The film has been shot while on tour, and leans more towards the band's success in the face of record label strife, rather than a standard 'making of' format.
"We had more success than we ever dreamed," the actor, director and singer Leto told Forbes. "We never expected to get rich, but we certainly didn’t expect to be millions of dollars in debt."
He was referring to the band's legal wranglings with Virgin/EMI, when the label sued them for $30 million in 2008 for breach of contract after releasing only two of the five albums they signd up for. After the 30 Seconds To Mars argued that under Californian law, the contract was void as it was over seven years old, the case was eventually dropped and the band released their 2009 album This Is War through EMI.
Leto continued: "We were blown away with what we discovered: a convaluted contractual quagmire that was impossible to remove ourselves from."
Speaking of the music industry in general, Leto said: "They've treated audiences as poorly as they've treated artists - they've had the upper hand and they've been heavy handed."
Watch the trailer for Artifact below
The film also stars 30 Seconds To Mars' own manager, alongside artists such as Linkin Park's Chester Bennington and System of a Down's frontman Serj Tankian.
Leto added: "I hope people are inspired that if they feel they’re in a situation where they believe they’re treated unfairly, to fight for what they believe."
Artifact is available now through iTunes.
Below: Photos of 30 Seconds To Mars live in Amsterdam, 2013
