Music Industry

How much has Kate Bush made from the recent “Running Up That Hill” phenomenon? A lot.

Ever since that scene in season four of Stranger Things in which Max is seen listening to Kate Bush’s 1985 song “Running Up That Hill,” this 37-year-old track has taken on a viral life rivaling COVID–without all the suffering and death, of course.

It’s become a streaming sensation as well as topping charts (Billboard, the UK singles chart, iTunes, Spotify) around the planet. So the natural question might be “How much money is Kate making from all this?”

A lot.

According to Luminate, the company that keeps tabs on the health of music sales and streaming, reports that between May 27 (I think that was when the song appeared in Stranger Things) and June 23, Kate earned US$2.3 million in streaming royalties. And that seems to be just from the US alone.

You can bet that music supervisors are being inundated with entreaties from rightsholders to use their songs in TV shows and movies. Kate’s situation might be rare, but damn, it’s paid off.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 37974 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

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