Music documentaries are hot right now

Thanks to the explosion of streaming video services and the need for fresh content, music documentaries are hot right now. These films also give artists a chance to connect with fans when touring has been canceled by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Netflix this year has premiered documentaries about singer-songwriter Taylor Swift (“Miss Americana”) and Shawn Mendes (“Shawn Mendes: In Wonder”) as well as female K-pop group Blackpink (“Blackpink: Light Up the Sky”). Its library also includes documentaries about Beyonce, Bob Dylan, Quincy Jones, Amy Winehouse, ZZ Top and more.
Apple TV+ entered the music documentary arena with Spike Jonze’s “Beastie Boys Story” in April. It later added the documentary “Bruce Springsteen’s Letter to You.” It plans to premiere a documentary about singer-songwriter Billie Eilish in February (“Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry”).
Not to be left out, Disney+ picked up the Taylor Swift documentary “Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions.” And HBO Max is producing a six-part docuseries on rapper-singer Nicki Minaj. HBO also will release a documentary on the Bee Gees called “The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” on Dec. 12.
Meanwhile, Showtime earned raves for its eponymous documentary on female pop-rock group The Go-Go’s, which premiered on July 31.
Other prominent music documentaries out this year include movies about Frank Zappa (“Zappa”), Suzi Quatro (“Suzi Q”) and Billie Holiday (“Billie”).