If you look at their output from then on, it’s been a relentless touring machine with albums littered with bizarre seemingly self harming choices like the snare sound on St Anger or the Lou Reed debacle or airing all their dirty laundry embarrassingly with their documentary.

If they had been young and foolish and signed a multi album deal getting peanuts on album sales, you can see how a band might want to use every opportunity to cripple their album sales whilst simultaneously raking up every cent your fans want to give via live shows and merchandise, where the label probably doesn’t have much purview.

I haven’t heard much of their last album, the one you say was released on their own label but everyone of my friends that have say it’s the best thing they’ve done in years.

Their are clauses in contracts that say you can’t talk about what you’re getting as profit and you can’t bad mouth the label in any way. The band Pulkas were an upcoming metal band signed to Earache in the 90’s. They signed a shit deal and we’re very vocal about not getting any money while out in tour. They were then buried like a dead dog by Earache and I don’t think any of the members ever did anything again. If Metallica had spoken openly about the specifics of their record contract I bet we’d see a different side to all this.