Record Store Day announces 2016 ambassador: Metallica

Event slated for Saturday, April 16

Record Store Day is thrilled to announce its ambassador for 2016, Grammy Award-winning, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Metallica.

Metallica is no stranger to Record Store Day, this year set for Saturday, April 16. The special day is held to support independent record stores and record store culture worldwide. It's now in its ninth year.

"Independent record stores are part of Metallica's DNA," drummer Lars Ulrich said. "They have been pivotal in shaping each one of us into the music fanatics we've all become. We could not be any prouder to be Record Store Day ambassadors for 2016 and are looking forward to screaming from every rooftop the next few months about everything independent record store and beyond."

Throughout Record Store Day's near-decade lifespan, Metallica's support has been more than noteworthy with in-store appearances and a healthy handful of special releases. In fact, members James Hetfield, Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo made big news just last year when the band's cassette-issued demos collection, "No Life Til Leather," ended up as Record Store Day 2015's highest seller. Additionally, Trujillo's lauded biopic, "Jaco," about legendary bassist Jaco Pastorius, was RSD 2014's official film. A special Record Store Day exclusive version was released on DVD for Black Friday 2015, including a bonus CD featuring tracks from Trujillo himself.

This year, the band's official release will fit into a wider theme of Record Store Day 2016, highlighting the relationship between U.S. record stores and their French counterparts - between Record Store Day and "Disquaire Day"; between music-loving humans in the U.S. and France - following the tragic events in Paris last November.

Metallica will release "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité, Metallica! - Live at Le Bataclan. Paris, France - June 11th, 2003," a CD featuring a live recording from the club, with the band, Record Store Day and independent record stores donating proceeds to benefit Fondation de France's Give For France charity (details HERE)

The live recording set list includes: "The Four Horsemen," "Leper Messiah," "No Remorse," "Fade To Black," "Frantic," "Ride The Lightning," "Blackened" and encores "Seek & Destroy" and "Damage, Inc."

For the full ambassador statement and video, check out the newly relaunched www.recordstoreday.com.

Record Store Day, the organization, is managed by the Department of Record Stores and is organized in partnership with the Alliance of Independent Media Stores and the Coalition of Independent Music Stores. It promotes independent record stores year-round with events, special releases and other fun things.

Record Store Day, the global celebration of the culture of the record store, takes place annually in April.