Fans watching the opening of the annual gaming convention via the streaming site were not able to hear the rock band performing 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' to avoid copyright issues.
- February 22, 2021
AceShowbiz - Fans of Metallica were left bemused on Friday night, February 19, after discovering their livestreamed Twitch performance at an annual gaming convention had been dubbed over to avoid copyright issues.
The rockers opened the Blizzard Entertainment event, titled BlizzCon 2021, with their classic hit "For Whom the Bell Tolls", but those watching on the livestreaming site were unable to hear the song as intended - and were instead forced to listen to bland background music.
Responding to the replacement music, some Twitch users wrote comments like, "This is my jam" and "METALLICA TRAP REMIX", though several viewers simply paid their respects by typing "F". This version of the opening keynote stream currently has over 1.2 million views.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Twitch bosses made the move to avoid violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which protects creative works online.
Twitch officials had reason to be extra cautious as Metallica successfully sued Napster executives back in 2000, holding them responsible for copyright infringement after a demo of their track "I Disappear" was uploaded by a user of the music-sharing platform and made available for download without prior consent.
Blizzard itself warned streamers who wanted to rebroadcast the event to watch along with their community in their guidelines. "Note that some segments will feature copyrighted licensed music, and we advise that you do not stream these parts of the show," it stated.
Metallica previously performed at BlizzCon in 2014.
