Queen have received the Brit Billion Award for surpassing the landmark of 1 billion career streams in the U.K..
The former rock band has been honoured with a Brit Billion Award by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), the industry body for U.K. record labels and music companies and the organisers of the Brit Awards.
The award has been presented to the iconic band to mark their achievement in surpassing the landmark of one billion career streams in the U.K., as calculated by the Official Charts Company.
The surviving members of the band, Brian May and Roger Taylor, have been presented with the personalised trophy, which comes in the shape of a “B” and incorporates a Brits statuette.
The award, which also honoured the late Queen members, Freddie Mercury and John Deacon, coincides with the 50th anniversary of the band’s self-titled debut album, which was released in July 1973.
“Thank you for presenting Queen with a Brit Billion Award,” Brian, 76, said. “We’re grateful to all our fans that support us and continue to enjoy our music. Rock on BPI.”
Roger, 73, added, “I’m thrilled to accept the Brit Billion Award on behalf of Queen, celebrating being streamed over a billion times in the U.K., which is incredible. I would like to say thanks to everyone who has extracted a morsel of enjoyment from our music. We are still around and we hope to entertain you a little.”
The band was one of the first musical acts to appear at the Brit Awards in 1977, where they tied for Best British Single for Bohemian Rhapsody.
Launched in 2023, the Brit Billion Award has also been presented to ABBA, Coldplay, Mariah Carey, and the late Whitney Houston.