PUBLIC ENEMY’s CHUCK D and METALLICA’s LARS ULRICH are set to meet head-to-head in a live US TV debate on the ongoing Napster copyright controversy.
The pair will trade arguments tonight (May 12) on The Charlie Rose Show, a heavyweight American news and current affairs programme that airs every weeknight and is syndicated to over 200 local stations throughout the country. The broadcast starts at 11pm (EST) on PBS and affiliated networks.
Chuck D and Ulrich have been the most vocal of any major music stars in their stance over the MP3 file-swapping software that Napster produces.
The Public Enemy leader has been an outspoken advocate of music availability on the Internet, arguing that far from sounding the death knell of the music industry, such file-swapping devices as Napster provides serves to open up new possibilities for both breaking and established artists.
Ulrich however has made no secret of his desire to put Napster out of business. Metallica are suing the website for some US$10 million for a breach of copyright. They have accused Napster of stealing from them. This week the company were forced to block access to previously available Metallica tracks to over 300,000 of their users. Ulrich had delivered the names to the Californian company’s office in a very public publicity stunt last week.
Such is the intensity of the debate that it has now reached the US government. Chuck D has been called to testify on the issue in front of a senate congressional hearing on May 24.
Joining Ulrich and Chuck D on tonight’s show will be a collection of authors and journalists, including Malcolm Gladwell from The New Yorker.