Metallica Takes Back Its Masters, Unveils Blackened Recordings

4:20 PM PST 12/3/2012 by Erik Pedersen

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Metallica's James Hetfield, left, and Kirk Hammett

The veteran metal band has taken control of its best-selling music and longform video catalog per a 1994 deal with Warner Music. Its new label will be distributed by Rhino in the U.S. and UMG internationally.

As of now, Metallica owns Metallica.

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The veteran metal quartet said during the weekend that has taken ownership of all its master recordings and longform videos. The move stems from a provision in the Los Angeles band’s 1994 joint venture deal with Warner Music Group stating that all masters would revert to Metallica on Nov. 30, 2012.

The group -- James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo -- also unveiled Blackened Recordings, its new label that will be the new home of Metallica’s music and videos. Blackened, named for the lead track on the band’s 1988 album … And Justice for All, inked with Rhino Entertainment for manufacture and distribution of its titles in North America and licensed its fare to Universal Music Group internationally.

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"It's always been about control for us as a band," said drummer Ulrich. "Forming Blackened Recordings is the ultimate in independence, giving us 100 percent control and putting us in the driver's seat of our own creative destiny."

Metallica has a long history of wrestling for that control. In April 2000, the band irked many music fans by filing a high-profile lawsuit against Napster citing copyright infringement. That July, Ulrich testified before a Senate panel about Napster and the perceived threat of peer-to-peer file sharing. Napster reached a settlement with the band about a year later. The multiple-Grammy-winning band also held out on selling its music via Apple’s iTunes Store until summer 2006, though its albums were downloadable via some digital services including MSN Music.

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Blackened Recordings’ first release will be Quebec Magnetic, a live DVD/Blu-ray directed by longtime collaborator Wayne Isham and culled from a pair of Quebec City concerts on the band’s World Magnetic tour in fall 2009. The set list was determined by 35,000 fan vote at Metallica.com in September. Watch a trailer for Quebec Magnetic, which streets Dec. 10, below.