Jared Leto thinks the music industry is “under siege”.
The Dallas Buyers Club actor is also the lead singer in rock band 30 Seconds to Mars and the group was sued for $30 million by their record label EMI in 2008.
Jared hopes his award-winning 2012 documentary Artifact, which centres on the controversial legal conflict, will illuminate the true nature of modern entertainment.
“I think the music business is in a difficult state right now. That’s one of the reasons I made this film was to look for answers,” he told Crave Online.
“Artifact examines this industry that’s under siege right now and has been for a number of years. I think it will shock a lot of people and surprise a lot of people. I’m excited for artists and creative people to see the film. Hopefully it sheds some light on that uneasy relationship between art and commerce.”
When 30 Seconds to Mars attempted to sign with a new label five years ago, EMI accused the band of not delivering the amount of albums they were contracted for.
Jared and his bandmates claimed their EMI contract, which was signed in 1999, was null and void due to a Californian law that states agreements expire after seven years.
Although the band and the record label eventually settled the conflict in 2009, Jared believes the situation speaks to larger issues.
“I think it’s a look at the record industry, the death of one era, the beginning of another. It examines art and commerce and technology,” the 41-year-old musician mused.
“You see a group of artists that are in the middle of a creative process but also fighting a giant corporation. There’s a bit of a David and Goliath story there as well.”
