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•Paul White: [Brain] actually got no where until, of course, "She Loves You" really forced EMI to say, "Look, this is so huge and the album sales are so huge. They're going to do The Ed Sullivan Show and Ed isn't an idiot!". So finally Capitol released "I Want to Hold Your Hand".
•Alistair Taylor: The boys aren't very interested in singles these days. They always were more into albums. Another thing, if you look in the albums that the boys have made, you won't find their current singles in them. Brian and the boys have always thought that it's unfair on the fans to record a single and sell a few million, then release an album which contains two singles and their flip sides which the fans will already have. I think the American companies think their crazy not to do that. Nothing but value for money from the boys! (Taylor, A. p. 80). •The Beatles attempted to make a special record in November '63 to give to their fan club members: The Beatles Christmas Record. They planned to distribute 25,000 but eventually sent out 31,000 because of the increase in Fan Club memberships. Even after that there were over 1,000 people who sent in their applications with the 5/- fee. It would have been too expensive to order an extra 1,000 copies because the quantity was so low. So the Fan Club sent out a free photo of the Beatles to the members not receiving the disc. (Letter from the Official Beatles Fan Club).
•Paul White (Canada A&R Man for EMI): "I released the record (Love Me Do) about a month and a half after the English did and it fell right to the bottom. Well, it didn't even fall. I didn't get onto any charts. Some of the rural Canadian stations that would take a chance on something played 'Love Me Do' and in the end I think the sales result after six months was about 140 copies...I still thought these guys were amazing. But 'From Me To You' probably sold 240. The president of the company finally said to me, 'Why are you releasing these records? They're all stiffs!" (Pritchard, p. 137). •By August of '65 the Beatles were reported to have sold 100 million singles and 25 million long play records worldwide. •EMI states in May 67 that world sales converted to singles would be 200,000,000. One album would equal six singles. •By May 66 the Beatles had sold over 1 million records in Denmark...a country of 4 million people. •'I Want To Hold Your Hand' sold over 3 million copies. •George Martin: "[I Want to Hold Your Hand] was the first record to sell a million copies before its release" (Pritchard, p. 133). •Thousands of Beatle records already en route to stores, even to franchised establishments, were refused delivery after John's "Bigger than Jesus" comments were made public in the U.S. (Lipack). •Magical Mystery Tour brought in more than $8 million in three weeks. Released on November 27, 1967 it had sold 1.75 million by January. The U.S. version of the album was EMI's biggest selling import. •Magical Mystery Tour was released in Britain as a double EP and a 28-page booklet on Dec 8 '67 at 19s 6d (97 1/2p). It sold a half a million copies in the UK before Christmas. •New Musical Express reports (Jan 64) that in the U.S. the Beatles have sold 1,000,000 copies of She Loves You, 2,000,000 copies of I Want To Hold Your Hand, and 750,000 copies of Meet The Beatles LP. •EMI announced in Dec 64 that two-week sales for Beatles For Sale were 750,000. •Advance orders for With the Beatles in the UK were 300,000. Domestic sales quickly passed 500,000. In 1965 the album passed the 1,000,000 mark. The album even placed on the singles chart because the singles chart included any disc sold regardless of its diameter (Lewisohn. Chronicle p. 126). •I Want to Hold Your Hand sold 250,000 in 3 days in the US. By January 10 sales had passed 1,000,000 and by January 13 10,000 copies an hour were being sold in New York City (Lewisohn. Chronicle p. 136). •Question: How many of your records have been sold? •Sgt. Pepper cost an estimated $75,000 to record. •EMI normally spent £25-75 on photos for albums. They got a bill for £1,300 for permission processing plus £1,500 for artists fees (Mackenzie). •Wendy Moger (Brian's former personal assistant): He asked me to try and get legal clearance from everybody within a week. EMI wasn't very keen on the cover. Leo Gorcey, of the Bowery Boys, was the only one to decline and demand a fee, which EMI refused. He was deleted. About half the famous faces couldn't be found to gain their permission, but the album cover was printed as planned (McCabe, 1972). •Sgt. Pepper sold 250,000 within a week in Britain, 500,000 within a month, and one million by 1973 (Stannard, Long and Winding Road). •Sgt. Pepper had advanced sales of 1 million, within three months sold 2.5 million in the U.S. (Stannard, Long and Winding Road). •EMI insisted that the Beatles indemnify them for several million pounds in case of lawsuits (Taylor, D.). •Peter Blake and Jann Howarth, an American sculptor and his then wife, were paid £200 for their work on the design of the Sgt. Pepper album cover (Harry. Encyclopedia, p. 68). •In the U.S. in 1964 a hit record was expected to peak at around 200,000 in sales. ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’ sold 1.5 million in five days (Brown, p. 115). •Meet the Beatles on Capitol Records became the fastest selling LP in American recording history.
•Beatles old contract had then getting pennies per disk but in January '67 they received 10% of wholesale album (17 1/2% in U.S.).\ At the time even unknown acts were getting $50,000 plus 7-8% (McCabe). •John and Paul owned stock in Northern Songs. Northern Songs received 25 cents in mechanical royalties per album sold. Northern also got 5 cents per radio play. This money was useful especially because royalty rates on records were low (McCabe). •From 1966-69 the Beatles were getting 39 cents per record. Before 1966 it was 6 cents per album. •In June 65 EMI recorded the Beatles' performance at the Adriana Hotel in Rome. An Italian LP was later recalled after sales of about 1,000,000 because the release was made without the consent of the Beatles (Schultheiss 135).
Sgt. Pepper: •Sgt. Pepper cost an estimated $75,000 to record. •Wendy Moger (Brian's former personal assistant): He asked me to try and get legal clearance from everybody within a week. EMI wasn't very keen on the cover. Leo Gorcey, of the Bowery Boys, was the only one to decline and demand a fee, which EMI refused. He was deleted. About half the famous faces couldn't be found to gain their permission, but the album cover was printed as planned (McCabe, 1972). •Sgt. Pepper sold 250,000 within a week in Britain, 500,000 within a month, and one million by 1973 (Stannard, Long and Winding Road). •Sgt. Pepper had advanced sales of 1 million, within three months sold 2.5 million in the U.S. (Stannard, Long and Winding Road). •EMI insisted that the Beatles indemnify them for several million pounds in case of lawsuits (Taylor, D.). •Alistair Taylor remembers a heated telephone call between Brian Epstein and Sir Joseph Lockwood, the head of EMI who complained bitterly about the cost. "I think it was in the region of £1500. It doesn't sound alot but the equivalent cost today would be around £40,000. Actually the best deal that Brian negotiated for the boys, in my opinion, was the free studio time. Day after day they spent in Studio 2 knowing full-well that it wasn't costing them anything (Gunby, G. Hello Goodbye, p. 51). •A television special for Sgt. Pepper was planned that included a £34,000 budget. It called for two camera men at £2200, 115 extras comprised of 24 children, 24 office workers, 12 rockers on motor bikes, 12 model meter maids, eight Morris dancers, one milkman, one mediator, one loon, and one Arab sheik (Lewisohn. Chronicle p. 245).
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