For Immediate Release: April 5, 2007
INDIE911 & B-SIDE ENTERTAINMENT PARTNER EXCLUSIVELY TO SELL DRM-FREE DOWNLOADS OF BEFORE THE MUSIC DIES DOCUMENTARY
FILM FEATURING EXCLUSIVE LOOK BEHIND THE CURTAIN OF AILING MUSIC INDUSTRY OFFERS INSIGHT & HOPE NARRATED BY ACADEMY AWARD WINNER FOREST WHITAKER & FEATURING ERYKAH BADU, ERIC CLAPTON, DAVE MATTHEWS, BRANFORD MARSALIS, ?LOVE AND MORE…
(APRIL 5, 2007) — Los Angeles, CA – Fresh from the introduction of its new HOOOKA online music player, online social network and music store Indie911 announced that it will make a DRM-free version of the grassroots sensation BEFORE THE MUSIC DIES available for download as the service’s first feature length film offering starting Friday April 6, 2007. While BEFORE THE MUSIC DIES continues to screen widely through its innovative grassroots release, this is the first time that the documentary will be available for sale in a digital version.
Through a partnership with the film’s distributor B-Side Entertainment, music and movie fans have two options for purchasing the electrifying music documentary – free of copy-protection technology – from the film’s hoooka player powered by Indie911. For $9.99, consumers can download a high-resolution MPEG file suitable for burning to a DVD or for full-screen playback on a computer or connected television. For $3.99, a small-format MPEG file can be downloaded for playback on an iPod or other compatible portable video player. The BEFORE THE MUSIC DIES hoooka can be accessed at http://indie911.com/b4md
The film will also benefit from the hoooka’s viral marketing and sales model, which allows users who feature the film on their customized hoooka players on their blog, website or MySpace page to earn 10% of the profits when other online fans purchase the film directly from them.
BEFORE THE MUSIC DIES is an unsettling and inspiring look at today’s popular music industry that has built a passionate cult following as “the most important film a music fan will ever see” (XM Radio). The film is narrated by Academy Award(r) Winner Forest Whitaker and features interviews and performances by Erykah Badu, Eric Clapton, Dave Matthews, Branford Marsalis, ?uestlove and a wide variety of others. Filmmakers Andrew Shapter and Joel Rasmussen walked away from traditional Hollywood distribution to partner with B-Side Entertainment, so that they could bring the film directly to passionate music fans around the world. Since its grassroots release in November 2006, the film has screened nearly 200 times in over 100 markets, with no end in sight.
“This partnership represents the future of the music and film industries for two reasons – fans want their entertainment to come to them, while artists seek to retain their integrity when they enter the world of commerce,” says Justin Goldberg, founder and CEO of Indie911 and the hoooka. “B-Side’s grassroots campaign with Before the Music Dies created massive awareness, now our ’social-networking-meets-online-store’ model allows fans of the film to own it and then pass it on grassroots style.”
“B-Side’s distribution model is about breaking down the walls between films and passionate audiences,” says Chris Hyams, B-Side’s founder and CEO. “By using the viral power of the hoooka player within Indie911.com’s wide community of independent music and film seekers, we are allowing fans of the film to spread the word while sharing in sales they help to create. We are also proud to be leading the way in putting consumers first by offering “Before the Music Dies” without the restrictions of copy protection.”
About HOOOKA
The hoooka is a free, portable digital locker powered by indie911 that allows users to share, promote, sell and play their personal media favorites, via the Web. The hoooka combines the community and networking aspects of MySpace with the digital sale opportunities and exposure of iTunes. Anyone, from artists to fans, can easily create a hoooka and post it anywhere – blogs, social networking pages or Web sites – and instantly become their own mobile media store. For more information please go to www.hoooka.com > .
About indie 911
indie911 is a leading online media and social network providing tools and resources for thousands of musicians, filmmakers and consumers to sell, stream or share any content (music, videos, films, or photos) anywhere online – including websites, blogs and social networks – to an ever expanding network of users. indie911 has evolved into one of the most popular independent music destinations on the Internet, featuring over 9,000 artist and labels, over 75,000 song and film titles, over 100,000 members, and nearly four million monthly page views. indie911 provides original programming, artist services program, and a social network for artists to interact directly with their audiences and find new avenues of exposure and revenue. For more information please go to www.indie911.com
About B-Side Entertainment
B-Side Entertainment is a pioneering distributor and online marketplace for independent films. Through partnerships with IFC and dozens of international film festivals, we help movies find their audiences, and introduce fans to the other side of film. Visit us at http://www.bside.com.
