Hulu - Before the Music Dies - Watch the full feature film now.

The film looks at the evolution of American popular music and discusses the marketing of contemporary pop stars. “The reality is that superficiality is in,” says Marsalis. “And depth and quality is kind of out.”

RoadwingsEntertainment - About B4MD: With outstanding performances and revealing interviews Before the Music Dies takes a critical look at the homogenization of popular music with commentary by some of the industry’s biggest talents like Eric Clapton, Dave Matthews, Elvis Costello, Erykah Badu, Branford Marsalis, Questlove, My Morning Jacket, Bonnie Raitt and more. Using historic footage the film looks at the evolution of American music and the artists who created it and pulls back the curtain (in a very creative way) to expose the sad truth behind today’s “artificial” music stars. “The reality is that superficiality is in,” says Marsalis. “And depth and quality is kind of out.” Inspired by the death of his brother, director Andrew Shapter and his crew traveled thousands of miles, visiting dozens of cities, speaking with hundreds of fans, journalists, record executives and musicians while searching for “real” American music. What they found were mega-talents without a major label, including one artist Eric Clapton believes is “the real thing.”

“Music can save people, but it can’t in the commercial way it’s being used. It’s just too much. It’s pollution.” — Bob Dylan