In September 1994, Elektra Records was sued by heavy metal band Metallica so that they could terminate their contract with the label and gain ownership of their master recordings. In January, Metallica and Elektra announced that they settled their suit, and even though a non-disclosure agreement had kept the terms secret, media sources claimed that "a significant increase in royalty payments to the band as well as a renegotiation of the group's recording contract were key factors in Metallica and Elektra coming to terms."