Kirk Hammett says he still believes Metallica were right to sue Napster back in 2000.
The band came under fire from some for taking legal action against the streaming service for copyright infringement 18 years ago – but the guitarist says he still stands by the decision.
Hammett tells Swedish TV show Nyhetsmorgon: “The whole Napster thing didn't do us any favours whatsoever. But you know what? We're still in the right on that – we're still right about Napster no matter who's out there saying, ‘Metallica was wrong.’
“All you have to do is look at the state of the music industry and that explains the whole situation right there.”
Hammett adds: “There was a time when the streaming thing was kind of weird and it’s not that great quality – I don’t care what anyone says about modern streaming, it’s never going to sound better than vinyl.
“Having said that, we want to be accessible and you need to make sure you’re accessible on all the modern fronts.”
Metallica have just wrapped up live dates in Europe in support of their latest album Hardwired… To Self Destruct and will head back out on the road across North America from September.
Metallica 2018/2019 tour dates
Sep 02: Madison Kohl Center, WI
Sep 04: Minneapolis Target Center, MN
Sep 06: Lincoln Pinnacle Bank Arena, NE
Sep 08: Grand Forks Alerus Center, ND
Sep 11: Sioux Falls Denny Sanford Premier Center, SD
Sep 13: Winnipeg Bell MTS Place, MB
Sep 15: Saskatoon Sasktel Centre, SK
Oct 16: Milwaukee Wisconsin Entertainment And Sports Centre, WI
Oct 18: Pittsburgh PPG Paints Arena, PA
Oct 20: State College Bryce Jordan Center, PA
Oct 22: Charlotte Spectrum Center, NC
Oct 27: Buffalo Keybank Center, NY
Oct 29: Albany Times Union Center, NY
Nov 26: Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena, NV
Nov 28: Boise Taco Bell Arena, ID
Nov 30: Salt Lake City Vivint Smart Home Arena, UT
Dec 12: Spokane Arena, WA
Dec 05: Portland Moda Center, OR
Dec 07: Sacramento Golden 1 Center, CA
Dec 09: Fresno Save Mart Center, CA
Jan 20: Little Rock Verizon Arena, AR
Jan 22: Birmingham Legacy Arena At The BJCC, AL
Jan 24: Nashville Bridgestone Arena, TN
Jan 28: Raleigh PNC Arena, NC
Jan 30: Cincinnati US Bank Arena, OH
Feb 01: Cleveland Quicken Loans Arena, OH
Feb 28: El Paso Don Haskins Center, TX
Mar 02: Lubbock United Supermarkets Arena, TX
Mar 04: Wichita Intrust Bank Arena, KS
Mar 06: Kansas City Sprint Center, MO
Mar 09: Louisville KFC Yum Center, KY
Mar 11: Indianapolis Bankers Life Fieldshouse, IN
Mar 13: Grand Rapids Van Andel Arena, MI
