Sales discussion - DM's Beatles forums

I am so busted!

I don't remember!

Where is a smiley that indicates disappointment? Here's one:

Quoted from wingsman

But I can't find worldwide sales info anywhere.

It is terribly frustrating to try to find record sales. I keep Googling until I find something promising, and then try to put together a picture. I gave up researching solo record sales because the numbers were so incomplete. Here are a few things I found:

The records I found of George sales were just snapshots reported at a period in time. For example, I found ATMP marked at 6 million sales in Rolling Stone magazine back in 2003. There will be more sales now that his catalog is digitally available.

I found a kind of sales summary here:

From http://popdirt.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=36381

The Beatles
They've amassed over 1.1 billion in album sales, they have 20 #1 singles, they'd have more if the weren't competing with themselves for the top spot. They've won 6 grammies, spent a total 132 weeks at #1 on the charts. They hold the record for fastest selling single, "I want to hold your hand" which sold 250,000, and 1 million in 2 weeks, and fastest selling single, 13 million in 4 weeks. They are #1 on the Rolling Stones top 500 songs of all time, they are also at #3, #5, and #10. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.

James Paul McCartney 63
Has 13 grammies, was Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, has sold over 100 million albums, He's a billionaire, he was knighted in 97', has the most covered song in history, Yesterday (3000 versions), which is also the world's most popular song having 6,000,000 airplays in the U.S. alone, and has a PHD in music (honorary).

George Harrison, died at 58 in 01'
2004 Hall of Famer, has 11 grammies, 19 albums (his last went 6 times platinum) 4 #1's, 3 top ten hits, 4 top 20, and 5 top 40 hits. After his death stores sold out of his music.

John Winston Lennon, died at 40 in 80'
Has 7 grammies, including a lifetime achievement. Has 4 # 1's, 9 top tens, 4 top 20, 6 top 40 hit singles. First solo album was in 68', in which he and Yoko Ono posed fully nude on the Cover.

The accounting above doesn't match the RIAA list in Wiki (US sales only). It shows lots of Beatles sales but not one Beatle as a solo artist: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RIAA_certification

Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 also went double platinum, and isn't on the Wiki RIAA list. So where can we find a complete list? *pulls hair*

Another indirect source of interest is Forbes' "Top-Earning Dead Celebrities" list. They've been publishing "The Lucky 13" since 2001. You can find 2007 here:

http://www.forbes.com/business....._1029celeb_land.html

John and George both have been in the Lucky 13 since 2002 (the first year after George's death). This year they are holding places #2 and #4, due to the settling of the Apple trademark dispute. Elvis is the continuing King, and Charles Schulz (Peanuts cartoon) is always up there (#s 1 and 3 this year). But I think it's interesting that our departed Beatle friends earned more this last year than all but a handful of living stars. So there must be strong sustained interest in their music. Most of their income comes from royalties, doesn't it?

(And I can't find Paul on the Forbes site, either. He must be making a lot of bucks; why isn't he on any of their lists?)