CSPC: The Beatles Popularity Analysis

THE BEATLES CAREER CSPC RESULTS

So, after checking all figures, how many overall equivalent album sales each Beatles’ album achieved? Well, at this point we barely need to do the addition of all figures defined all over this article!

In the following results table, all categories display figures in equivalent album sales. If different, pure sales are listed between parentheses.

artist_spotify_id	#	Cover	Album	Studio albums (EAS)	sales_update_date	Other LPs (EAS)	Physical singles (units sold)	Digital singles (units sold)	Streams	Streams increase	Total EAS	valid_as_of	streams_updated_value	album_id
3WrFJ7ztbogyGnTHbHJFl2	1		Please Please Me	5,900,000	17.04.22	21,147,000	2,385,000 (7,950,000)	360,000 (2,400,000)	1,144,000 (09/27/23)	Av.: 510 LD: 630	31,086,000	20,230,927	1,144,000	1,354
3WrFJ7ztbogyGnTHbHJFl2	2		With the Beatles	5,850,000	17.04.22	7,872,000	255,000 (850,000)	135,000 (900,000)	498,000 (09/27/23)	Av.: 210 LD: 230	14,610,000	20,230,927	498,000	1,355
3WrFJ7ztbogyGnTHbHJFl2	3		A Hard Day's Night	9,350,000	17.04.22	15,367,000	2,805,000 (9,350,000)	251,000 (1,680,000)	822,000 (09/27/23)	Av.: 370 LD: 410	28,745,000	20,230,927	822,000	1,356
3WrFJ7ztbogyGnTHbHJFl2	4		Beatles for Sale	5,650,000	17.04.22	8,178,000	840,000 (2,800,000)	113,000 (750,000)	370,000 (09/27/23)	Av.: 160 LD: 170	15,151,000	20,230,927	370,000	1,357
3WrFJ7ztbogyGnTHbHJFl2	5		Help!	9,850,000	17.04.22	19,465,000	3,345,000 (11,150,000)	409,000 (2,730,000)	1,455,000 (09/27/23)	Av.: 660 LD: 730	34,524,000	20,230,927	1,455,000	1,358
3WrFJ7ztbogyGnTHbHJFl2	6		Rubber Soul	14,400,000	17.04.22	7,508,000	720,000 (2,400,000)	360,000 (2,400,000)	1,145,000 (09/27/23)	Av.: 570 LD: 650	24,133,000	20,230,927	1,145,000	1,359
3WrFJ7ztbogyGnTHbHJFl2	7		Revolver	12,450,000	17.04.22	9,494,000	1,320,000 (4,400,000)	304,000 (2,030,000)	1,035,000 (09/27/23)	Av.: 410 LD: 450	24,603,000	20,230,927	1,035,000	1,360
3WrFJ7ztbogyGnTHbHJFl2	8		Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band	24,800,000	17.04.22	6,112,000	75,000 (250,000)	379,000 (2,530,000)	1,095,000 (09/27/23)	Av.: 400 LD: 380	32,461,000	20,230,927	1,095,000	1,361
3WrFJ7ztbogyGnTHbHJFl2	9		Magical Mystery Tour	10,600,000	17.04.22	14,347,000	3,345,000 (11,150,000)	386,000 (2,580,000)	1,046,000 (09/27/23)	Av.: 390 LD: 360	29,724,000	20,230,927	1,046,000	1,362
3WrFJ7ztbogyGnTHbHJFl2	10		The Beatles (White Album)	19,000,000	17.04.22	7,824,000	450,000 (1,500,000)	664,000 (4,430,000)	2,024,000 (09/27/23)	Av.: 780 LD: 940	29,962,000	20,230,927	2,024,000	1,363
3WrFJ7ztbogyGnTHbHJFl2	11		Yellow Submarine	4,200,000	17.04.22	567,000	30,000 (100,000)	68,000 (450,000)	82,000 (09/27/23)	Av.: 30 LD: 20	4,947,000	20,230,927	82,000	1,364
3WrFJ7ztbogyGnTHbHJFl2	12		Abbey Road	26,700,000	17.04.22	14,315,000	1,215,000 (4,050,000)	731,000 (4,880,000)	2,976,000 (09/27/23)	Av.: 1,390 LD: 1,600	45,907,000	20,230,927	2,976,000	1,365
3WrFJ7ztbogyGnTHbHJFl2	13		Let It Be	11,900,000	17.04.22	18,296,000	3,675,000 (12,250,000)	510,000 (3,400,000)	1,454,000 (09/27/23)	Av.: 650 LD: 690	34,245,000	20,230,927	1,454,000	1,366
3WrFJ7ztbogyGnTHbHJFl2	14		Orphan	0	17.04.22	52,900,000	12,870,000 (42,900,000)	615,000 (4,100,000)	1,944,000 (04/17/22)	N/A	71,142,000	20,230,927	1,944,000	1,741

As a reminder:

• Studio Album: sales of the original album
• Other Releases: sales of compilations generated thanks to the album
• Physical Singles: sales of physical singles from the album (ratio 3/10)
• Download Singles: sales of digital singles from the album (ratio 1,5/10)
• Streaming: equivalent album sales of all the album tracks (ratio 1/1500 for Audio stream and 1/6750 for Video stream)

See where the artist ranks among remaining singers

Overall, those results are quite shocking. It is so by both how big and how weak they are. Big because the average sales of all albums is insane, weak because no album is higher than 43 million, a somehow disappointing result. The leader is expectedly Abbey Road.

Shocking too because both Let It Be and Help! surge over classics like Sgt Pepper’s and White Album. Please Please Me too tops this latter album while Revolver and Rubber Soul end up at #9 and #10 only.

This highly intriguying ranking reveals one deep reality even more important than which albums appear high or low. All those albums CSPC totals illustrate a unique pattern. Yellow Submarine apart, all albums stand between 14 million and 43 million, a 3 to 1 ratio between the biggest and the weakest LP. From the second to the tenth most popular, the gap – 33 million to 23 million – is very, very small, something never seen on all other artists breakdowns. All albums catalog sales have been pretty much exactly the reverse of their strength inside the group’s compilations. Once putting everything together, all figures are incredibly close. What is the ultimate meaning of this situation? It means that unlike other artists, consumers haven’t been purchasing one hit, nor one album, not even two or three classics. The final target of the average Beatles consumers was to buy, whatever the form / combo of packages, the band’s full discography. Isn’t that the real signature of the greatest success of all-time?

Cumulatively, the band sold the out of this world total of 405,7 million equivalent albums. Up to now, the biggest artist studied was Madonna with 244 million units. You will need to add to her discography the one of ABBA – 156,6 million – to come close to the heights of the Beatles. They also top Led Zeppelin and U2 combined total. Do I really need to say something more?

Do not forget to check our amazing lists posted inside the CSPC: Data Collector which includes the full listing of all CSPC results compiled so far to better gauge her position in the history of the music industry.

As usual, feel free to comment and / or ask a question!

Sources: IFPI, Spotify, Chartmasters.org.