I also had a problem with Napster. I NEVER used it because I did not think it was right. And, boy, did I get it from my friends. However, if I want to borrow music from a buddy, I go to him. Not a "central buddy" who has all of the "buddies" music.
And yes, handing out/trading music was how Metallica got exposure back in the day. That's how I first heard them. To try and compare that to Napster is, IMO, unfair and inaccurate.
Expecting Master of Puppets over and over is unrealistic. Load and Reload had more Kirk and Jason input than anything to date. And if I recall, there has only been one band to sucessfully put out the same music for 20 years. AC/DC
What was that band 4 years ago that people said was
THE metal band of the future?? Right, I don't remember either.
And I do think that the negative attitude that SOME people have toward the Napster bru-ha-ha will ALWAYS slant what that person thinks of new Metallica music.