Gravitas Ventures Takes VOD Rights to Dave Grohl’s ‘Sound City’

Dave Grohl directed his first film, a look at a famed Los Angeles studio 

Gravitas Ventures has acquired worldwide video on demand rights to “Sound City,” Dave Grohl’s documentary about the eponymous Los Angeles recording studio.

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The former Nirvana drummer and current Foo Fighters frontman, Grohl interviews legendary musicians including Neil Young, Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks, all of whom recorded at the studio. The narrative traces the studio’s historical importance and the evolution of rock and roll in the digital age.

Sound City served as home for artists from Fleetwood Mac to Rick Springfield to Nirvana.

Grohl brings many of those artists back for a new recording session at his personal studio, where he installed the Neve Console from Sound City.

“We are thrilled to kick off 2013 with such a great film and filmmaking team,” Michael Murphy, President of Gravitas Ventures, said in a statement. “The production, direction, and iconic stars in this documentary are all top-notch. The film undoubtedly appeals to a worldwide VOD audience.” 

Gravitas will reach more than one billion VOD customers with the film, which opens February 1 but premieres at the Sundance Film Festival  this weekend.

Variance Films is handling theatrical distribution and the filmmakers hold the rights to sell it directly to fans online. They are doing so in collaboration with direct-to-fan specialists VHX.

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