Black Sabbath Streaming Numbers Soar Following Icon’s Death

Look, it was never going to be a quiet exit for Ozzy Osbourne. The man bit the head off a bat, swore on live television like it was punctuation, and somehow helped invent reality TV.

So when he finally shuffled off this mortal stage last week, fans played his hits like their lives depended on it.

Since the news broke, Ozzy and Black Sabbath’s streaming numbers have literally exploded. ‘Crazy Train’ racked up another 8 million listens. ‘Paranoid’ climbed by 9.3 million. Even ‘No More Tears’ got a solid 7 million bump. I mean, at that point, that’s no longer grieving, it is quite literally a global mosh.

Spotify reckons Ozzy has gained more than 6 million new solo monthly listeners. Sabbath pulled in another 4 million. Basically, everyone suddenly remembered the godfather of heavy metal was not just a meme with a Brummie accent. He was the real deal.

Ozzy died at 76, with his family saying he was “surrounded by love”. Odds are that meant Sharon, a few dogs, and maybe a couple of lingering security guards still traumatised by his 2000s TV run. Just weeks before, he played his final gig in Birmingham. That was his send-off. On stage. At home. Like it was always meant to be.

Since then, tributes have rolled in thick and fast. Oasis dedicated a song to him, Ghost shouted him out at Madison Square Garden, even Pantera paused their tour to grieve. Drake said something emotional on social media, though I mean jury’s out on whether he knows what a Sabbath is.

The surge in streaming is no surprise. Ozzy was chaos with eyeliner and now he’s pure legacy.

So whack on ‘War Pigs’. Crank up ‘Iron Man’. Scream along with ‘Mama, I’m Coming Home’. Ozzy might be gone, but he is not going anywhere. Not while the internet still has a volume button.