Highest-rated music documentaries

What is the best-reviewed music documentary?
Well, that depends on which website you check.
According to reviewers on the Internet Movie Database, the best music documentary is “Stop Making Sense,” featuring Talking Heads. Meanwhile, Metacritic says the best-reviewed music documentary is “Woodstock.” Rotten Tomatoes has a three-way tie for first place.
What follows are three lists of the best music documentaries. They are from IMDb, Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes.

Best music documentaries, according to IMDb reviewers

Listed by movie, subject and rating on a scale of 1 to 10
* movies with at least 10,000 reviews

Stop Making Sense (1984), Talking Heads, 8.6
The Last Waltz (1978), The Band, 8.2
Woodstock (1970), various artists, 8.2
Searching for Sugar Man (2012), Rodriguez, 8.2
Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey (2005), various artists, 8.1
Marley (2012), Bob Marley, 8.0
Oasis: Supersonic (2016), Oasis, 7.9
Anvil: The Story of Anvil (2008), Anvil, 7.9
Amy (2015), Amy Winehouse, 7.8
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years (2016), The Beatles, 7.8
Sound City (2013), various artists, 7.8
Gimme Shelter (1970), The Rolling Stones, 7.8
Buena Vista Social Club (1999), Cuban musicians, 7.7
What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015), Nina Simone, 7.6
It Might Get Loud (2008), various artists, 7.6
Cobain: Montage of Heck (2015), Kurt Cobain, 7.5
20,000 Days on Earth (2014), Nick Cave, 7.5
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (2004), Metallica, 7.5
20 Feet from Stardom (2013), various artists, 7.4
Miss Americana (2020), Taylor Swift, 7.4
This Is It (2009), Michael Jackson, 7.2
Shine a Light (2008), The Rolling Stones, 7.2

Best music documentaries, according to Metacritic

Listed by movie, subject and 0-100 Metascore

Woodstock (1970), various artists, 95
Amazing Grace (2019), Aretha Franklin, 94
The Decline of Western Civilization (1981), various artists, 93
One More Time with Feeling (2016), Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, 92
The Girls in the Band (2013), female jazz and big band instrumentalists, 90
Stop Making Sense (1984), Talking Heads, 89
The Winding Stream (2015), the Carters and the Cashes, 89
The Last Waltz (1978), The Band, 88
Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese (2019), Bob Dylan, 86
Amy (2015), Amy Winehouse, 85
Festival Express (2004), various artists, 85
Neil Young: Heart of Gold (2006), Neil Young, 85
Bob Dylan: Don’t Look Back (1967), Bob Dylan, 84
On the Record (2020), music executive Drew Dixon. 84
20 Feet from Stardom (2013), various artists, 83
Kurt Cobain: Montage Of Heck (2015), 83
Neil Young Trunk Show (2010), Neil Young, 83
U2 3D (2008), U2, 83
20,000 Days on Earth (2014), Nick Cave, 83

Best music documentaries, according to Rotten Tomatoes

Listed by movie, subject and percentage of positive reviews
* only movies rated as “certified fresh”

Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone (2011), Fishbone, 100%
Sound City (2013), various artists, 100%
Stop Making Sense (1984), Talking Heads, 100%
Amazing Grace (2019), Aretha Franklin, 99%
20 Feet from Stardom (2013), various artists, 99%
Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2009), Anvil, 98%
Beware Of Mr. Baker (2012), rock drummer Ginger Baker, 98%
Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé (2019), Beyoncé, 98%
The Last Waltz (1978), The Band, 98%
Kurt Cobain: Montage Of Heck (2015), 97%
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years (2016), The Beatles, 96%
Amy (2015), Amy Winehouse, 95%
Searching for Sugar Man (2012), Rodriguez, 95%
The Filth and the Fury (2000), The Sex Pistols, 95%
The Wrecking Crew (2015), various artists, 94%
A Band Called Death (2013), the Hackney brothers, 94%
Scratch (2002), various artists, 93%
U2 3D (2008), U2, 92%
Buena Vista Social Club (1999), Cuban musicians, 92%
Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002), various artists, 91%