MP3-Hating Metallica Unveils MP3-Playing Jacket

Proving that yes, indeed, it is all about the money, aging heavy metal band Metallica has unveiled a new Metallica-branded jacket, complete with an amp and speakers built into the hood and — drum roll, please — a built-in iPod dock. You heard me. This is the same Metallica that lobbied hard against Napster and favored the now-abandoned strategy of using digital rights management technology to prevent people from sharing music files.

The story was reported by Talk2MyShirt.com, which somehow is able to dedicate its entire blog to wearable electronics. The limited edition Metallica M4 Jacket is manufactured by clothing manufacturer Sessions, which sports a loyal following of skateboarders and snowboarders (you've got to see the video promo for the jacket, which attempts to make it look as hard and tough as the band once was).

If the all-black jacket is worth $330 of your hard-earned dollars — and your wife approves (most of their fans are not the usual demographic for metal music) — then you can clamor to buy one of only 800 when it's released in August.

In case you weren't paying attention to the controversy ignited by Metallica's rather harsh words to fans who downloaded their music on Napster back in 2000, this Wired article should help get you up to speed. And who can forget this gem:

Photo courtesy of Sessions.