Notre Dame’s Band of the Fighting Irish Makes History as First College Band to Go Gold on Spotify
South Bend, IN — In an unprecedented cultural moment blending tradition with modern stardom, the Band of the Fighting Irish from the University of Notre Dame has become the first collegiate marching band to receive a Certified Gold distinction on Spotify. With an astonishing 2.6 million monthly listeners, their original soundtrack, “Echoes of the Dome,” has surged past the 500,000 stream threshold required for Gold status, marking a turning point in the role of college bands in the music industry.
Founded in 1845, the Band of the Fighting Irish is the oldest university marching band in continuous existence in the United States. Known for rousing halftime shows and iconic renditions of the Notre Dame Victory March, the band has long served as the heart and sound of the university’s legendary athletic programs. Yet never in its 180-year history has it crossed into the global mainstream music scene — until now.
The turning point came in fall 2024, when Director of Bands Dr. Catherine Reynolds spearheaded a project to record a cinematic soundtrack blending traditional fight songs with orchestral arrangements, ambient soundscapes, and contemporary brass fusion. The result, “Echoes of the Dome,” was produced in collaboration with Grammy-winning producer Alex Chambers and recorded partly in Notre Dame’s hallowed Basilica of the Sacred Heart and the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London.
“We wanted to capture not just the sound of the band,” Reynolds said, “but the spirit of Notre Dame — the roar of the crowd, the clanging echoes of the stadium, the silence before the snap. It’s both a tribute to our legacy and a step into something entirely new.”
Spotify listeners responded with unexpected enthusiasm. Within two weeks of its release in late February 2025, “Echoes of the Dome” began trending on curated playlists, including Epic Marches, Study with Brass, and surprisingly, Pre-Workout Power Anthems. By March, it had cracked the Top 100 in the Classical Crossover category, alongside names like Hans Zimmer and Two Steps from Hell.
The album’s most-streamed track, “Golden Glory (Final Drive),” features a blend of Irish pipes, orchestral crescendos, and the haunting cadence of the Victory March slowed to halftime tempo. It alone accounts for over 12 million streams. Celebrities, athletes, and even presidential hopefuls have posted clips using the track on social media, praising its cinematic energy.
Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins celebrated the milestone, calling it “a reaffirmation of our enduring commitment to both tradition and innovation.” The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) awarded the Gold Certification in a ceremony on Notre Dame’s campus, a first for any university ensemble.
For students like drum major Alonzo Kim, a senior studying Aerospace Engineering, the moment is still surreal. “We always joked about going viral — now we’re sharing airwaves with Taylor Swift and The Weeknd. It’s unreal.”
Industry analysts are already calling this a cultural inflection point. “What Notre Dame’s band has done,” says music historian Dr. Lila Morrison, “is elevate the college band from background noise to headline act. They’ve redefined what it means to be a student performer in the digital age.”
And perhaps most importantly, they’ve proven that the sound of a university — forged in brass, sweat, and fight — can echo far beyond the stadium.
