SoundExchange, the premier music tech organization powering the future of music, announced today that legendary hard rock band Metallica has been awarded the SoundExchange Hall of Fame Award as one of the most streamed acts in the organization’s 20-year history.
“Metallica is considered one of the greatest rock bands of all time, and for good reason,” said Michael Huppe, President and CEO of SoundExchange. “They have built and rebuilt themselves, continually honing their epic sound with each album and constantly expanding their appeal without abandoning their roots. Metallica is a once-in-a-lifetime success story. Recognizing Metallica with a SoundExchange Hall of Fame Award is an honor.”
Metallica consists of guitarist Kirk Hammett, lead singer and guitarist James Hetfield, bassist Robert Trujillo, and drummer Lars Ulrich. Metallica was presented with the SoundExchange Hall of Fame Award prior to their M72 World Tour’s sold-out performance at Detroit’s Ford Field.
Formed in 1981 by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, Metallica has become one of the most influential and successful rock bands in history, selling nearly 120 million albums worldwide and generating more than 15 billion streams while playing to millions of fans on all seven continents. Metallica’s catalog of multi-platinum studio albums includes Kill ‘Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, … And Justice for All, Metallica (commonly referred to as The Black Album), Load, Reload, St. Anger, Death Magnetic, Hardwired…to Self-Destruct, and the new 72 Seasons, released April 14, 2023, on the band’s own Blackened Recordings label. Metallica’s awards and accolades include nine Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, multiple MTV Video Music Awards, a 2009 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and Sweden’s Polar Music Prize. In 2017, Metallica established its charitable foundation, All Within My Hands, to give back to communities that have supported the band. To date, All Within My Hands and Metallica have provided nearly $16 million in grants to career and technical education programs, organizations combating food insecurity, and critical local services and disaster relief efforts.
SoundExchange is the premier music tech organization on a mission to power the future of music. It was independently formed in 2003 to build a fairer, simpler, and more efficient music industry through technology, data, and advocacy. The only organization designated by the U.S. government to administer the Section 114 sound recording license, SoundExchange collects and distributes digital performance royalties on behalf of 650,000 music creators and growing. Through proprietary music tech solutions that turn data into accurate revenue, SoundExchange has paid more than $10 billion in distributions to date. For more information, visit soundexchange.com.
