Metallica has been announced as the official ambassador of Record Store Day 2016.
In a video released yesterday, Metallica members James Hetfield, Robert Trukilo, Kirk Hammett and Lars Ulrich talk about their involvement with the day and why vinyl and independent record shops are so important to them.
This year’s Record Day will take place on Saturday 16 April. The annual celebration was founded in 2008 to promote the work of independent record stores around the world and now has participating stores on every continent apart from Antartica.
Metallica have been a proponent of Record Store Day since its first year and, according to Brave Words, their demo tape No Life Til Leather was the highest selling record at last year’s instalment.
“Independent record stores are part of Metallica’s DNA,” says drummer Lars Ulrich. “They have been pivotal in shaping each one of us into the music fanatics we’ve all become. We could not be any prouder to be Record Store Day Ambassadors for 2016 and are looking forward to screaming from every rooftop the next few months about everything independent record store and beyond.”
Ulrich also penned an essay on the importance of record stores that you can read in its entirety, here.
For this year’s event, which takes place on Saturday 16 April and coincides with France’s own record store celebration Disquaire Day, Metallica will be releasing a special live album that pays homage to victims of the Paris terror attacks. Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité, Metallica! Live At Le Bataclan will be released on CD with proceeds going to Fondation De France’s Give For France charity.
They will also be releasing remastered versions of Kill Em All and Ride The Lightening on CD, vinyl and in a deluxe box set.
Past Record Store ambassadors include Dave Grohl, Jack White and Iggy Pop.
Watch: Official ambassadors Metallica announce their involvement in Record Store Day 2016
