The Rolling Stones have been announced as the latest recipient of a BRIT Billion Award by the BPI.
The BRIT Billion Award marks The Rolling Stones’ incredible career, spanning seven decades from the 1960s to the 2020s. Last week, they celebrated their 14th UK No.1 with Hackney Diamonds, their first album of new material in 18 years.
In reaching the landmark of one billion career UK streams, as calculated by the Official Charts Company, the Stones became the longest-active artist to receive the award. Their most streamed hits including Paint It, Black, (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction and Start Me Up.
As well as 14 UK No.1 albums, the Stones have achieved eight UK No.1 singles.
The Rolling Stones are the 25th artist to receive a BRIT Billion Award, which was officially launched in May 2023. They follow in the footsteps of acts including ABBA, Coldplay, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Queen, AJ Tracey, Headie One, Ellie Goulding, Lewis Capaldi Raye, Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish.
Ed Sheeran recently became the first artist to receive a special Gold edition of the Award for reaching a landmark of 10 billion UK streams.
Dr Jo Twist, BPI chief executive, said: “Few artists have crossed generational divides in quite the way the Rolling Stones have. Their iconic songs and albums are era-defining, but the band remain as contemporary as ever. The BPI is thrilled to honour them with a BRIT Billion Award, which underscores both the timeless appeal of their music and the extent to which they are now also connecting with a new wave of fans thanks to streaming.”
The BRIT Billion award reflects the extent to which streaming has transformed the music landscape. More than 85% of the UK’s recorded music consumption now takes place through streaming.
In 2022 there were a record 160 billion audio streams in the UK in total.
PHOTO: Kevin Mazur
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