RATM Rages Over Napster ban...

Rebel rockers Rage Against The Machine have apologized to fans who were blocked from Napster for downloading its brand-new "Renegades" album and, mirroring the tone of their metal-hiphop style of protest music, promised to put authority in its place. Guitarist Tom Morello wrote in an apology to fans on the RATM online bulletin board that the band was unaware of the ban until fans began to complain. The group's "new management" told Sony Music Corp., parent of Epic, RATM's label, to impose the ban, he said.
"As soon as I was made aware of this horrible mistake on their part," Morello wrote, "I immediately phoned our management and the record company to see what we could do to get our Napster-using fans reinstated as soon as possible."



Sony Music Corp. and the four other major recording companies have sued Napster, alleging that the file-swapping service enables copyright infringement by providing a way for Internet users to obtain music without paying royalties. Napster has more than 40 million users.



RATM, formed in 1991, lashes out against racism, censorship and other social issues in combative, in-your-face lyrics.