METALLICA's JAMES HETFIELD 'Speaks To Group Of People That No One Else Speaks To,' Says Co-Manager

During an in-depth discussion last week at the 30th International Live Music Conference (ILMC) in London, England, METALLICA co-manager Peter Mensch spoke about the band's lasting popularity. "[METALLICA frontman] James Hetfield speaks to group of people that no one else speaks to," Peter said, according to Billboard. "That's one of the reasons why METALLICA are as big as they are now. No one else is even close to them. If hard rock is about losing your inhibitions or frustrations, James Hetfield still, to this day, his lyrics, are fucking angry. He's fueled by hate also."

Back in January, Mensch explained in a BBC documentary series how METALLICA was able to triple ticket prices over the last few years without upsetting fans. Speaking on the second episode of the show, titled "Hits, Hype & Hustle: An Insider's Guide to the Music Business", Mensch recalled that the arrival of Napster and other file-sharing services impacted record sales dramatically and forced musicians to hit the road to make money.

Mensch explained: "Demand went through the roof and ticket prices soon followed. We hadn't made a record in years. This is just what we do — we play in front of our fans. Rock bands have always had to bring it to the fans. We did some tests in the last couple of years. We realized the top price for a METALLICA ticket could be much higher than it used to be, and we charged it — and there was no audience pushback on it... The ticket price thing has changed everything."

Mensch told Music Week last year about the success of METALLICA's latest LP, "Hardwired...To Self-Destruct", and last summer's sold-out North American stadium tour: "They hadn't put out a record in eight years, it was quality music and then they went and played a bunch of quality shows... in America where they just completed an absolutely sold-out stadium tour, they hadn't played in eight years. There's nobody even close to them. We're still waiting for the next METALLICA. I get plenty of e-mails saying, 'We're the next METALLICA,' and then they send me shitty music. But there's nobody else."

METALLICA's "WorldWired" trek was the fifth-highest grossing tour of 2017, with 1.5 million tickets sold and $153 million earned. The band was also the top-selling rock act of the year and had the third best-selling rock album.

METALLICA recently announced the details of the 2018-2019 North American leg of of its "WorldWired" tour in support of "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct".