Where records/CD’s are concerned I heard it explained like this.

People who just like the music will always Trent to get it cheap or for free.

People who are true fans of the band/singer will tend to buy the real deal to add to their collection.

The more true fans you have the more recordings you sell, bands like the Stones and the Beatles have many many true fans.

You’re right about royalties that’s still an earner.

When Wet Wet Wet covered Love is all around ,by the Troggs ,it earned Reg Presley a million pounds in royalties

As a guide PT, an LP (record album) cost about 37/6 ( about £1.8icon_cool.gif. I started work as an apprentice draughtsman in August 1965 and my wage was £6.5s a week ( £6.25). That'll give you some idea as to the value of 12/6.

The Stones opened a shop in Carnaby Street, London ( that won't mean much to many young Trin fans) a year or two back selling merchandise at greatly inflated prices.

I don’t think it’s a secret that Mick is a capitalist.

Not a surprise though when you consider that by 1970 they were skint and no longer owned their material thanks to a certain Mr Kline. Once bitten twice shy I suppose.

Like a lot of bands they didn’t start to make any real money until the mid seventies but only because they became tax exiles.

Even a socialist like yourself might find it hard to justify 90p in the pound or whatever the super tax rate was, ouch!

And remember it was the artist who used to pay the expenses in those days, roadies, travel etc etc. Didn’t leave much change.

You've finished Seasons in the Sun then?

Couldn'i disagree with anything there, vasty, apart from the fact that it was Mr KLEIN not KLINE. I could,'t allow you to be 100% correct, could I?

One day you might, I live in hope

Strange coincidence but Saturday nights programme "50 years of Parkinson" featured a clip from an interview with Jagger.Not sure of the year but the Stones had been in the charts for 2 years and Jagger said he thought they would only last for another 2 years, maybe less. Thats over 50 years ago.

Rock n roll was still in it infancy then so nobody had any idea that it would last so from his point of view he was right. It wasn’t until the Beatles became a studio band that people began to believe there may be some longevity. Though nobody in their wildest dreams though anyone would last 60 years.

Surprisingly, the "forgotten" Rolling Stone, Bill Wyman ls 85 in October Up until a couple of years ago he looked the youngest.

Living the quiet life in a sleepy Suffolk village.

I’m not surprised, people go on about Jagger being the band sex god but by evert account he was nothing compared to Bill he must be knackered.

Bill will always be tainted by the Mandy Smith thing for me. True you have to question why the mother allowed it, well you don’t as it was money and fame, but Bill has few excuses,

Silly man.

Yes, sadly that's what he'll be most remembered for rather than his musical input into the band. We saw him at the Holmfirth Picturedrome a few years ago with his band The Rhythm Kings with such great musicians as Albert Lee, Andy Fairweather Low and Gary Brooker................Excellent band!!