Hugh Cornwell stands up for file sharers. The Stranglers ex-lead singer Hugh Cornwell has called Metallica 'silly' for taking Napster to court in 2000.

Cornwell stood up for file-sharers, claiming that CDs are too expensive.

He explained: 'The internet is the perfect delivery system for music, so why not use it? I don't see it as being exploited at all - I think we are exploiting the internet. I think you have just got to find more ingenious ways of generating a living than by ripping people off, charging them ВЈ15 for an album that they can get for free. It just means people aren't being ripped off any more.'

He added: 'To physically print up a CD it costs about 50p. It you're charging ВЈ15 for it, that's a huge profit margin. It just means that all these years, people have been ripped off.'

Talking about Metallica suing Napster in 2000, Cornwell declared: 'It's silly. Come on! It's hysteria. You have got to grow up and move forward. They can't exactly need the money, can they?'

Cornwell has made his new solo album 'Hoover Dam' free to download on his website.