How Mick Jagger And Keith Richards Tried To Screw Over Bandmates On The Windows 95 Ads (MSFT)

Jay Yarow
Tuesday, August 24, 2010


When Microsoft rolled out Windows 95, the Rolling Stones song "Start Me Up" was a huge part of the company's marketing effort.

But getting them on board was an arduous task, according to then Windows boss, Brad Silverberg.

We asked him about the Stones because we remembered hearing tales that another band had rejected Microsoft at first.

Silverberg, and Microsoft's marketing boss at the time, Brad Chase, both say the Rolling Stones were the only choice.

Silverberg says, "The negotiations to get Start Me Up were very difficult but we were so committed to it, we made it happen."

Asked to elaborate, here's what Silverberg says happened:

The Stones are a Corporation, with Mick as CEO, Keith as COO. Their business happens to be music. Those two make decisions. The other band members are essentially employees.

The stones had not licensed their music for tv commercials. Mick was reluctant to license the song to us because of "artistic purity." But Keith apparently has a higher burn rate than Mick, or not as good as an investor. He told Mick he could use the money and ultimately convinced Mick to do the deal. At the same time, the Stones were at a low point in their career and looking to become relevant again, and Win 95 looked like it could be a big hit and give them a helpful association and visibility.

The final version of the song was delivered for the commercial. We noticed though that it was not the studio version, but rather a more recently recorded live version. We pushed back and got the familiar studio version. The reason we got the other version was some of the band members in the newer version were more recent, and Mick/Keith got much higher royalties for themselves from that version than the studio one. Nice try. But it was tense till the very end.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2010/08/24/businessinsider-windows-95-rolling-stones-2010-8.DTL#ixzz0xZI5tsBs

That was some low ebb they were on. Windows 95 was launched at the end of the Voodoo Lounge tour - in real terms, the most successful tour anyone's ever done. Keith obviously needed the cash, then.

And as for trying to use a 'new' recording of 'Start Me Up' in order to screw former band members out of royalties.....why do people still wonder why Wyman has expressed no desire to work with them again for the last two decades?

They were at the height of their money making prowess and continued to be "all about the money"....Microsoft blinked and Mick Keith went to the bank. Stones royalties are not split any different than U2 etc . However its the lack of input or credit for contributions that set the Stones apart i think.

Sometimes I wonder with the patience of Charlie Watts.

Because i doubt Charlie could only ever live on a couple a thou a week. The man has expensive tastes!

Ha, people always accuse Mick of being the "sell-out", but it was Keith who wanted to sell Start Me Up....
Interesting. Mick and Keith are Mick and Keith, I don't think they "cheat" Charlie......he's fine and I think he understands the nature of what they do.

gimmekeef wrote on Aug 25^th, 2010 at 8:49am:

They were at the height of their money making prowess and continued to be "all about the money"....Microsoft blinked and Mick Keith went to the bank. Stones royalties are not split any different than U2 etc . However its the lack of input or credit for contributions that set the Stones apart i think.

U2 seem tighter as a band, and less about keeping money to any one band memeber over another... they trully seem to enjoy each other... U2 would not function or exist if a memeber quit or died...

Pdog wrote on Aug 26^th, 2010 at 4:22pm:

gimmekeef wrote on Aug 25th, 2010 at 8:49am: They were at the height of their money making prowess and continued to be "all about the money"....Microsoft blinked and Mick Keith went to the bank. Stones royalties are not split any different than U2 etc . However its the lack of input or credit for contributions that set the Stones apart i think. U2 seem tighter as a band, and less about keeping money to any one band memeber over another... they trully seem to enjoy each other... U2 would not function or exist if a memeber quit or died...

I'm not sure about U2 but our boys are some greedy bastards. And alright, it's their life, they can do whatever the heck they want, but it all started going downhill for the Stones musically when they became a corporation.