The finale of supernatural Netflix series Stranger Things has caused major streaming surges for musicians and artists whose songs have appeared on the hit TV show.
On New Year’s Eve 2025, Stranger Things aired the grand finale on Netflix and in select cinemas. Two of Prince’s biggest hits, Purple Rain and When Doves Cry featured in the final episode, causing a huge uptake in streams after fans watched the last episode.
Purple Rain went up by 243% globally on Spotify, with 577% in Gen Z audiences specifically. Meanwhile, When Doves Cry streams soared almost 200% globally and 128% with Gen Z listeners. In total, the whole catalogue hiked 190%, 88% with Gen Z.
Meanwhile, Stranger Things actor Joe Keery, known for playing series favourite Steve Harrington, has seen his own music climb the charts since the final episode was aired.
Releasing music under the name Djo, his track, End Of The Beginning, has dethroned Taylor Swift‘s The Fate Of Ophelia from the top of Spotify‘s global chart in the wake of the finale of Stranger Things. Swift’s 2025 hit was toppled after 78 consecutive days at the top of the charts.
The song was first released in 2022, as the sixth track from Keery's second studio album, Decide. The song began to gain popularity on TikTok in 2024; as a result, it was issued as a single in March 2024.
End of Beginning made its debut on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 51, with 8.4 million streams, on the chart dated March 2, 2024, eventually peaking at number 11 in its fifth week on the chart.
The song rapidly climbed the charts following the finale of Stranger Things on New Year’s Day in 2026, racking up 6.5million streams – the same milestone it reached in 2024 after going viral. The song currently sits at Number One on the US Spotify chart with 1.38million streams.