DAVE LOMBARDO Says LARS ULRICH Was 'Smart' For Trying To Fight Against NAPSTER File-Sharing Service

Mike "The Big Cheese" of the "Heavy Metal Mayhem" radio show recently conducted an interview with former SLAYER and current PHILM drummer Dave Lombardo. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the continued decline in the revenue generated by the global recorded music industry:

Lombardo: "It's always been difficult. The music industry isn't an easy industry to be a part of; there's a lot of ups and downs. You've just gotta go with the changes. Let's say… Everyone complains about the record industry and royalties and all this, and Internet downloads… You know, you just have to find other clever ways to sell your music, or use your music, to benefit other things, other ventures — whether it be commercials, television [or] the theater."

On whether he saw the music industry's decline coming before it happened:

Lombardo: "No, I didn't. But you definitely noticed when it happened — in the years following the commencement of the Internet and downloads, and when Napster started, you started noticing a change in your royalty chekcs. So it wasn't something that you were able to foretell, it's just something that happened."

On whether METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich was right to launch a lawsuit in 2000 against Napster to stop the file-sharing service from illegally distributing the band's music:

Lombardo: "Yeah, he was. He was smart. He tried to fight against it, and that was a brave thing Lars did, and his team. But, unfortunately, it's still going on, and there's nothing really at this point we can do about it."

On people's unwillingness to pay for recorded music when they can just get it for free:

Lombardo: "I see sometimes these little posts of these pictures on either Facebook or Twitter and it shows someone buying a coffee for five bucks and they can't pay for a download that's only 99 cents. So it sucks, but that's just the way it is; that's the way times are now. You really can't dwell on it. You just have to continue doing what you love and moving forward. But the days of, obviously, putting out one record and getting an advance of $500,000, I mean, that doesn't exist anymore. So there's nothing you can do. You just have to, like I said, move forward."

PHILM released its sophomore album, "Fire From The Evening Sun", on September 16 (one day earlier internationally) via UDR. The band's lineup is completed by guitarist/vocalist Gerry Paul Nestler (CIVIL DEFIANCE),and bassist Francisco "Pancho" Eduardo Tomaselli (WAR).