the tiebreakBroken 16 October 2026

The Beatles or the Rolling Stones?The Rolling Stones,
by a margin.

The Rolling Stones 95.9, The Beatles 89.8 out of 100: a margin of 6.1 points.

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The scorecard

Five criteria, each worth a fixed share, set before any scoring. Disagree? Try another scorecard and watch the bar tip toward whoever is ahead.

As publishedThe Rolling Stones, by a margin.The Rolling Stones 95.9, The Beatles 89.8 out of 100: a margin of 6.1 points.

Set your own
The Beatles89.8The Rolling Stones95.9

Our scorecard. Try another, and watch the bar tip.

Where it was won

The lead, built criterion by criterion, starting with the one that did most to decide it.

Longevity+5.2
Live+4.3
Commercial0.0
Critical standing−0.6
Influence−2.7

LeadThe Stones +6.1the margin, 6.1 points

Each criterion in turn. Swipe through.

01 / 05

15%

Longevity

Adds 5.2 points to The Rolling Stones' lead.

02 / 05

15%

Live

Adds 4.3 points to The Rolling Stones' lead.

03 / 05

20%

Commercial

Moves The Rolling Stones' lead by less than 0.1 points.

04 / 05

25%

Critical standing

Takes 0.6 points off The Rolling Stones' lead.

05 / 05

25%

Influence

Takes 2.7 points off The Rolling Stones' lead.

Longevity

Adds 5.2 points to The Rolling Stones' lead.

The Rolling Stones
100.0 · 13 or more years
The Beatles
65.2 · 8 to 12 years
the judge was unsure here

Edge: The Rolling Stones +34.8

For The Rolling Stones

“The Rolling Stones set a new record, becoming the first band in Official Chart history to score a Number 1 album across six different decades.”

The Rolling Stones break Official Chart record as they pip Declan McKenna to Number 1 with Goats Head Soup, Official Charts Company (2020) · Article body, paragraph beginning "In landing a Number 1 today"

More for The Rolling Stones (17)

For The Beatles

“Now And Then reached the top of the Official Chart 60 years and 6 months after The Beatles' First Number 1”

The Beatles, full Official Chart history, Official Charts Company · Who are The Beatles?

More for The Beatles (19)
The receiptsHow the evidence was gathered, what the judge saw, the two checks, and the run's facts.

How the evidence was gathered

researchers: Claude, GPT, Gemini, Grok
4
web searches
97
quotes found word for word
176/209
facts after merging
156

What the judge saw

Act A

  • “In 2004 and 2011, Act A topped Rolling Stone's lists of the greatest artists in history.”
  • “In 2003, when Rolling Stone created its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, the top 10 included four Act A albums”
  • “By early 1964, Act A were international stars and had achieved unprecedented levels of critical and commercial success.”
  • “In 2004 and 2011, Rolling Stone named them the greatest artist of all time.”
  • “said the group’s transformation from pop stars to psychedelic travellers in less than a decade had made them “the greatest adventure that ever happened in pop music””
  • “Act A, clearly the best band ever on vinyl, take 4 of the top 10.”
  • “Additionally, Act A are the most acclaimed band, Dylan is the most acclaimed male solo artist, and Madonna is the most acclaimed female artist.”
  • “an album has surpassed an album (1967) in many critics' estimation as Act A' best album.”
  • “In the original list, most of the selections were albums by white male rock musicians, with the top position held by Act A' an album (1967).”
  • “Act A won a total of 10 Grammy Awards during their career, including Album of the Year for “an album.””
  • “Act A have had 27 songs inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, recognizing their enduring musical excellence.”
  • “They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility, 1988”
  • “Act A’ an album came in at number five.”
  • “Act A earned their first career GRAMMY Awards for 1964”
  • “honor recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance”
  • “an album | Act A | the band's label (1969) | (Album) | Inducted 1995”
  • “the greatest and most influential act of the rock era”
  • “They are and will forever be the greatest band in the world”

102 quotes, about 2,260 words. The packet the verdict scored.

Act B

  • “In 2010, they ranked fourth on the magazine's list of the Greatest Artists of All Time.”
  • “a pivotal rock album, viewed by many critics as Act B' best work and as one of the greatest albums of all time”
  • “Although Act B remained popular through the mid-1970s, music critics were generally dismissive of the albums from an album to an album”
  • “an album, an album, an album and an album. They make up the greatest run of albums in history”
  • “Rolling Stone magazine ranked the album number 7 on its list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" in 2003 and 2012, with it dropping to number 14 in the 2020 edition”
  • “Decade Personal Best: '70s The Clash: The Clash (CBS import '77) Act B: an album (Act B '72)”
  • “an album received positive reviews, with some critics considering it the band's strongest album in decades.”
  • “The best album credited to Act B is an album which is ranked number 49 in the overall greatest album chart”
  • “They have won four Grammy Awards and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2004.”
  • “7. an album, Act B”
  • “Arguably the greatest rock and roll band of all time, Act B revolutionized each of the classical instruments of rock music”
  • “The band's albums an album (1968), an album (1969), an album (1971), and an album (1972), along with the classic singles "a song" and "a song," have been inducted”
  • “their claim to be The Greatest Rock’n’Roll Band in the World has no more compelling evidence than the flawless 46 minutes of music here.”
  • “an album boasts perhaps the most powerful opening in rock history”
  • “within this catalogue can be found some of the most influential, game-changing and iconic recordings of the rock‘n’roll era.”

98 quotes, about 2,260 words. The packet the verdict scored.

Two checks that ran alongside

Names shown
+0.4
names shown: winner unchanged
Change in the margin when the judge sees the names.
A and B swapped
−0.6
0.6 away, passed
Change in the margin when the labels swap. It should sit near zero.

The run

judge
jev-1.13.0
rubric
music v1.1
calls
12
tokens
54,274
wall-clock
3.6 s
packets
The Beatles 903c30…104f · The Stones c4c1c7…eadc

Questions about this verdict

How was The Beatles or the Rolling Stones scored?
Both sides were scored on our music rubric (v1.1): 5 criteria, with weights declared before the run. For each criterion the judge, jev-1.13.0, picked between worded levels, and plain code turned its answers into a weighted total out of 100 for each side.
What evidence did the judge see?
A blinded evidence packet for each side, labelled Act A and Act B with the names removed. Every quote was matched word for word against its source by code, and counts, dates and records were computed by code. Nothing outside the packet reached the judge.
What does the margin mean?
The Rolling Stones finished 6.1 points ahead of The Beatles on a 0 to 100 scale. Margins under 3 points are inside our measured noise; this one is outside it.
Can the verdict change?
No. The verdict is settled once published. It is dated as of 16 October 2026, given what was known then, and we move on to the next tie.
How do I vote?
Press Agree or Disagree under the verdict. One vote per device. Once you have voted you see how everyone else called it. Votes are counted and shown; they never change the verdict.
Photo credits