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The Rolling Stones in the press: “Rolling Stones Form Record Company”

*From KRLA Beat magazine, USA, January 13 1968

*Read Mother Earth: The Rolling Stones’ Unrealized Record Label Plan
*Click for more YESTERDAY’S PAPERS

Before The Rolling Stones launched their iconic Rolling Stones Records, they had a bold, almost forgotten plan: a label called Mother Earth. Announced in 1968 and inspired by the growing trend of artist-led ventures like The Beatles’ Apple Records, the idea promised creative control, new talent, and Mick Jagger stepping into a producer role. With Marianne Faithfull lined up as the first signing and early sessions already underway, the vision felt real. Yet, like many rock ’n’ roll dreams, it slipped away before fully taking shape. Still, Mother Earth reveals a crucial turning point—when the Stones began shifting from performers to power players, ultimately paving the way for their own label and lasting independence.

The Rolling Stones have named their new record company Mother Earth. It will be a London-based international operation which will have Mick Jagger and other members of the quintet acting as producers of new chart-aimed record talent.

Mother Earth will have its own administrative and studio staff but physical manufacture and distribution of the product will be handled by London’s vast Decca organization via which The Rolling Stones issue their own records.

First releases on the Mother Earth label are expected in February or March and Marianne Faithfull is the record company’s first major signing. Mick Jagger has already supervised a series of fresh sessions with Marianne and there is no reason why a single from the songstress should not be among the very first Mother Earth releases.

“Rolling Stones Form Record Company”, said this article from 1968. As history has it The Stones once flirted with the idea of launching their own record label, Mother Earth, following in the footsteps of The Beatles’ Apple Records. On December 16, 1967, the band even announced that Marianne Faithfull would be the first artist signed to this new venture. But, as with many grand ideas in rock’n’roll, things didn’t go quite as planned. The label never materialized, and it wasn’t until 1970 that the band finally established Rolling Stones Records.

The first whispers of the Stones having their own label appeared in Record Retailer on February 21, 1968. At the time, Charlie Watts was reportedly working on designing the logo, and the company was set to operate out of 46A Maddox Street in London. A year later, in July 1969, the Stones’ manager Allen Klein told Record Retailer that there was still “a good possibility” of the band launching Mother Earth. However, by the time they finally made it happen in 1970, the name had been scrapped in favor of something much simpler and more iconic—Rolling Stones Records.

If Mother Earth had ever materialized, it could have steered the Rolling Stones down an entirely different road. But in true Stones fashion, they adapted, evolved, and took control of their destiny. Rather than conforming to industry norms, they forged their own path, ultimately launching Rolling Stones Records and securing full creative freedom. This move not only gave them control over their sound but also solidified their branding with the now-legendary tongue and lips logo. The band’s refusal to follow trends and their insistence on doing things their own way cemented their legacy as pioneers of rock and roll. While Mother Earth remains an intriguing what-if, the Stones proved that their real power lay in their ability to keep pushing forward—on their own terms.

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