Bside Entertainment hasacquired North American rights to Andrew Shapter's documentary Before TheMusic Dies which will be its firsttheatrical release.

The innovative distributorwill ally itself with companies like MySpace and chipmaker AMD and deployonline marketing and innovative exhibition models. Further details will beunveiled in due course.

Before The Music Dies premiered at the SXSW Film Festival and asks whycommercial music labels and radio airplay are becoming increasingly bland andrepetitive.

A host of industry titansincluding Eric Clapton, Elvis Costello, Bonnie Raitt and Branford Marsalisoffer their opinions.

Bside chief executiveofficer Chris Hyams negotiated the deal with Faron West Productions' Shapterand producer Joel Rasmussen.