10 GUTSIEST Moves Metallica Ever Made (And Whether They Paid Off)

At the turn of the century, the music world was making massive steps forward thanks to the arrival of the Internet. While the CD industry was still thriving, people were constantly filtering their favorite songs through file sharing services, with Napster being the most accessible platform available. Nothing seemed to be too bad, but one leaked Metallica track sent the entire record industry into a frenzy.

When Lars Ulrich found out that an unfinished demo of "I Disappear" was gaining traction on Napster, he decided to take the file sharing service to court for what he saw as hijacking their music. Arriving at court in a limo, Ulrich appeared before a jury and pleaded his case, insisting that what Napster was doing was illegal. Though Ulrich ended up winning the case itself, the PR damage had already been done.

Instead of looking like he was standing up for artists' rights, Ulrich turned into a villain amongst music villains, who was hellbent on squeezing every last dollar out of you if you wanted to listen to his music. It also didn't help that the next album Metallica released, St. Anger, ended up being one of the single worst albums in metal history. Lars has been able to distance himself from his past endeavors, but to this day, there are still many metalheads who scoff at the pampered rock star who ruined the concept of streaming.