Music Vault brings more than 13,000 concert videos to YouTube

Never got to see James Brown in concert? Want to relive early U2, Bob Dylan or the Rolling Stones?

YouTube is already rife with millions of clips uploaded by fans, labels, artists and bootleggers, making it easy to find footage of your favorite performer. Professional footage, however, isn’t always as simple to find.

Enter Music Vault. Owned by memorabilia and concert merch store Wolfgang’s Vault, the company has been restoring vintage concert footage to create a more curated and authoritative live music archive on YouTube.

On Tuesday, Music Vault uploaded more than 13,000 concert videos on its YouTube channel. The videos, which were remastered over the last two years, is a treasure trove that spans over half a century.

A range of genres is offered. There’s clips of Dylan, U2, the Grateful Dead, Peter Frampton, Rolling Stones, R.E.M. and Bruce Springsteen, as well as KISS, Backstreet Boys, the Roots, Kid Rock and Limp Bizkit.

There’s full concerts too. Aretha Franklin’s 1971 gig at San Fransico’s historic Filmore West is there, as is Nine Inch Nails’ slot at Woodstock ’94 and a 1986 show from Lou Reed. Digging deeper, one can watch the Who’s classic Tanglewood concert from 1970.

Officially launched in April, Music Vault has curated performances from iconic venues like the Fillmore and Capitol Theater, as well as festivals such as Woodstock and Winterland. One can also find tour documentaries and more.

Sifting through nearly 2,000 hours of content is daunting, so there’s several playlists, including a best-of, a showcase of “legendary drummers” and “leading ladies of rock” that should get users going.

“We believe this content deserves to be seen by the largest audience possible, and our partnership with YouTube allows us to do just that,” Music Vault content editor Bill Antonucci said in a release. “Younger music fans will now be able to experience what it was like to see these classic bands at the peak of their powers while their parents relive the thrill of seeing shows they actually attended.”

Twitter: @GerrickKennedy