Originally Posted by franscar

The Beatles didn't start it all. They were the first globally mainstream pop band sure, but they got there by being four pleasant looking white chaps who happened to be able to play black peoples music. They were the acceptable face of music at the time, and the way in which they dressed the same and got their faces on any product they possibly could was exactly the same as the way in which boy bands work today. George Martin's production skills gave them a massive edge, they were able to spend more on producing a record than anyone else, marketing a record, and their live shows lasted sometimes less than half an hour.