“Time Is on My Side,” the title of The Rolling Stones’ first top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 way back in 1964, couldn’t have been more prophetic. Nearly 59 years after that song became a hit, The Stones have become the 25th artist to receive a BRIT Billion Award by the BPI. The program commemorates 1 billion career UK streams as calculated by the Official Charts Company.
In reaching the landmark, the British band became what the BPI artfully called “the longest-active artist” (so much nicer than “oldest”) to receive the award.
The Stones’ most-streamed hits include “Paint It, Black,” “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” and “Start Me Up.”
“Few artists have crossed generational divides in quite the way The Rolling Stones have,” Dr. Jo Twist OBE, BPI chief executive, said in a statement. “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.”
Last week, The Stones celebrated their 14th No. 1 album on the Official U.K. Albums Chart with Hackney Diamonds, their first album of new material in 18 years. The album entered the Billboard 200 at No. 3.
In terms of the BRIT Billion Award program, which was officially launched in May, The Stones follow fellow icons ABBA, Coldplay, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Queen, as well as pioneering rap and hip-hop artists AJ Tracey and Headie One, chart-dominating pop artists such as Ellie Goulding, Lewis Capaldi and RAYE, and the next generation of pop superstars including 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.
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