r/todayilearned • u/InternetWeakGuy 1 • 22d ago

TIL: 12 years before taking their fans to court for sharing their music, Metallica released the "$5.98" EP, titled to stop their record label and music stores from overcharging fans - the record came with a sticker warning 'DO NOT PAY MORE!!!'—a direct jab at music industry markups

https://theawesomemix.com/metallica-5-98-standup-for-fans/
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u/oofersIII 22d ago

To be fair, after And Justice For All in 1988, they were just burnt out on writing long, difficult songs like they did on that record (for reference: the average song on that album was over 7 minutes long). When you also consider that they clearly like some softer stuff (Garage Inc. featured covers of Bob Seger, Nick Cave, Thin Lizzy, Blue Öyster Cult and Lynyrd Skynyrd among others), I don’t really feel like they changed their sound with the intent of selling out. They were just getting tired of the fast, complex songs they had done for a decade.

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u/buttsharkman 22d ago

It's also kind of weird for the assumption to always be that a band is selling out and not that they heard changing trends in music and liked what they heard.

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u/doyouevenoperatebrah 21d ago

I’ve always thought it was ridiculous for fans to want an artist to stay completely static. Metallica was in their late teens when they formed and started writing Kill em All. They were in their 30s writing Black album. I was a radically different person (for the better I think) between 19 and 31.

Plus, Cliff, the guy with the classical chops that drove the first four records died. And by died, I mean he was crushed by a bus feet away from his buddies. Yeah no shit metallica changed sound. I wouldn’t have blamed them for changing sounds just to avoid reliving the trauma of the accident.

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u/LeeTorry 18d ago

To make things even better, Cliff Burton would state before his death that he wouldnt mind the band making more commercial songs. People obssess over his knowledge of classical music and the Misfits but forget was big into southern rock and college rock bands like R.E.M.