:New York Times: Rock Star vs. Rock Fan: Who Matters?
New York Times: Rock Star vs. Rock Fan: Who Matters? May 22, 2000, 05 :06 UTC (0 Talkback[s]) (2383 reads)
"When Lars Ulrich, the drummer for Metallica, marched a list
of nearly 320,000 alleged music pirates over to the
offices of Napster, like a schoolboy tattling on the kids
who toilet-papered the gym, artist-fan relations hit a new low
point. It recalled a scene in VH-1's "Behind the Music" episode
devoted to Oasis. That band's exceptionally grumpy singer, Liam
Gallagher, fled a tour a while ago to help his wife buy a London
flat. Accosted by a reporter who asked, "Does this mean you
matter more than the fans?" Mr. Gallagher exploded. "That's
right!" he screamed, peppering his tirade with expletives. "I
matter more!"
"Metallica is suing Napster, a service that allows users to trade
music files over the Internet, with the stated intention of
shutting down piracy, not harassing the music lovers who
legitimately trade music through it. But by gathering the names of
users and asking that they be banned from the service, the band
arguably resorted to invasion of privacy. The band's approach has
so angered fans that they are organizing boycotts and
merchandise burnings, and establishing anti-Metallica Web sites
and bulletin boards. This impasse is even more puzzling because
Metallica has long supported bootlegging at its shows, and its fan
club has even facilitated the trading of demo and live tapes."
"... Metallica's move against Napster is much like the angry shove the
rock star gives the unlucky hundredth fan who clamors for a
chat, a kiss, an autograph. "I matter!" the artist shouts. But
we've returned to a moment when the fans matter more."
