In the past year, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes, Ariana Grande, Bruce Springsteen and the Beastie Boys are among the artists who released visual films or intimate documentaries about their music on Disney+, YouTube, Netflix and Apple TV+, respectively.
Music critic Jim Farber told CNN that the recent wave of pop and rock star documentaries are an extended version of what many artists strive to convey about their image in traditional media profiles or on social media. "The [docs] usually purport to be a bit more objective. There's a director and supposedly the director's point of view, but you know, the stars are in control of these things," Farber said."I would really refer to them as, as a pseudo-intimate. I think it's giving you, it's giving a fan, the idea that you're getting really inside."
"Beastie Boys Story" executive producer Jason Baum told CNN that it has helped that streaming services have wanted to expand their film portfolios to include music.