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Five YouTube channels for music lovers

Guy Hall • July 24, 2020

For better or for worse, the music industry has changed dramatically over the last few decades. Between YouTube channels, music streaming services, Internet radio stations and countless other sources, we’ve never before had this much access to music.

Because of this, now more than ever, we are able to hear from tons of talented people producing some incredible, unique music. 

A lot of these musical magicians find their home on YouTube, so we decided to ask our community on social media for some of their favorite musicians with YouTube channels so we could compile this list.

We ended up with quite a varied list so hopefully, there’ll be something for you no matter what kind of music you listen to.

Have a read, have a listen and let us know who your favorites are in the comments below.

Postmodern Jukebox

Founded in 2011 by pianist and musical genius Scott Bradlee, Postmodern Jukebox (PMJ) take well-known hits and turn them into something completely new… or should we say old?

You see, PMJ are heavily influenced by the sounds of Old Jazz, Motown and myriad different vintage genres. 

Ever wondered what Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance would sound like if it had been performed in the roaring twenties at a Great Gatsby style party? Wonder no more, just watch and listen. 

What if Careless Whisper hadn’t been a creation of George Michael, but instead had come straight out of a 1930’s jazz bar? Fret not, PMJ asked themselves the same question.

How about if Miley Cyrus’ We Can’t Stop hadn’t been released as a 2013 pop banger, but rather as a 1950s doo-wop classic? Yep, you guessed it, PMJ has got the answer for you.

Whether covering a tune in the style of the 20s, 40s or 60s, PMJ never fails to produce musical magic. In fact, we’ve spent hours scouring their YouTube channel and the YouTube channels of the artists they feature, and we’re yet to be disappointed.

It’s no wonder that the PMJ channel has nearly 5 million subscribers and over a billion total views. 

Oh, and if you become as obsessed with PMJ as we’ve become, Scott Bradlee also wrote a book on his journey. Our copy is already in the mail.

Brass Against

When you think of brass instruments, your mind probably turns to something like a marching band. Or maybe an orchestra.

What you’re probably not thinking about is Rage Against the Machine or Black Sabbath.

But Brass Against are going to change that for you. Forever. 

The group came to YouTube in 2017 and it’s definitely one of those YouTube channels that we wish we’d heard about sooner. 

Led by Brad Hammonds, and predominantly fronted by the phenomenally passionate Sophia Urista, the New York-based collective describe themselves as “exceptional music with a political edge” and we could think of no better description.

Their brass-based covers of tunes like Killing in the Name by RATM, The Pot by Tool and War Pigs by Black Sabbath are punchy, powerful and inherently protest against the system.

Their music will make you want to rebel against anything and everything, but only after you’ve gone to see your doctor from all that headbanging.

With 167,000 subscribers and 25 million views, this is one of the smaller YouTube channels on this list but we have a feeling that won’t be the case for long. 

Boyce Avenue

Alejandro, Fabian and Daniel Manzano are three brothers from Florida who release acoustic covers of popular songs on their YouTube channel, under the name Boyce Avenue.

No big deal right?

Well, actually wrong. Much like Anchorman, Ron Burgundy, they’re kind of a big deal. 

The only way to convey just how much of a big deal they are is to talk numbers. So let’s do just that.

Since their formation in 2004, and since they joined YouTube in 2007, the Boyce Avenue boys have toured five continents and played headline shows in over 30 countries, selling over 600,000 tickets.

They’ve also sold over 10 million tracks and been streamed upwards of 1.5 billion times. Their YouTube channel, where they found fame, has nearly 14 million subscribers and an almost incomprehensible 5.2 billion views.

Do you get the idea yet?

They’re one of the biggest music YouTube channels and we’re not remotely surprised. Their beautiful voices and breathtaking composition will leave you with goosebumps, and a deep feeling of envy that your singing in the shower will never come close to the sounds that these three are able to produce.

As we mentioned they’ve been on YouTube for over a decade and so they have an extremely extensive catalog of songs having covered everything from P Diddy to Post Malone and from Drake to Disclosure.

Basically, if the song exists, there’s about a 75 percent chance that Boyce Avenue has covered it. 

And, if they’ve covered it, there’s a 100 percent chance that they’ve covered it well.

Frog Leap Studios

We really hope that your neck has recovered from checking out Brass Against, because Frog Leap Studios’ channel is going to put it to the test all over again.

Leo Morracchioli, who runs a music studio in Norway and the Frog Leap Studios (FSL) YouTube channel, is one of those people that you just can’t take your eyes off. 

Seriously, this is one of those YouTube channels that you won’t be able to stop watching.

Morracchioli not only produces awesome heavy metal covers of great artists like Adele, Toto and Gorrilaz, but he does it with unmatchable energy. You can tell that he’s loving what he’s doing, and it’s infectious! 

Morracchioli is a man of many, many talents, and he records, edits, mixes and masters the videos all by himself. 

It seems like we’re not the only ones who are captivated by the FLS channel as Morracchioli has earned himself 3.8 million subscribers and nearly 1 billion views.

Even if you’re not a massive metalhead, we strongly recommend that you check FLS out. It’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face, and a sprain in your neck.

The Piano Guys

The Piano Guys have a somewhat unique origin story. 

Paul Anderson, a Yamaha piano dealer in Utah, was looking for ways to go viral so that he could sell more pianos. Into his shop walks Jon Schmidt, a professional pianist who was looking for somewhere to practice for an upcoming concert. 

Anderson and Schmidt were joined by Al van der Beek, a music producer and studio engineer, and Steven Sharp Nelson, an exceptional cellist and old friend of Jon Schmidt. 

The Piano Guys were born and the rest, as they say, is history.

Anderson’s goal of going viral certainly came into fruition. Since the Piano Guys founded their YouTube channel in 2008, they’ve amassed over 6.7 million subscribers and nearly 2 billion views.

They perform beautiful renditions of popular songs, like the Frozen theme song, Let It Go, often mixed with classical songs, with only a piano and a cello.

Not only is the music fabulous, but the videos are superbly shot and have been filmed in some of the world’s most impressive locations. They’ve recorded videos by Petra in Jordan, Christ the Redeemer in Brazil and even on the Great Wall of China! 

The captivating cinematography and the soft sounds of the strings and the piano make for an incredible combination. This is certainly one of those YouTube channels that you’ll be sharing with your friends.

Which are your favorite YouTube Channels?

So there you have it, five YouTube channels to check out if you want to listen to some amazing music, in some styles you may not usually listen to. They’re all so good that it’s tough to pick our favorite, but we’ll open the question up to you, who did you like the best?

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