"Beastie Boys Story," now available exclusively on Apple TV Plus, may be my favorite thing I've watched in the six weeks I was confined to my house in quarantine It also got me thinking about the Apple TV Plus service, which probably hasn't been the home run hit Apple had hoped it would be

But as I sat on the couch and had the strongest (and broadest) feelings, I felt that this was the kind of show that Apple TV Plus could help find an identity for Through movies and shows like "The Beastie Boys Story," Apple will find its lane in the streaming wilderness where Netflix runs the city and new gunmen like Peacock and HBO Max are coming this summer

Yes, it will be increasingly difficult to get people to pay the $499/month for Apple TV Plus as streaming media becomes increasingly crowded

I admit that I am the target audience for this film, but let me break out the Beastie Boys fan in me to explain the film's broad appeal First of all, I'm a fan of the Beastie Boys because all you have to do is watch a few minutes of Mike D and Ad-Rock on stage from the beginning of the film to see their rapport and chemistry in that funny, clumsy, dad-esque way that is so appealing

During the Zoom call, I got to talk to Jones, Diamond, and Horowitz and see their chaotic energy in the flesh Ad-Rock, in particular, is always going against the flow The film showed how he fled to Los Angeles after the success of Licensed to Ill, and how the band deteriorated to the point of breaking up while on tour and no longer receiving royalties from Def Jam

Even a Beasties fan like myself could learn something Yes, I knew about Kate Schellenbach, a founding member of the punk version of the Beastie Boys, but I had no idea that Beastie was actually an abbreviation for something It's trivia that makes sense now, but at the time "Fight For Your Right To Party" was released, I would have been completely taken aback

For decades, outside groups have told the story of how Mike D, MCA, and Ad-Rock went from punk to rapper to enlightened genius, but The Beastie Boys Story is the first chance to actually show their side of the story for longer than a talk show appearance [And seeing 54-year-old Michael Diamond and 53-year-old Adam Horowitz reflect on their history and constantly pay tribute to how the Beastie Boys were born out of Adam Yauch (RIP MCA), "The Beastie Boys Story, feels like just what many people, including the Beastie Boys themselves, needed: a tribute to Adam Yauch The band played a tribute show and a lot of articles were circulated with the MCA name, but not this one The [Beastie Boys Story] feels at times like a joyous memorial, interwoven with rare interview footage of Yauch (including one or two gems from his MTV days) Yes, there is a giant screen behind Diamond and Horowitz, on which Jones lays out some great archival video and photos, turning this stage show into a documentary

I wrote in my notes, "I wish I could get this vibe on my Apple TV Plus more often

Since its launch in November 2019, I've been waiting for the service to air something like Beastie Boys Story, watching Apple TV Plus launch and debut new shows It's not just something I enjoy or like Things I love Something I want to mainline Something that would be worth the $499/month fee The Beastie Boys Story is just that

For me, if Apple TV Plus can air even one new show or movie a month that excites and engages me like "The Beastie Boys Story" does, that's all I need So far, the only Apple TV Plus shows I've wanted to watch all the way through are "The Morning Show" (which was touch and go before it got better) and "Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet" (which I liked well enough)

So I got on the phone with Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore, to talk about Apple TV Plus Like me, Dergarabedian said his recent purchase of an iPhone 11 Pro in 2019 was his "gateway to getting Apple TV Plus" (the device came with a year of free service to watch Apple TV Plus) However, he said he did not return to Apple TV Plus that often because there are "too many platforms" for streaming content

After telling Dergarabedian how much I loved the documentary and why it was so good, he uttered a stroke of genius 'You have Apple Music, so obviously there's synergy there More music-related programming would differentiate Apple TV Plus That would be a smart move"

He added, "I think it's a good idea

And while Apple TV Plus launched with its own audio, the press release stated that "subscribers will enjoy inspiring and authentic stories" Apple's initial push for uplifting content has yet to lead to highly successful programming, at least in terms of how the public consumed it Indeed, a Q4 2019 survey described in the Wall Street Journal claims that there may be more than 336 million Apple TV Plus subscribers, although how many of them, like me and Dergarabedian, have not paid for the service at all but were free subscribers who purchased a device that came free for a year?

Dergarabedian continued, noting that Apple "may not necessarily need new voices, but it needs more unique voices

"It's the same with music; you can find a surprising amount of relatable material in documentaries, even if you're not interested in the genre of music"

Like me, Dergarabedian is not ready to evaluate the Apple TV Plus" All it takes to put them on the map is one breakout hit, and that takes time" Television is not an industry where every hit is immediate Look at "Seinfeld Next Door," which didn't become the mega-hit it is today [Netflix used to be a DVD company," Dergarabedian reminded me

Apple is now a music giant, as evidenced by the headphones people wear in public, and AirPods feel like the next thing after iPods in terms of being everywhere Now it's just a matter of finding more musicians who will tell their stories for Apple to create the next generation of "Behind the Music" And with how good the Beastie Boys Story is, Apple has a great proof of concept to bring more genius musicians in front of the camera