Metallica frontman James Hetfield was interviewed on their Orion Festivals that the band hosted back in 2012 and 2013. According to Hetfield’s interview, Metallica didn’t make much money despite having other musicians such as country musician Eric Church, indie rock band Modest Mouse and blues guitarist Gary Clark Jr., in 2012 and electronic and dance musicians in 2013. When Metallica hosted the Orion Fest, the band lost money in profits in revenues instead of made extra money. According to Hetfield’s interview about Metallica’s Orion Music + More Festival, the company lost nearly two million during those two years doing the festival alone. Metallica’s frontman Hetfield in his interview said that a lack of diversity may be to blame when Metallica set up the festival in 2012 and 2013.

“Those two we did were fun. We got some bands out there in front of people, our fans mainly, and that was the whole idea. If it would have broken even, we’d still be doing it, but we lost millions both times,” said Hetfield in his interview with Blabbermouth, “We can’t do that. At some point, business comes into play. Why would you keep doing something that’s damaging you and could prevent you moving forward?”

Hetfield also commented on a recent Metallica film, Through the Never, which was also costly to the band in the million dollar aspect much like the Orion Fest. “What we were going for was ‘edge.’ Every band that was there had some kind of edge,” said Hetfield about the other bands at the Orion Fest in 2012 and 2013. Currently, Metallica is working on their upcoming new album, but it is going to take some time to see which drum beats and guitar riffs sound edgy and metallic in their heavy metal sense.