It’s been a good month for Metallica. Yesterday, they officially topped a million copies sold of their album Death Magnetic after less than four full weeks on shelves — and those are certified Nielsen SoundScan numbers representing a million flesh-and-blood buyers, not the bogus "units shipped" that the RIAA uses to issue platinum plaques. This comes shortly after they secured the all-time record for most consecutive #1 debuts in chart history. (They’re bigger than the Beatles!) There’s no denying it: Metallica is one of 2008’s hugest artists in anygenre, right up there with Coldplay, Lil Wayne, and the Jonas Brothers.
I talked to drummer Lars Ulrich about all this for a news story that’ll be in the issue of EW that hits stands on Friday. Ironically enough, the onetime mortal foe of Napster now credits the band’s online outreach efforts with juicing Death Magnetic’s sales. Nor does he seem to mind anymore if you’re stealing it from a file-sharing site: "They estimate between 800,000 to a million copies of the album were downloaded [illegally] in the last ten days before it came out," Lars told me. "Who cares? The people who are going to buy it, are going to buy it anyway. The people that feel they have an entitlement to get it for free, you don’t really care about them anymore." Easy for him to say when they’re raking in the cash through legit avenues. But if his estimates are right, that’s something like two million Metallica fans rushing to grab Death Magnetic, whether at Best Buy or off BitTorrent, in the space of about a month. Pretty staggering, no?
So here’s my question: Are any of you PopWatchers among those two million? Did you choose to buy, download, or both — and why? I’m really curious to see just who’s behind those numbers…
More on Metallica:
Mike Bruno takes us through 24 of their career highs and lows
Chris Willman reviews Death Magnetic
Whitney Pastorek rocks out at their Bonnaroo performance
Comments (1-30) of 32 Add your comment
I’m not a big Metallica fan (anymore – they haven’t released anything good since the Black Album), but I intentionally downloaded it via Bit Torrent out of principle. After Lars’ ridiculous anti-Napster stance, it just made me want to download everything I can of theirs, simply because I can.
I haven’t had the chance to even listen to any of it – streaming only, mind you. But if it’s as good as the reviews are saying, I probably will pick up a copy – on CD. I’m all about supporting the artist, whether it’s the guy playing at my local Potbelly’s who will be happy if ten people other than his family buy a CD or an arena-filling superstar act.
I legally downloaded 3 songs from iTunes before it came out then bought the CD the first week. It’s a great CD I think. Their best since And Justice For All in my opinion. Good to see some hard rock back at the top of the charts.
Downloaded my copy off iTunes and it’s worth every cent!!
I bought the physical cd on midnight of release date. I had no ethical problems downloading it before release date, but didn’t anyway. Just like most reviews, this truly is a great album, and I can’t wait to hear the new stuff live in Seattle, Calgary, and Edmonton.
Quoting ‘Robert’ below:
“but I intentionally downloaded it via Bit Torrent out of principle”
[sigh]
You are an idiot.
Downloaded the album before it came out but bought it the first day it was out. It was worth buying since it’s their best album in 20 years. Better than The Black Album IMO. Nothing can ever touch Master of Puppets but this is a new Met classic.
Me n my flatmate downloaded the wednesday before the release, it was so awesome that we called up all our friends and had a spontanous DEATH MAGNETIC party at our house that night.
Brought my copy first thing on friday, then downloaded the GHIII Version lol.
I downloaded the album for free as soon as it leaked on the torrent sites because I didn’t feel like waiting until the release date to listen to the entire album (I really wanted to listen to Unforgiven III). I also bought the CD the first day it came out. The album is awesome, Metallica rocks!!
I honestly miss the “good old days” of not hearing an album until release day, so I didn’t even listen to streams… I just bought it when it came out.
I listened to the 6 or so streaming songs on their web site and then bought on release day. Oh, and I love it!
Bought it. Great stuff. Really addicting to listen to. First CD worth spending real money on in YEARS!
Other bands really need to step up, not a lot of other CD’s that are great all of the way through. I would like to see Metallica do a double CD next time, and perhaps a Double Live Greatest hits type. I would pay CASH for that as well.
PS, there are 5 dudes on my block that bought it and love it as well.
Everything’s better when it’s free.
Downloaded all the songs. Illegally.
Still not as good as The Black Album.
It was tough; buy CD, or get gas for the car?
I’ve told my friend to buy it for me in Rome,Itay so I got mine legally for 21 EUROS…And it’s worth every single cent!
I picked up the CD day one at Best Buy. I enjoyed it, but could hear right away it was of poor quality (amazing I thought, seeing as this was the CD and not the LP version). Since I have downloaded the Guitar Hero versions and listen only to them now. I have the CD and the WMA’s I made from that as my back-up.
Joe Six Pack, not as good as the black album??? Obviously you haven’t owned any of their previous albums. I bet your favorite song is Enter Sandman…
The album is fantastic, sound quality hasn’t been an issue for me. Pick it up!
