The Rolling Stones honoured with BRIT Billion Award

The Rolling Stones have been named as the 25th recipients of the British Phonographic Industry’s (BPI) BRIT Billion Award.

The BRIT Billion Award is given to artists who have surpassed the landmark of one billion career streams in the UK, as calculated by the Official Charts Company.

ABBA and Coldplay were among the inaugural recipients when the BRIT Billion Award was first announced in May, and Queen were honoured in July coinciding with the 50th anniversary of their debut album ‘Queen’.

In reaching the landmark of one billion career UK streams, The Rolling Stones have become the longest-active artist to receive the award.

The award comes 11 days after The Rolling Stones released their acclaimed 24th studio album ‘Hackney Diamonds’, which debuted at Number 1 in the UK.

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.”

Over 85% of the UK’s recorded music consumption is via streaming, and last year there was a whopping 160 billion audio streams.

Since their inception in 1962, The Rolling Stones have sold over 250 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time.

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