Metallica Launches Music Download Site
Offering Live Shows from Current Tour
Fans can download entire shows from each stop of the band'sNorth American tour within days of each performance
In a continuing effort to provide their fans with the most unique services, Metallica, along with technology partners CinemaNow.com and nugs.net enterprises, today announced the launch of a new Web site, www.LiveMetallica.com [ http://www.livemetallica.com/ ]. The site will make available for download music from each performance on the North American leg of their "Madly In Anger With The World" tour that kicks off today in Phoenix, Arizona. Full concert audio will be available on the site within four days of the actual show.
"This is the next logical step in a process that began back in 1991 when we first implemented the 'Taper Section' at our shows, where the fans were encouraged to bring in their own gear to record the show, and then take home their very own 'bootleg' of the concert they had just seen." said Metallica's Lars Ulrich. "This technology will enable our fans to get the best possible recording of the show, without having to hold a microphone in the air for the entire night!"
As part of this unique band-to-fan service, LiveMetallica.com will offer high quality, unedited soundboard recordings of all shows in standard MP3 and CD-quality FLAC files via a state-of-the-art delivery system powered by CinemaNow's PatchBay technology and nugs.net enterprises. All download files are compatible with Windows, Mac and Unix, allowing for maximum flexibility and ease of use. Once downloaded, shows can be burned to disc, transferred to portable players, or played through a computer. Each show also comes with printable booklets, tray inlays, and labels for fans that elect to burn the files to CD. The cost for each two-plus hour show is $9.95 for MP3s and $12.95 for higher-quality FLAC files. These are the same prices currently offered on similar live music services such as Phish's LivePhish.com and LiveDownloads.com, which features The String Cheese Incident and other bands.
Making this offer even more exciting is the fact that "The Madly In Anger With The World" tour will feature Metallica playing a greater variety of songs than they have in years, changing the set list each show and drawing from their deep twenty-year, ten-album catalogue of rock classics.
Whether it is a fan who attended the show wanting to relive the concert experience or a fan who is a thousand miles away hearing the show for the first time, the LiveMetallica.com service will be the ultimate way to tap into the Metallica sound on every step of the tour.
Technology for the LiveMetallica.com service is provided by CinemaNow, whose PatchBay technology solution runs its own movie-on-demand Web site (www.cinemanow.com [ http://www.cinemanow.com/ ]) as well as numerous other media distribution platforms for companies such as the NHL.com, and nugs.net enterprises, the leading live music download provider.
About Metallica
With more than 90 million albums sold worldwide, and gold or platinum certifications in more than 40 countries, Metallica enters their third decade at the top of their game. Largely regarded as one of the most influential groups in music history, Metallica has broken countless records, garnered numerous awards including 7 Grammys and the 2003 MTV: Icon Award.
About CinemaNow
CinemaNow, Inc.(www.cinemanow.com [ http://www.cinemanow.com/ ]) is the global leader in Internet-based video-on-demand (VOD) and subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) distribution and technology. Through its growing list of content partners including 20th Century Fox, Disney, Lions Gate, MGM, Miramax and Warner Bros., the CinemaNow Web site has become the premier destination for the authorized downloading and streaming of feature films on the Internet. CinemaNow has also developed PatchBay(tm), a proprietary content-on-demand distribution and management system that runs the CinemaNow Web site, and is available as a licensable technology solution. CinemaNow is majority owned by Lions Gate Entertainment (AMEX: LGF).
About Nugs.net Enterprises
Nugs.net enterprises LLC is a privately held company focused on digital media distribution for the music industry. Built upon years of experience deploying enterprise-level applications for Fortune Fifty companies, nugs.net offers a comprehensive platform for digital media distribution. With the tools and services nugs.net provides, artists can harness the demand for their live performances and studio recordings. Nugs.net services and software empower touring bands to create a viable music distribution channel as a paid, high-quality alternative to the unbridled free online music-trading universe. The nugs.net platform currently powers the music download programs for Phish, The String Cheese Incident, Yonder Mountain String Band, and The Radiators, as well as the free music channel at www.nugs.net [ http://www.nugs.net/ ].
Source: Elektra Records