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Metallica to sell concert downloads online
Metallica , which kicks off the first North American leg of its latest world tour on Tuesday (3/2), has launched a new music-download website through which it plans to sell recordings of each concert.
Located at LiveMetallica.com, the site is currently taking pre-orders for 34 of the group's scheduled North American tour dates. The recordings cost $9.95 for MP3s and $12.95 for "higher-quality FLAC files," according to a press release. The price includes printable booklets, tray inlays and labels for fans who elect to burn the files to CD.
According to LiveMetallica.com, "concerts will be downloadable within days of each performance."
"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," drummer Lars Ulrich said in a statement. "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!"
During the tour, the group plans to play "a greater variety of songs than they have in years, changing the set list each show and drawing from their deep 20-year, 10-album catalogue of rock classics," according to a press release.
Metallica is touring behind last year's "St. Anger." The group--which has scheduled three North American tour legs that stretch into September--launches the run in Phoenix on Tuesday night (3/2).
