Stranger Things Prince sync

Photo Credit: Prince by Jimi Hughes / CC by 2.0

Prince’s catalog is seeing a significant streaming boost thanks to two of his biggest hits featuring in the Stranger Things finale on Netflix.

Prince’s estate helped Netflix’s hit sci-fi series Stranger Things end with proper ‘80s flair in the show’s finale, featuring not one but two classic Prince tracks: “When Doves Cry” and “Purple Rain.” And creator-directors Matt and Ross Duffer reveal that the licensing wasn’t easy to secure.

“It was cheap,” Matt Duffer joked to Entertainment Weekly, adding that he and his brother are “very grateful to the [Prince] estate for allowing us to use” the songs.

“The rights issues were challenging, just because it hasn’t been licensed very much,” said Ross Duffer. “I don’t know if in a world where ‘Running Up That Hill’ didn’t do what it did for Kate Bush last season, that we would’ve gotten these rights.”

Indeed, Stranger Things Season 4 prominently featured Kate Bush’s 1985 single “Running Up That Hill,” leading to an overwhelming pop culture resurgence. The track returned to the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at #3 in 2022 after its usage on the show.

“We’ve never thought so much figuring out what the right song was and talked to so many people, because it wasn’t just about the emotion of the scene,” Ross continues, noting that the “stars aligned” for them to secure the two Prince tracks. “What’s really challenging, because of the way [the record player in the scene worked], we needed the beginning of whatever song was on the A- or B-side to be upbeat and hopeful, and then we needed the last song to be epic and emotional, and obviously had to be period correct and it had to be an iconic song.”

The Duffer Brothers add that the only rights that were harder to secure were those of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” for a trailer for Stranger Things Season 2. “And actually, that trailer’s not even available anymore because of the rights issues,” notes Matt. “So that was more brutal and expensive than Prince.”

Now, Prince’s catalog is seeing a significant streaming boost thanks to the songs’ use during key moments in the show. Since the episode debuted on New Year’s Eve, “Purple Rain” has seen a 243% increase in Spotify streams globally, and a 577% boost in worldwide Gen-Z streams, specifically. Similarly, “When Doves Cry” saw a 200% surge in global streams and a 128% increase in Gen-Z streams. All in all, Prince’s catalog has seen a 190% streaming boost, with an 88% increase in Gen-Z streams.

While that’s excellent news for the Prince estate, fans of Minnesota group the Replacements were disappointed the band wasn’t featured in the show, since a reference earlier in the season led to speculation that they might be. However, Stranger Things actor Finn Wolfhard has optioned the rights for a film adaptation of “Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements.” Wolfhard will host Saturday Night Live on January 17.