Just one week after Apple announced that it would be making The Beatles 
back catalogue available for download on iTunes, it has revealed that around two million songs by the fab four have been sold.
According to Apple, fans have bought more than 450,000 copies of various Beatles’ albums over the past seven days.
The biggest selling album on iTunes was the 1969 recording Abbey Road, while the top selling song was Here Comes the Sun.
However, despite that success only one song – Hey Jude – had reached the UK top 40 on Sunday and just two Beatles greatest hits compilations – the Blue album and the Red album – were the only LPs to chart in the UK.
Many industry experts suggest that the back catalogue may have fared better in the charts if they had staggered the releases.
Martin Talbot, the chief executive of the Official Charts Company, which compilesthe charts, confirmed to the Guardian: “I’d think you could see a handful of Beatles songs back in the top ten, but the only problem is that they have released so much material that it is not obvious what songs will prove the most popular.”
Sales have been helped by Apple’s intensive marketing campaign both online and on television as well as by the decision by X Factor bosses to have a week dedicated to Beatles’ songs last Saturday (November 20th).
The digitalisation of the band’s back catalogue represents the end of a long-standing battle between Apple and Beatles record label Apple Corps, which has meant that in the ten years since iTunes launched, The Beatles have been the most notable absentees.
Rock band AC/DC is one of the few big names not available from the service with Led Zeppelin only a recent addition to the online store.
back catalogue available for download on iTunes, it has revealed that around two million songs by the fab four have been sold.According to Apple, fans have bought more than 450,000 copies of various Beatles’ albums over the past seven days.
The biggest selling album on iTunes was the 1969 recording Abbey Road, while the top selling song was Here Comes the Sun.
However, despite that success only one song – Hey Jude – had reached the UK top 40 on Sunday and just two Beatles greatest hits compilations – the Blue album and the Red album – were the only LPs to chart in the UK.
Many industry experts suggest that the back catalogue may have fared better in the charts if they had staggered the releases.
Martin Talbot, the chief executive of the Official Charts Company, which compiles
the charts, confirmed to the Guardian: “I’d think you could see a handful of Beatles songs back in the top ten, but the only problem is that they have released so much material that it is not obvious what songs will prove the most popular.”Sales have been helped by Apple’s intensive marketing campaign both online and on television as well as by the decision by X Factor bosses to have a week dedicated to Beatles’ songs last Saturday (November 20th).
The digitalisation of the band’s back catalogue represents the end of a long-standing battle between Apple and Beatles record label Apple Corps, which has meant that in the ten years since iTunes launched, The Beatles have been the most notable absentees.
Rock band AC/DC is one of the few big names not available from the service with Led Zeppelin only a recent addition to the online store.