Who are these people, and what have they done with Metallica?

The band has a long, storied history of clashing with fans online, but along with its label, it hopes to make amends with a new website called Mission: Metallica, offering fans a chance to "experience the new album before it's done" that will offer its upcoming album in the unprotected MP3 format – no digital rights management attached.

When the two-years-in-the-making album is finally ready to be released, members of the site will be able to download it in the DRM-free MP3 format (320 Kbps) – quite a big step for the band that sued the original Napster. The album will also be available in vinyl and CD formats, each of which will also come with release-day digital download versions.

But the album's just the tip of the iceberg, according to the band, which plans to use the site to open up to its fans, somewhat in the style of Some Kind of Monster.

"Mission: Metallica is your inside look at the past two years of riffing, writing and recording," reads a note on the site, which was created by the band's label, Warner Music Group. "[It's] proof that we've actually been doing shit most of this time! We're gonna open the floodgates and share with you photos, videos, riffs and a lot more."

Metallica has been watching what Radiohead and Trent Reznor have been up to, and it would appear that this is its attempt to provide a similar experience designed to bring fans and the band closer together. However, unlike those bands, Metallica won't offer its album for free.

This represents a big move for Metallica and its major label overlord away from DRM and towards unprotected music. And since it requires the creation of a profile, the site will also likely become a sort of social network for Metallica fans as the album is released and the band goes on tour in support of it.

That said, the band and its label still have one foot in the old music industry. Mission: Metallica offers fans certain things for free (mostly in the form of video footage and teasers for the album), but the decision not to offer a free version of the album looks major label-ish when compared to Radiohead's and Nine Inch Nails' full album giveaways.

Fans have several options when signing up for Mission: Metallica, from free all the way up to $125.

Free membership

Fly-on-the-wall footage of the album being written and recorded

Pre-release excerpts from the upcoming album

A chance to pre-order the album and download it immediately upon its release

Photos and other material from Lars Ulrich's vault of historical Metallica items, including rare and live tracks

Entry into a contest to win free passes to every show

Metallica events (when the band goes on vacation in Europe this summer, fans will be able to virtually tag along)

Digital Album

$12 pre-order

320 Kbps MP3 delivered on the release date

CD Album

$20 pre-order

Includes CD plus MP3 download delivered on the release date

Platinum membership

Price varies: Platinum membership costs $25 with the MP3 version of the album, $33 with the CD+MP3 version or $125 for the CD, the MP3s, a vinyl box set with five 180-gram LPs and a Mission: Metallica lithograph.

Digital, CD or vinyl copy of the album when it comes out – in allcases, you get the whole album in the unprotected MP3 format (320 Kbps)

on the release date.

on the release date. Live show downloads

Extended video footage, photos and ringtones of new riffs

Entry into a contest for festival show tickets, including air, hotel, and band meet-and-greet

$10 discount on band merchandise

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