Olympics boosts “Girl From Ipanema” streams 1,200%

The world is tuning into the feats of athleticism happening in Rio de Janeiro this week during the Summer Olympics. It all kicked off with Friday’s Opening Ceremony, which contained a surprising, musical win. A performance of “The Girl From Ipanema,” the classic bossa nova tune by Antonio Carlos Jobim, was a highlight moment of the ceremony. As we so often see with this moments of cultural zeitgeist, the song saw an immediate spike in online listens.

According to Spotify, the song was streamed more than 40,000 times a day after the ceremony. That’s an increase of 1,200% in plays for the tune, which was clocking in about 3,000 plays a day prior to the games’ start.

“The Olympic Games is one of those rare global events where the world comes together to celebrate not only sports but culture,” said Tom Eaton, senior VP of music for advertising at Universal Music Publishing Group, which represents the Jobim work. “Our synch teams worldwide are the very best at maximizing the potential of globally televised events that generate mass exposure, creative opportunities and maximized revenue for our songwriters and iconic songs.”