Metallica finally give in to us Internet folks

[Your Mom]

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Metallica, one of the biggest acts yet to make its music available for sale via Apple's iTunes Music Store, has ended its holdout.

The enduring hard rock outfit's work went on sale Tuesday via the U.S. and Canada editions of the digital store.

Metallica albums have previously been available for download via services such as MSN Music, but have never been broken up for single-song purchase until now. At iTunes, the group's first four albums ("Kill 'Em All," "Ride the Lightning," "Master of Puppets" and "...And Justice for All") have been expanded with previously unreleased live tracks recorded in Seattle in 1989.

"We chose these four because, unlike the more recent releases, we were only capable of writing 8-9 songs for each of these albums," the band said on its Web site (http://www.metallica.com).

The iTunes rollout covers only the U.S. and Canada for now, due to a dispute with Metallica's overseas record label, Mercury. The company "doesn't seem to want to play ball with us on this at the moment," the band said. (Atlantic handles the band in North America.)

Among the other major artists who have yet to come to an agreement with iTunes are the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Radiohead and Garth Brooks.

In other Metallica news, the group will appear in animated form on the season premiere of "The Simpsons," which will air September 10 on Fox.

Reuters/Billboard

I think this is great news as I use iTunes a lot. Wonder what their Simpsons appearance will be like?

[Numbahs]

Money talks. Lars' sanity walks.

[Summers]

Lars' sanity walked awhile ago.

[Jack Krauser III]

You have no idea how happy this makes me. Now I can finnaly get "Until it Sleeps".

[EndOfAnEra]

I specifically go out of my way to steal Metallica music simply because it's theirs, so this means nothing to me. I want to see a feature on iTunes that makes it easier to access bands I'd never hear of otherwise. Smaller acts and all that. That's my only iTunes complaint.

[The Kraig]

My only complaint about iTunes is that you have to buy stuff. (¬_¬)

[Your Mom]

I specifically go out of my way to steal Metallica music simply because it's theirs, so this means nothing to me. I want to see a feature on iTunes that makes it easier to access bands I'd never hear of otherwise. Smaller acts and all that. That's my only iTunes complaint.

The free discovery download of the week is usually bands I've never heard of. Then again maybe I just dont pay enough attention anymore

[EndOfAnEra]

I've never heard of that. Shows how much I use the store feature. How do I find it?

Edited July 28, 2006 by EndOfAnEra