WEALTH July 29, 2026 0 Comments

The Surprising Payday Behind the Saw Doctors’ Mayo Anthem—What It Reveals About Music and Money in 2024

Can you imagine the kind of magic that happens when a 75-year drought finally breaks in front of tens of thousands of roaring fans? That’s exactly what unfolded at Croke Park this past Sunday, when Mayo clinched the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship—their first win in three-quarters of a century. And if you think the cheers alone were enough to shake the foundations, wait until you hear about the soundtrack to this epic victory. The Saw Doctors’ iconic anthem, “The Green and Red of Mayo,” didn’t just play—it practically set the whole stadium on fire. This song, a rugged homage to Mayo’s fierce landscape, has long been the heartbeat of Mayo GAA fandom, but now it’s becoming a full-blown cultural moment with streams soaring over 1,300%. Is this just a tune, or the soundtrack of a legend finally freed from an age-old curse? As the echoes of celebration fade into Spotify charts and streaming royalties, there’s a sweet business lesson in how passion and timing can turn even a regional anthem into a commercial triumph. Ready to dive into the story behind the music, the victory, and the numbers? LEARN MORE

Shortly after Mayo won their first All-Ireland Senior Football Championship for 75 years on Sunday, the Saw Doctors‘ ‘The Green and Red of Mayo’ began to ring around Croke Park.

The band’s ode to the county’s rugged landscape has long been an anthem of Mayo GAA, and tens of thousands of Mayo supporters sang it with gusto as they hailed their team’s historic achievement.

The song has been ever present during the celebrations, and the panel even sang it as they entered MacHale Park in Castlebar at the official homecoming.

After last winning the championship in 1951, folklore has it that the team disturbed a funeral in Foxford on their way back west. The priest is said to have cursed the team to prevent Mayo from winning another All-Ireland while they were all still living.

Mayo had been in 11 senior men’s finals before the final member of the 1951 championship team died in 2023, losing them all, including two that went to a replay.

The scenes at Croke Park following the win over defending champions Kerry were evidence of a tortured team and fanbase freed of the weight of history.

‘The Green and Red of Mayo’ has surged to number one on Spotify’s Ireland chart, ahead of Sam Fender, Olivia Dean and Kingfishr. It could also top the Official Irish Singles Chart when it is updated on Friday.

A spokesperson for Spotify said the song has seen a 1,367% increase in listenership since the weekend.

Prior to last weekend, ‘The Green and Red of Mayo’ averaged 3,904 daily streams in July, but since Saturday that number has jumped to 57,280.

According to Spotify, two-thirds of revenue from subscriptions, fees and advertising is paid out to rightsholders in recording and publishing royalties.

Of that total, four-fifths is allotted for recording royalties and the remainder for publishing royalties (songwriters, composition owners).

Rightsholders are paid in terms of their share of streaming, so if an artist accounts for 1% of all streams in a particular country, the rightsholders for their music will receive 1% of royalties paid out there.

The rightsholders then pay artists and songwriters according to their individual agreements.

Industry estimates put the effective average payout at 0.3 to 0.5 US cents per stream, although Spotify has said there is no fixed rate per play and rates will vary by country and total revenue.

Based on an average of 57,280 daily streams, ‘The Green and Red of Mayo’ is estimated to have earned the Saw Doctors $860 to $1,432 since Saturday.

To date, the song has been streamed 8.4m times on Spotify, earning the band an estimated $25,179 to $41,966 since it was uploaded.

Based on a rate of 0.0046 US cent per stream for Ireland, the Sound Campaign service projects earnings for the band of $1,309 since Saturday and $38,357 since the song was put on Spotify.

Photo: Mayo’s Jack Coyne lifts the Sam Maguire Cup. (Pic: INPHO/James Crombie)