I downloaded it on the same day it “leaked” and than bought it in Berlin on September 12 – the day of release – before attending their release party in Berlin’s O2 World arena.
My boyfriend bought it so I am going to say I did, too–it’s a co-owned copy! I think they did so well because Metallica has such loyal fans who feel obligated to buy the album (I know so many people who feel like even if they do download it somewhere online for free, for artists they REALLY like, they’ll pay for it, too), plus there’s so much good buzz that they are back to their old selves and over the whole St. Anger phase, and that gets their fans (like my boyfriend..and hey, me too) salivating.
Death Magnetic is not only a (willing?) victim of the loudness war, it is the worst example of such to date. The music was so over-compressed during the mixing phase as to leave it a digitally distorted, clipping mess.
This is not to say the music sucks – far from it. Some of the songs are outstanding and, all are a whole lot better than anything from the past three releases.
There is an online petition calling for a remix (over 15,000 have signed) and many online reports of this record’s sound issues. One look at the official Metallica website forum for Death Magnetic shows that most people are happy with the songs but angered by the horrible sound quality.
Read a very detailed blog from a mastering engineer which, speaks at great length about the very real ‘problems’ that Death Magnetic is saddled with.
http://mastering-media.blogspot.com
the petition is at:
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/re-mix-or-remaster-death-magnetic.htm
Death Magnetic is not only a (willing?) victim of the loudness war, it is the worst example of such to date. The music was so over-compressed during the mixing phase as to leave it a digitally distorted, clipping mess.
This is not to say the music sucks – far from it. Some of the songs are outstanding and, all are a whole lot better than anything from the past three releases.
There is an online petition calling for a remix (over 15,000 have signed) and many online reports of this record’s sound issues. One look at the official Metallica website forum for Death Magnetic shows that most people are happy with the songs but angered by the horrible sound quality.
Read a very detailed blog from a mastering engineer which, speaks at great length about the very real ‘problems’ that Death Magnetic is saddled with.
http://mastering-media.blogspot.com
the petition is at:
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/re-mix-or-remaster-death-magnetic.htm
I did address your question. I first downloaded it and, did not like the sound quality – loved most of the songs. I then downloaded the GH3 versions – enjoyed one of them quite a bit – a greater sense of dynamics – overall better sound/mix. I eventually bough the CD (I had heard it on opening sales day), but only to break it in half so as to send it to Metallica HQ in protest of the horrible sound quality.
There is a facebook group gathering people to mass mail in copies of the CD in protest of the very real sound problems.
http://www.new.facebook.com/photo_search.php?oid=29482321901&view=all
Death Magnetic is not only a (willing?) victim of the loudness war, it is the worst example of such to date. The music was so over-compressed during the mixing phase as to leave it a digitally distorted, clipping mess.
This is not to say the music sucks – far from it. Some of the songs are outstanding and, all are a whole lot better than anything from the past three releases.
There is an online petition calling for a remix (over 15,000 have signed) and many online reports of this record’s sound issues. One look at the official Metallica website forum for Death Magnetic shows that most people are happy with the songs but angered by the horrible sound quality.
Read a very detailed blog from a mastering engineer which, speaks at great length about the very real ‘problems’ that Death Magnetic is saddled with.
http://mastering-media.blogspot.com
the petition is at:
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/re-mix-or-remaster-death-magnetic.htm
I got it nice and legal, It was worth the wait!!!
I do both, I try before I buy. If there is a artist/song I hear on the radio or see on the Tv that I like, I download the album. If I like the album I buy it. If not, I trash it. As for Death Magnetic….I downloaded it, but haven’t bought it….yet. I’m going through a little financial crisis of my own at the moment, but seeing that I have all albums from “Kill’em all to St.Anger” on CD, all the albums from “Kill’em all to Metallica” on vinyl, various EP’s and DVD’s, I don’t think they (Metallica) would mind waiting a little bit longer for my $30 (or however much it is around the world.) I liken downloading songs (illegally) in the same vain as recording songs from the radio onto a cassette as we did when we were kids. Eventually if you like the music you’ll buy it anyway. Through illegal downloading I have actually bought more CD’s than I normally would and I don’t have those crappy ones which don’t get played at all filling up my CD rack.
I bought it amd then I downloaded the Guitar Hero 3 version which sounds way better. So now I only listen to the download.
I downloaded the leaked copy – and then felt that I needed to go out and purchase it to support Metallica. Not because they need the money, but more to show support for their best album since 1988.
Crackin’ Album, ‘Tallica are back. They were awesome at the O2, the new songs sound stellar live.
Although i Live all the way across the globe in Egypt and i did get the full album shared and listened to it but i am waiting impatiently for the CD to be released in a store near me… and its not a waste of money.
i’ve always been a great metallica fan and i feel some sort of satisfaction to own the authentic original album
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