Metallica Will Give an Instructional ‘Master Class’ in Guitar
Metallica next year are scheduled to lead what's essentially a "master class" in guitar instruction via the virtual music lesson platform Yousician. It will be a part of Yousician's first-ever artist-partnered Spotlight series, which launches on Friday (Aug. 27). The virtual lessons feature interactive elements powered by real-time feedback technology.
The first Spotlight course is from pop musician Jason Mraz, as Billboard reported on Friday, who will teach lessons in guitar and ukulele. Columbian singer Juanes (who recently covered Metallica) will follow with his own Spotlight in October. The Metallica installment is set for sometime in early 2022.
Watch a video down toward the bottom of this post.
Yousician's head of brand marketing and artist relations, Hadley Spanier, explained of the series, "There's so much potential for artists, both on the exposure side to our 20 million users and also on a revenue side, because we are able to put together pretty attractive financial offers for artists as well."
Outlining how those deals work in a show of transparency, Billboard said performers' agreements with the company "include an upfront fee, licensing royalties and a revenue share model in which artists are paid a percentage of revenue from customers who sign up … specifically to access the artist's course."
As for his participation, Mraz remarked, "I've partnered with Yousician because I hope that anyone at any age feels that now is the right time to learn. Yousician makes it so easy to learn and play. It's like having a friend to personally guide you on your musical journey."
On Sept. 10, Metallica will release a remastered and expanded version of their landmark 1991 Black Album, plus a tribute set of Black Album songs by other artists called The Metallica Blacklist. So far, the band has shared rare versions of "Nothing Else Matters," "Wherever I May Roam," "Sad But True" and more from the reissue's bonus tracks. Weezer, Biffy Clyro, Miley Cyrus and others have previewed their Blacklist covers. Pre-order the reissue here; the Blacklist here.
Find out more about Yousician on its website, and sign up for a premium membership to the instructional outfit's current Spotlight series with Mraz here.