Eight years passed by and the same man that spearheaded the protest movement against Napster, Metallica’s drummer Lars Ulrich, is now considering the online distribution for the band’s next album.

In an interview with Rolling Stones, Lars Ulrich said that the famous rock band is watching closely the efforts made by Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails to distribute their albums online.

Last year, the Brit group Radiohead offered their latest album, “In Rainbows” as a free download, and Nine Inch Nails are selling their latest four-volume album, Ghosts I-IV, through their website. The first nine tracks are offered for free.

"We've been observing Radiohead and Trent Reznor and in 27 years or however long it takes for the next record, we'll be looking forward to everything in terms of possibilities with the internet," Ulrich said during the interview.

The Metallica’s drummer pointed out that the band has already started to offer some of their live recordings as free downloads through the band’s website. “The Vault” section of Metallica’s website offers also paid downloads.

Also, Lars Ulrich explained that eight years ago, he disapproved Napster and sharing music over the web because Metallica’s members thought that sharing should be on the artists' terms.

“Back in the day there was a much bigger question about 'On whose terms?’” Ulrich said.

“We said, 'Wait a minute, it should be about the artist.' Then all hell broke loose and we sat on the sidelines for a while.”