Offspring OK With Napster

04/26/2000 6:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Craig Rosen

(4/26/00, 6 p.m. ET) - The Offspring have weighed in on the Napster controversy, joining Limp Bizkit in support of the company's digital music distribution software (LAUNCH, 4/25).

"We have been very vocal about the spreading of MP3 files," writes the band on its official website (offspring.com). "We happen to be of the school of thought that it is nice to have more, not less, fans."

The comments come as a reaction to a story on wired.com about Metallica, who, along with Dr. Dre, has filed suit against the company, claiming copyright infringement. In the suit, Metallica lawyer Howard King cites the Offspring and the Goo Goo Dolls as other bands who "have started investigating their legal options as well."

The Offspring say they are "shocked" by the claim. "At no time have we thought about or discussed taking any legal action against Napster. The suggestion that we would is a complete fabrication by an attorney." As for the Goo Goo Dolls, a spokesperson for the band suggested that it was unlikely that the band was following suit either, pointing out that the trio headlined a tour last year sponsored by MP3.com.

-- Neal Weiss, Los Angeles

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