Series Finale Brings a Resurgence of Popularity for Prince

There are some very popular shows and movies that I have not seen.  Most of those are old holiday movies such as It's a Wonderful Life, White Christmas and Miracle on 34th Street.  But I have seen bits and pieces of each of those movies, just not the whole thing.

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There are also some very popular TV series that I have not seen either such as Game of Thrones and Stranger Things.  The latter being because I don't really like horror movies and shows.  I'm kind of a wuss when it comes to that type of stuff.  No thank you!

WERE YOU ABLE TO WATCH THE STRANGER THINGS SERIES FINALE

However, if you are a huge Stranger Things fan, as many people are, then you probably watched the finale - which was in a few theatres over the holiday weekend.  And did very well considering that it was a limited release. AND if you watched it, you may have noticed that there were a couple Prince songs in the show.  Both were off of the Purple Rain soundtrack.  The title track and When Doves Cry.

PRINCE'S ESTATE GRANTED PERMISSION TO USE SOME OF HIS MUSIC

According to Variety, Prince had a huge resurgence in sales, downloads and streams of his music because of the link to Stranger Things.

Since the episode debuted on New Year’s Eve, “Purple Rain” has seen a 243 percent increase in Spotify global streams and a 577 percent surge in global Gen-Z streams specifically, Variety can exclusively reveal. “When Doves Cry” also saw a 200 percent boost in global streams, as well as a 128 percent increase in Gen Z streams. Overall streams of Prince‘s catalog have climbed 190 percent, with an 88 percent uptick in Gen Z streams.

There was some comcern that Prince's estate would not agree to the show using the songs.  But, to the producers surprise, they were granted permission.  Not sure if Prince were still alive that it would have happened... but maybe.  I think it's great that they were used.  A whole new audience got to appreciate some Prince music.  If you are a true Minnesotan, you will appreciate Prince and his talent.  Even if you aren't a person who really cares for the style of his music, you can still appreciate his talent.  Very underrated guitarist and musician.