Metallica have taken ownership of all their master recordings, including all music and long-form videos from the Warner Music Group.
The band renegotiated their joint venture agreement with the Warner Music Group in 1994. In that agreement, it was outlined that all master recordings would revert back to the band on November 30, 2012.
“We would like to thank everyone at the Warner Music Group for 28 years of a fantastic relationship, particularly since 1994 where we truly felt we had partners in every aspect of our business in North America,” frontman James Hetfield said in a statement from the band.
To tie in with the master recordings handover, the band have also launched their own new record label, Blackened Recordings, which will be home to all things Metallica from now on.
Billboard reports that Blackened Recordings will handle all marketing and promotion duties and will enter into a deal with Warner’s Rhino Entertainment, who will manufacture and distribute its releases in North America. Outside of North America, the label will license its releases to the Universal Music Group.
“It’s always been about control for us as a band,” Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich said.
“Forming Blackened Recordings is the ultimate in independence, giving us 100% control and putting us in the driver’s seat of our own creative destiny.”
The first release from Blackened Recordings is Metallica’s upcoming Quebec Magnetic live DVD, which will be out on December 10. The DVD features two live shows from Metallica’s World Magnetic tour, filmed in Quebec City, Canada.
Fans got to vote for the setlist on the DVD back in September. Watch the official trailer for the DVD below:
