Rolling Stones Records: The Band's Own Label, Born in 1971

The label was called Rolling Stones Records. After their contract with Decca/London expired in 1970, the Stones wanted to own their masters and have full control over their releases. They’d watched the Beatles get tangled with Apple Corps and decided a leaner operation suited them better.

The label’s first release was Sticky Fingers in April 1971 — the album with the Andy Warhol zipper cover. To run it, they hired Marshall Chess (son of Chess Records founder Leonard Chess) as president. The iconic tongue-and-lips logo, designed by John Pasche, debuted on that same album and became as famous as the band itself.

Rolling Stones Records distributed through Atlantic (later through EMI/Capitol and others) but the band kept ownership of their recordings. It was a power move that paid off — the label remained active until the late 1990s, when the Stones shifted to Virgin Records, but they never stopped controlling their own catalog.