure to be outrageous.\nI'm sure there are many still bitter over Metallica's treatment of the whole Napster affair, but a few small voices won't send a clear message to the band that its fans need to be treated with more respect. I personally own several Metallica albums and still enjoy them, but I can't listen to them without remembering what it did to my university. I urge those who are with me to refuse to buy the new Metallica album or better yet, download it off the Internet in protest.