Movies like Vinyl Nation (2020)
The best movies like Vinyl Nation (2020) are Artifact (2012), The Beach Boys (2024) and Justin Bieber's Believe (2013). If Vinyl Nation hooked you with its documentary and music, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSelena Gomez: My Mind & Me (2022)8.4/10 from 623 votes
- NewestDarlene Love: I Know Where I've Been (2026)Released 2026
Artifact (2012)
Follow 30 Seconds to Mars as they record their latest album, This Is War, and their battle against record label EMI.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Beach Boys (2024)
A celebration of the legendary band that revolutionized pop music, and the iconic, harmonious sound they created that personified the California dream, captivating fans for generations and generations to come.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJustin Bieber's Believe (2013)
A backstage and on-stage look at Justin Bieber during his rise to super stardom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOasis: Don't Look Back in Anger (2026)
Experience the meteoric rise of Oasis through rare footage and untold stories as the band reunites for Oasis Live '25, chronicling their journey from Manchester streets to global rock stardom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEcho in the Canyon (2019)
A look at the roots of the historic music scene in L.A.'s Laurel Canyon featuring the music of iconic music groups such as The Byrds, The Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield, and The Mamas and the Papas.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Decline of Western Civilization Part III (1998)
A musical study of Los Angeles in the late 90s, where homeless teens roam the streets and profess to live a punk lifestyle of music, drugs, and flouting authority.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDavid Bowie: The Last Five Years (2017)
In the last five years of his life, David Bowie ended nearly a decade of silence to engage in an extraordinary burst of activity, producing two groundbreaking albums and a musical. David Bowie: The Last Five Years explores this unexpected end to a remarkable career. Made with remarkable access, Francis Whately’s documentary is a revelatory follow-up to his acclaimed 2013 documentary David Bowie: Five Years, which chronicled Bowie’s golden ‘70s and early-‘80s period.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMichael Jackson: The Life of an Icon (2011)
See Michael Jackson, one of the most recognizable and popular entertainers of all time, like never before in the feature-length tribute Michael Jackson: The Life of an Icon. Known to millions of fans worldwide for his record-breaking albums, groundbreaking music videos, mesmerizing dance moves and humanitarian efforts, his true story has never really been told...until now. This unprecedented look into the King of Pop's fascinating life includes all-new interviews with his mother Katherine Jackson as well as siblings Tito and Rebbie Jackson, his nephew Jaafar Jackson and niece Tahkyah brings plenty Jackson and Friends ends and music legends such as Smokey Robinson, Dionne Warwick and his 3 children and many more.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisDaft Punk Unchained (2015)
Daft Punk Unchained is the first film about the pop culture phenomenon that is Daft Punk, the duo with 12 million albums sold worldwide and seven Grammy Awards. Throughout their career Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo have always resisted compromise and the established codes of show business. They have remained determined to maintain control of every link in the chain of their creative process. In the era of globalisation and social networks, they rarely speak in public and neither do they show their faces on TV. This documentary explores this unprecedented cultural revolution revealing a duo of artists on a permanent quest for creativity, independence and freedom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSelena Gomez: My Mind & Me (2022)
After years in the limelight, Selena Gomez achieves unimaginable stardom. But just as she reaches a new peak, an unexpected turn pulls her into darkness. This uniquely raw and intimate documentary spans her six-year journey into a new light.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisEnd of the Century: The Story of the Ramones (2003)
A years-in-the-making documentary on the legendary punk band the Ramones. Through a mixture of archival footage, archival and new interviews with all members of the band's various lineups, and new interviews with a number of their contemporaries, the film traces the peaks and valleys the band experienced over the course of its 20-plus year career before disbanding in 1995.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGod Bless Ozzy Osbourne (2011)
Featuring never before seen footage uncovered from the archives and interviews with Paul McCartney, Tommy Lee and others, God Bless Ozzy Osbourne is the first documentary to take viewers inside the complex mind of rock's great icon.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisHalftime (2022)
Global superstar Jennifer Lopez reflects on her multifaceted career and the pressure of life in the spotlight in this intimate documentary.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJohn & Yoko: Above Us Only Sky (2018)
Film telling the untold story of John Lennon's 1971 album Imagine, exploring the creative collaboration between Lennon and Yoko Ono and featuring interviews and never-seen-before footage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Decline of Western Civilization (1981)
