Users: 2,178
Having been the most influential band of the 60s, it’s no surprise that the Beatles made a huge profit from their concerts and album sales.
They began to emerge in 1957, when Paul McCartney joined John Lennon’s band at the time. The group was called “The Quarrymen”, and George Harrison joined the year after McCartney joined. However, the name “The Beatles” was not born until 1960, and Ringo Starr only joined the band to fill the rhythm section in 1962.
Since then, the group’s growth has been astronomical, owing much to Brian Epstein, the band’s manager. It was Epstein who devised the initial style of the four musicians who, along with two very concise and innovative albums, launched the young Brits.
Then, between 1962 and 1964, the band gained more and more prominence in the international music scene, and one of the biggest steps it took was the tour 1964 by the USA. The most memorable moment was when they performed on the Ed Sullivan show, which was seen live by 73 million people.
With this rapid rise came the constant increase in profits, which made the Beatles one of the richest bands of the 70s. Now, since much of the group’s success was due to the visionary spirit of Brian Epstein, 25% of profits went to the manager. The rest was divided equally between George, Ringo, Paul and John.
However, it’s no secret to any fan of the band that the greatest songwriters were Lennon and McCartney. Thus, the division of money between members changed, ending up with the most creative receiving a greater share of the profits.
The band disbanded in 1970. However, Paul McCartney remained one of the highest-paid musicians in the industry.
“I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND” | THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW
According to the group’s company, Apple Corps, the band achieved a value of 17 million pounds in record sales between 1962 and 1970 alone. These values explain the weight that the Beatles had in that decade and demonstrate all their influence on music from then on.
