By Gary Dickson
In business one of the most important factors of success is building a brand. Companies want their brand(s) to instill positive thoughts into the minds of consumers who see the logo or hear the name. The top 10 most recognizable brands in the world are made up of some companies that have been around for more than 100 years, as well as some that were founded more recently. Coca-Cola is the No. 1 brand in the world and Microsoft is No. 2.
One brand that is not on the list, but is well known throughout the world and has generated many fortunes is the Beatles. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know they were a rock ?n” roll band from Liverpool , but stop and think about the business of the Beatles. The group hasn”t performed together since Jan. 30, 1969, two members are dead, yet there has been a steady stream of merchandise, as well as packaged and repackaged music and movies, for old and new fans to purchase and it always gets gobbled up.
I read that there are more than 8,000 books that have been written about the Beatles. One in particular recently caught my attention. It isn”t the normal coffee table book of pictures and biographical stories about the Fab Four. It is a book that focuses on the Beatles” business. The title of the book is “Come Together: The Business Wisdom of the Beatles,” by Richard Courtney and George Cassidy.
Courtney and Cassidy are both from Nashville and, of course, are huge Beatles fans. They utilize bits and pieces from the lives of the Beatles to create 100 tips for readers to improve their business acumen. For example, John Lennon and Paul McCartney always shared songwriting credit while they were Beatles, even though in some songs, one or the other may not have contributed much, if anything. The lesson the authors provide from this is, “Don”t waste time arguing over crumbs when that energy could be better used in building a bakery ? or, in this case, the Beatles” songbook.”
Another lesson includes the story of when the Beatles first started playing regional gigs. Their touring vehicle was a beat up van with no windshield. The band could not afford anything better, so they huddled together in the van for warmth. The lesson that goes along with this is that avoiding debt, whenever possible, even though conditions may be uncomfortable, is important for a growing business.
This new book should provide more luster to the Beatles brand, which seems to just keep getting brighter. The Beatles are now an educational field of study. There is at least one university where students can actually receive a master”s degree in the Beatles. Not a surprise, the school is Liverpool Hope University , in the Beatles” hometown.
Course leader Mike Brocken said, “The Beatles influenced so much of society, not just with their music, but also with fashion ? from their collar-less jackets to their psychedelic clothes.” He went on to say, “Forty years on, now is the right time and Liverpool is the right place to study the Beatles.”
Those of us from the generation that became immediate fans of the Beatles and got to watch their live performances on the Ed Sullivan show or, perhaps even saw them in concert, knew that we were witnessing something pretty special, but I don”t think even we believed, at the time, that one band from Liverpool, England would create such long-lasting, major impact on the whole world.
The official formation of the Beatles was August of 1960. That means the Beatles became 50 years old last August. Business is still good and late Beatle George Harrison”s song about business, “Taxman,” is just as relevant today as it was in the 1960s.
“Don”t ask me what I want it for. If you don”t want to pay some more. ?Cause I”m the taxman. Yeah, I”m the taxman.” ? The Beatles
Gary Dickson is the publisher of the Record-Bee. Call him at 263-5636, ext. 24. E-mail him at gdickson@record-bee.com.