The Los Angeles punk music scene circa 1980 is the focus of this film. With Alice Bag Band, Black Flag, Catholic Discipline, Circle Jerks, Fear, Germs, and X.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStans (2025)
A revealing, edgy, and disarmingly personal journey into the world of superfandom, told through the lens of one of the world's most iconic and enduring artists, Eminem, and the fans that worship him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThriller 40 (2023)
Forty years after the release of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller,’ the best-selling album of all-time, director Nelson George takes fans back in time to the making of a pop masterpiece, featuring never-before-seen footage and candid interviews.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Last Waltz (1978)
Martin Scorsese's documentary intertwines footage from The Band's incredible farewell tour with probing backstage interviews and featured performances by Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, and other rock legends.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Last Repair Shop (2024)
In a warehouse in the heart of Los Angeles, a dwindling handful of devoted craftspeople maintain more than 80,000 student musical instruments, the largest remaining workshop in America of its kind. Meet four unforgettable characters whose broken-and-repaired lives have been dedicated to bringing so much more than music to the schoolchildren of this city.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAll Things Must Pass (2015)
The explosive trajectory and tragic demise of iconic music retailer Tower Records, and the legacy of its rebellious founder Russ Solomon. Two hundred stores in thirty countries on five continents. In 1999 it made $1 billion. In 2006 it filed for bankruptcy. What went wrong?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHype! (1996)
This documentary examines the Seattle scene as it became the focus of a merging of punk rock, heavy metal, and innovation. Building from the grass roots, self-promoted and self-recorded until break-out success of bands like Nirvana brought the record industry to the Pacific Northwest, a phenomenon was born.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLet’s Spend the Night Together: Confessions of Rock’s Greatest Groupies (2010)
A documentary about the groupie scene in the 1970s.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music & documentary
Darlene Love: I Know Where I've Been (2026)
A documentary on Darlene Love, the singer and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee known for “He’s a Rebel” and collaborations with Cher, Bruce Springsteen, Dionne Warwick, Sam Cooke and other greats.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & music
Bathtubs Over Broadway (2018)
When he started as a comedy writer for the Late Show with David Letterman, Steve Young had few interests and not many friends outside of his day job. But while gathering material for a segment on the show, Steve stumbled onto a few vintage record albums that would change his life forever.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & music
Heavy Metal Parking Lot (1986)
Heavy Metal Parking Lot documents heavy metal music fans tailgating in the parking lot outside the Capital Centre (since demolished) in Landover, Maryland, on May 31, 1986, before a Judas Priest concert (with opening act Dokken).
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUDO Rebell. Rockstar. Ikone. (2026)
Celebrating Udo Lindenberg’s 80th birthday, exploring his extraordinary career as one of Germany’s most influential rock musicians. The film traces his rise from a rebellious young artist to a national icon, highlighting his music, political activism, and unique personality. Through interviews, archival footage, and behind-the-scenes insights, the documentary showcases Lindenberg’s cultural impact and enduring legacy in the German music scene.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & music
Fanstory (1987)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & music
In the Good Old Summertime (1949)
Two co-workers in a music shop dislike one another during business hours but unwittingly carry on an anonymous romance through the mail.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThis Is Spinal Tap (1984)
"This Is Spinal Tap" shines a light on the self-contained universe of a metal band struggling to get back on the charts, including everything from its complicated history of ups and downs, gold albums, name changes and undersold concert dates, along with the full host of requisite groupies, promoters, hangers-on and historians, sessions, release events and those special behind-the-scenes moments that keep it all real.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBye Bye Birdie (1963)
A singer goes to a small town for a performance before he is drafted.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Vinyl Nation?
The closest matches to Vinyl Nation are Artifact (2012), The Beach Boys (2024) and Justin Bieber's Believe (2013). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Vinyl Nation?
Start with Artifact (2012), the closest match to Vinyl Nation.
What is the highest-rated movie like Vinyl Nation?
Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me (2022), rated 8.4/10 by 623 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Vinyl Nation?
Darlene Love: I Know Where I've Been (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Vinyl Nation?
Yes: Artifact (2012), The Beach Boys (2024) and Justin Bieber's Believe (2013).
How are movies similar to Vinyl Nation chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Vinyl Nation, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.