The old story goes Muddy Waters, who, according to one apocryphal tale, was busy painting the walls of the recording studio when a very young Mick Jagger poppe

The old story goes Muddy Waters, who, according to one apocryphal tale, was busy painting the walls of the recording studio when a very young Mick Jagger popped by for a visit. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2007/jun/21/popandrock.vinylword http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2007/jun/21/popandrock.vinyl...) ...I read this a while ago and it screamed BS, but the truth is, anybody who was working with skinflints like Ahmet Ertegun was going to be underpaid. If you go back in time, you'll find people like Scott Joplin who got relatively good royalties. It depends on the deal-making. Led Zeppelin was 1/2 professional (not kids) and got a professional manager (Peter Grant) who made sure everyone got paid. The stones lived far beyond the typical pop band's longevity, and so matured enough to swing deals properly.