Top Netflix Movies and Shows for Music Enthusiasts

There has never been a better time to be a music lover. Thanks to services like Spotify, it’s easy to jam out to your favorite tunes at the click of a button. But have you ever wondered where you can discover new songs to add to your playlist of faves?

Many music lovers find new tunes through films and TV shows. If you’re one of them, you’re in luck, because Netflix has a growing list of content that’s perfect for anyone who loves music. Keep reading to learn where you’ll find your next favorite song!

8

The Blues Brothers

The Blues Brothers began as a real-life blues revue act led by actors Dan Akyroyd and John Belushi. While they debuted the act on Saturday Night Live, they also released an album that would later go platinum and performed live, including opening for the Grateful Dead. All of this culminated in a movie in which the titular brothers must raise money to save the same Roman Catholic orphanage where they were raised. Accordingly, they get their old band back together and begin performing across America on what Akyroyd’s character describes as a “mission from God.”

That may sound like a pretty heavy plot. It’s really just an excuse for the movie to deliver three things in equal measure: hilarious punchlines, epic car chases, and killer musical performances. Thanks to the addition of real music legends like Cab Calloway, the music in this film is impossibly catchy. And you’re likely to be belting these tunes out in the shower (because nobody wants to hear your music in the park) long after Jake and Elwood Blues complete their mission.

7

KPop Demon Hunters

KPop Demon Hunters is a fantasy movie legitimately like nothing else. The story involves an ancient evil that is kept sealed away by demon hunters whose musical abilities help them strengthen a mystical barrier. Our heroes are a female K-Pop group who are secretly responsible for maintaining that barrier. Meanwhile, the demons inside of it plot to weaken the barrier by creating a rival boy band to steal away the girls’ fans and eventually terrorize everyone on the planet.

The soundtrack to this movie is a real banger, one worth listening to again and again. That’s because we get fun earmworm songs from both our protagonists and their rivals. While anyone can enjoy this movie, fans of the K-pop genre should be particularly excited. That’s because this film integrates familiar trappings like Idol Awards even as it offers a sweet and insightful look at Korean culture and mythology.

Great tunes, great messages, and great lessons? Talk about harmony!

6

Building the Band

Musical reality shows are nothing new. Most of the time, though, they focus on singular voices, like American Idol, helping us discover individuals with amazing singing talent. Building the Band is a reality show with a gimmick: as the name implies, it’s about artists building a band of fellow creatives they would like to work with. This is accomplished by giving everyone the chance to award a limited number of “likes” to performances from fellow contestants. Those without enough likes get dropped, and when the smoke clears, several ersatz bands form together and perform against each other.

If you enjoy musical competition shows, you’ll enjoy seeing a few familiar contestants who have appeared on other shows. Even if you’re not a reality TV junkie, though, everyone can enjoy the catchy tunes these bands come up with, and it’s hard not to get caught in the drama of their competition. Plus, celebrity judges like Kelly Rowland and the late, great Liam Payne helped to keep things entertaining, even when contestants perform the occasional sour note.

5

Becoming Led Zeppelin

Sometimes, what makes a musical documentary great is the participation of the band in question. Historically, Led Zeppelin has refused to help filmmakers create any biographical work on their famous band. But they cooperated in the production of Becoming Led Zeppelin, and the result is a surprisingly intimate story of how the band came together and became one of the most famous names in rock history.

Most of these tales come directly from the band members (the late John Bonham chimes in via archival footage). That lends every story some added authenticity, and the movie often feels like a guided tour through the musical scene of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Because of this, the movie feels fresh and relevant even as it describes events from over half a century ago. Let that be a lesson to music lovers: truly, rock ’n ’roll will never die!

4

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

One of the most famous musical films ever made is This Is Spinal Tap, a mockumentary that chronicled the misadventures of a fictional heavy metal band. Now, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping followed in that earlier movie’s footsteps by focusing on a musician (played by Andy Samberg) with big dreams. However, dreams of everything from romance to musical success never go quite as planned, and the movie makes the most of its protagonist’s increasingly comical struggles.

The real secret weapon of this film is that Samberg is joined by the other members of The Lonely Island, the musical comedy trio that frequently drops hilariously catchy songs on Saturday Night Live. Simply put, these boys are masters at using music to make audiences laugh. Popstar allows them to focus on what they do best while delivering a series of awesome in-jokes about musical culture. Trust me: you’ll be sad when the credits roll and Never Stop Never Stopping finally stops.

3

Mamma Mia!

Are you a big fan of ABBA? If so, then Mamma Mia! is practically required viewing. The movie follows a bride-to-be as she prepares for her wedding. She wants her father to walk her down the aisle, but she doesn’t know exactly who the man is. But she has a few clues and uses them to invite three men to her wedding without her mother’s knowledge. Her mission? To find out exactly which one of these fellows is her daddy so he can walk her down the aisle.

It’s a wild premise for a wildly entertaining movie. A cast of big names brings this tale to life, including Amanda Seyfried as the bride-to-be and Meryl Streep as the woman suddenly confronted by three lovers from her past. Incidentally, those three lovers have charm to spare as they are played by Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgård, and Colin Firth. Thanks to their collective talents and the eternal tunes of ABBA, this movie is fun for the whole family.

2

Empire Records

Fellow Millennials, be warned: Empire Records is such a perfect time capsule of the ‘90s that it will likely make your heart ache for the good old days. The film takes its name from the independent record store that our young characters all work at. The store is about to be sold and become part of a monolithic national chain of stores. That leaves the manager and his erstwhile employees to frantically try to raise enough money to stay independent, even as they manage their own interpersonal dramas and the visit of Rex Manning, a hotshot musical celebrity.

Empire Records is a great “vibes” movie, and it’s fun to watch it just to soak in the atmosphere of the music and youth culture from decades past. It’s also filled with killer performances from a cast that includes big names like Renee Zellweger and Liv Tyler. Everything is generally lighthearted, but the movie is serious about one thing: music and its ability to bring different groups together through shared passion. And it’s powerful to relive a time when none of us had to worry about ways to discover new music online.

Another warning, though: after watching this film, you might just start turning Rex Manning Day into an annual celebration!

1

Sing

If you have children, it can be difficult to find movies about music that are suitable for the whole family. After all, so many films focus on things like rockstar lifestyles or the darker side of the music industry. Fortunately, Sing is a great animated film that parents and children alike can enjoy. The plot starts out with the struggle to keep a local theater open. The owner decides to raise money by holding a singing competition, but thanks to a fateful typo, he ends up offering a prize of $100,000 rather than $1,000.

This attracts some of the greatest talent in the world, but it also raises the stakes for everyone dreaming of bringing that huge prize home. Kids are sure to like this movie thanks to its adorable and charismatic cast of anthropomorphic characters. Meanwhile, adults will love the surprisingly nuanced plot as well as voice work by Hollywood heavyweights like Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, and more. They help to bring this film to startling life and are a big part of why the movie was successful enough to warrant a sequel. After watching it, you will join the rest of us fans in hoping that Sing 3 eventually sees the light of day.

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Do you love good music? How about good movies? With these Netflix films, you can get a heaping helping of both with just the click of a button!