Song

Paint It, Black

The Rolling Stones · Aftermath · 1966

high confidence

Estimate at a glance

How much money does Paint It, Black make?

Paint It, Black by The Rolling Stones is estimated at $550K-$1.9M/year on the artist side, with gross track revenue and ownership context separated below.

Takeaway: Paint It, Black is one of the stronger modeled catalog earners here because replay demand and ownership context both support a durable annual range.

Its dark hook and immediate recognizability make it unusually durable in both catalog listening and sync-heavy reuse.

What stands out

  • Currently ranks around the top 6% of tracked songs by modeled artist-side earnings
  • Released in 1966 and still shows earnings power roughly 60 years later
  • Ranks #2 among 3 tracked songs for The Rolling Stones
  • Apple Music preview available
  • high confidence estimate

Why the song still earns

  • Classic-rock playlists support steady recurring streaming.
  • Heavy sync potential keeps the track active beyond baseline listening.
  • Multigenerational recognition sustains long-tail replay.

Paint It, Black lands in the top 6% of tracked songs by estimated artist-side earnings.

artist-side split is modeled + gross track revenue is separated. Why?

The headline number is the modeled artist-side annual share for this recording when split data exists.

Modeled artist-side range $550K-$1.9M/year
Gross track revenue $1.6M-$5.5M/year
Ownership context Included below
Platform signals Listening links only
Last updated July 15, 2026
Paint It, Black by The Rolling Stones

Artwork shown via Apple Music. Open the source track

How It Compares

Paint It, Black is compared against nearby songs in the catalog based on artist overlap, era, genre, and modeled earnings range.

Song Artist Estimated yearly midpoint
Paint It, Black
selected song
The Rolling Stones $1,225,000
Hey Jude
same era · similar earnings band
The Beatles $1,000,000
Anti-Hero
similar earnings band
Taylor Swift $1,205,000
Don't Stop Me Now
similar earnings band
Queen $1,205,000

Revenue Breakdown

Gross track revenue $1.6M-$5.5M/year
100% of the lead revenue lane
Artist-side share $550K-$1.9M/year
35% of the lead revenue lane
Label master share $520K-$1.8M/year
65% of the lead revenue lane

Bars reflect modeled annual midpoint ranges, not audited royalty statements.

Listen

Official Apple Music preview.

Reader questions about Paint It, Black

How much did Paint It, Black make in total?

Paint It, Black does not have a public lifetime total, so the estimate stays focused on modeled annual earnings instead of claiming an audited career total.

How much does Paint It, Black make per stream?

Paint It, Black does not have a single public per-stream rate because payouts vary by platform, territory, subscription tier, and contract structure. The estimate here is modeled from aggregate streaming, licensing, and catalog behavior instead.

Who owns Paint It, Black?

The estimate keeps master, artist-side, and publishing lanes separate because the song sits in the band's ABKCO-era catalog.

Show ownership and assumptions

The estimate keeps master, artist-side, and publishing lanes separate because the song sits in the band's ABKCO-era catalog.

Supporting Revenue Context

Estimated gross track revenue$1.6M-$5.5M/year
Estimated artist-side cut$550K-$1.9M/year
Estimated label master share$520K-$1.8M/year
Estimated publishing share$250K-$860K/year
Estimated songwriter share$170K-$570K/year
MastersABKCO-controlled Rolling Stones 1960s master in current digital catalog availability.
PublishingWriter-side value is modeled separately because Jagger/Richards songwriting participation is central to the composition.
Catalog sale statusNo song-specific catalog sale adjustment is modeled.

Assumptions: The headline range is treated as artist-side participation, with gross track, label, publishing, and writer lanes modeled from classic-rock streaming, playlist, and sync demand.

Notes: The estimate keeps master, artist-side, and publishing lanes separate because the song sits in the band's ABKCO-era catalog.

Split-aware estimate

The headline number is the modeled artist-side annual share for this recording when split data exists.

  • Gross track revenue is separated from artist-side take-home where the page has enough split context.
  • Ownership notes on masters or publishing are included and should be read alongside the revenue number.
  • All figures are conservative annual modeled ranges based on streaming behavior, cultural replay value, sync potential, and available ownership information, not public royalty statements.

Read the full methodology.

More Context

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