Following the premiere of the series finale of Stranger Things on New Year’s Eve, Prince’s iconic songs “Purple Rain” and “When Doves Cry” experienced dramatic Spotify streaming surges. Global streams of “Purple Rain” increased 243% while Gen Z specific streams rose 577%, while “When Doves Cry” saw a 200% boost globally and a 128% increase among Gen Z listeners. Both tracks featured prominently during key dramatic scenes in the finale, marking a rare licensed use of Prince’s celebrated songs outside of the Grammy-winning 1984 film soundtrack for Purple Rain. “We were told that it was a real long shot, so we just crossed our fingers,” series creator Matt Duffer told Netflix following the finale premiere, while co-creator Ross Duffer added that getting approval for the songs was “very exciting” because Prince’s estate “does not generally allow that song to be licensed outside of the ‘Purple Rain’ movie.” (Variety)
