How Music Documentaries Are Shaping Artist Legacies in 2026
Music documentaries have been providing deeper insights into what happens in the life of a music artist and with streaming channels like Netflix and Disney+ collaborating with artists, documentaries are becoming a popular form of entertainment.
Music documentaries have been providing deeper insights into what happens in the life of a music artist and with streaming channels like Netflix and Disney+ collaborating with artists, documentaries are becoming a popular form of entertainment.
Some documentaries pay homage to music legends that are no longer with us, like the popular Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley which was shown on Netflix. These types of documentaries help to maintain legacies and allow new generations to discover music from past eras.
Speaking of eras, modern day musicians are also tapping into the documentary space, with Taylor Swift recently recording a documentary that follows her through her record breaking Eras tour. Released as a six-part docuseries, fans get to see all the behind the scenes work going into the success of the tour, including the creative processes involved in her concert performances.
Swift’s docuseries was produced with Disney+ and titled Taylor Swift: The End of an Era. It features appearances from famous artists she has collaborated with, including Ed Sheeran and Sabrina Carpenter. The docuseries not only delves into the musical realms, it also provides insights into Taylor Swift’s relationship with NFL star Travis Kelce and shows heart warming moments like Swift giving her dancers huge bonus payments at the end of the tour.
Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran at Wembley Stadium on The Eras Tour / Credit: Getty Images
Showing a more personal side of artists, documentaries allow fans to engage with their favorite artists on a deeper emotional level and can also enhance their brand image.
These are some of the ways that music documentaries are shaping artists’ legacies.
Telling the Artist’s Own Story
Documentaries created with the artist’s input allows them to tell their own story, a major contrast to the alternative which is the way that the media portrays famous people. With news outlets running stories that often portray people in a negative light to gain more attention, artists are increasingly looking for a way to tell their own story. Clickbait stories on social media are often filled with false narratives and releasing a documentary allows artists to control the narrative.
Showing the Human Side
Global artists who experience great success can feel unrelatable to normal people but documentaries often show a more personal side to the artist, sometimes revealing struggles that they have overcome in their journey to success. The insights provided in documentaries can reveal vulnerabilities of artists that make them feel more human, driving a deeper emotional connection with fans that would otherwise not be possible.
Fans become engaged in the whole journey and not just the sound of the artist’s music, which keeps fans coming back to their new music, even if it deviates significantly from the type of music that first attracted the listener.
Leveraging the Streaming Era
For artists to stay relevant, they need to adapt to the latest consumer habits and demand. Their success is driven by fans and in the digital era, there are many more ways to generate revenue than selling music. There is an increasing demand for streaming content and artists who adapt to new trends in how fans want to interact or consume content maintains relevancy.
Digital entertainment options are advancing at a fast pace, with higher demand for new forms of digital entertainment. Social media usage is high across most age categories and other trends like playing games on mobile phones have become prominent. Games available at this online casino show how many different gaming options there currently are, as the demand for new digital entertainment opportunities grows. The popularity of live casino games highlights how consumers want to engage in a more interactive way, similar to streaming content like documentaries.
Documentaries help artists to cut through all the alternative digital distractions by providing a more immersive experience and driving engagement with the artist on a deeper level.
Attracting the Next Generations
For younger generations who were not around when an artist first launches their music career, they are less likely to discover the music released years previously. A documentary on the popular streaming channels gives the artist a platform to attract new generations of listeners through content formats that they are familiar with.
Artists can attract new listeners without needing to release new albums, creating longevity without the additional work involved in producing new work. The more platforms that artists are accessible on, the more exposure they can get. So, using a combination of releasing music on music stream channels, being active on social media and creating documentaries will increase exposure and help build a broader and more diverse audience range.
In 2026, you can expect to see many more artists working on their own documentaries, as well as producers working on content developed for streaming channels to re-tell the stories of legendary artists who are no longer performing.
