The move is a surprise, given long-time manager Peter Mensch’s previous opinions on YouTube (he called the video site “the devil”) and Metallica’s often-tense relationship with online music. The group sued the Napster file-sharing network in 2000, a landmark event in the making of the modern music business. This week, ironically, the band’s music arrived on the Napster on-demand service, a rebrand of Rhapsody, which was founded in 2001.
Metallica aren’t the only ones who have changed their tune over time. Radiohead was also a staunch hold-out against digital platforms, and Spotify was a particular target. But the band did allow their newest album A Moon-Shaped Pool to stream on Spotify, and the entire discography is now available as well. How times change.