The Rolling Stones honoured with Brit Billion Award to mark streaming milestone

The British rock band, whose career spans seven decades, have become the longest-active act to receive the prize by the British Phonographic Industry.
Ronnie Wood, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards with their Brit Billion award (Polydor/PA)
Naomi Clarke31 October 2023
The Weekender

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The Rolling Stones have been recognised with a Brit Billion Award for achieving the milestone of being streamed more than one billion times in the UK.

The British rock band, whose career spans seven decades, have become the “longest-active” act to receive the prize by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), the record industry’s trade association, following analysis by the Official Charts Company.

Classic songs Paint It, Black, (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction and Start Me Up are among the band’s most-streamed hits, the BPI has said.

It comes after the group scored their 14th number one album last week with their recently released Hackney Diamonds, their first collection of original songs for 18 years and the first since the death of drummer Charlie Watts in August 2021.

The 12-track offering features appearances from their late drummer Watts as well as a host of global superstars including original member Bill Wyman, Lady Gaga and Sir Elton John.

Reflecting on The Rolling Stones achievements, BPI chief executive Jo Twist 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.”

Officially launched in May 2023, the first wave of artists to receive the Brit Billion award included global superstars Abba, Coldplay, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, Anne-Marie, Ellie Goulding, George Ezra, Lewis Capaldi, Raye, Rita Ora, Sam Smith and pioneering rap and hip-hop artists AJ Tracey and Headie One.

Rock band Queen and US pop stars Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish have also reached the milestone while Ed Sheeran recently became the first artist to receive a special gold edition for reaching 10 billion UK streams.

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