Metallica is writing the book on how to sink an A-list brand (namely their own).

Step 1: Lose your relevance sometime in the mid 90's and see sales dwindle over the next decade. Blame music downloads and the MP3 format for your market downturn - instead of accepting that you've lost touch with the times.

Step 2: Instead of adapting to a changing market and embracing new distribution channels (which worked well for thousands of bands, including the Greatful Dead) hire lawyers to try and fight the entire world. Hope that you can sue the world into not changing.

Step 3: When things don't go your way, bitch and moan until you've repositioned yourself as the brand that constantly bitches and moans instead of making music... and has nothing to show for it.

Step 4: Make a point to put personal gain ahead of your fans, and scream it off every media rooftop. For years on end. Until even your peers think you're out-of-touch morons. "We need to make more money!!! We're rock stars!!! You people are stealing our product every time you listen to it!!! We will sue you for listening to our songs!!!!"

Step 5: Spend more time in court than in the studio or on tour.

Step 6: Run out of money and decide it's time to get back to being a band since the fighting the world deposition at a time gig isn't working out so well. Only it's too late to get back to your roots because you stopped being artists and musicians long ago, and you suck now. You're just too stupid to see it yet.

Step 7: This whole media2.0 thing sounds fly, so you invite bloggers to come listen to some of your studio sessions in the hopes that they will share their amazement at your crazy-cool talent. Surely, this will revive your career. Only you're too old, the gig is up, and the bloggers aren't going to lie about it.

Step 8: When your bonehead plan backfires and the bloggers' reviews turn out to be pretty negative, threaten to sue them.

Step 9: Realize that what you need is good old PR and advertising. Upon getting a few quotes, start looking for promising lawsuits to file in order to finance your comeback.

Read the story here. It's pretty funny... yet sad.

What a bunch of idiots. Just make music for the sake of making music, you morons!!!