Only two members of the group still remain alive and their glory days of the 60s and 70s were many decades ago, yet the phenomenon that was The Beatles and spawned ‘Beatlemania’ still benefits the city of Liverpool to this day. A recent report commissioned by Liverpool City Council suggests that their value may be as high as £81.9 million per year to their spiritual home.
Ongoing popularity
The Beatles’ popularity around the world with fans and music aficionados alike seems almost perpetual. Recognising that this was the case, the council decided that they needed to quantify their value as an ongoing tourist attraction for visitors into their fair city.
Growth from ‘Beatles’ interest
Utilising the services of the local Liverpool John Moores University and the University of Liverpool, the study that was carried out suggested that a form of local multiplier was in effect within the region. Indeed, their findings indicated that currently there may be growth by as much as a staggering 15 per cent each year in ‘The Beatles-related’ economy.
Translated into the prospects for local employment, the legacy of the home-town band is believed to be helping to support in excess of 2,300 jobs within Liverpool.
Detailed study
The project represented the first investigation into the contemporary value of The Beatles that had ever been carried out. Through linking existing academic work with available economic data, supplemented by interviews with key Liverpool people, the highly enlightening report took shape.
Warning for the future
The report also prompted the flagging of a warning for the future if the economic benefits are intended to be maintained. It went as far as intimating that the city’s very reputation could be at risk should fans not be adequately catered for.
To avoid such pitfalls, the report suggested that there was a need for related services and attractions to be provided, matching the needs of the interested Beatles’ fans when they arrive in the area.
The report’s main author, Professor Simeon Yates highlighted “the importance of The Beatles as a cultural and economic resource to the city of Liverpool.”
Bronze statue unveiled last year
The people of Liverpool are clearly still very proud of their heroes, judging by the addition of a bronze statue on the city’s Pier Head late in 2015.
Donated by the ‘Cavern Club’ which has become synonymous with the early days of the ‘Fab Four’, the 1.2-tonne sculpture is clearly the kind of image that would interest fans as they seek out the heritage of the band.
Best-selling band
Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr remain as iconic figures for millions of music fans globally, despite the sad losses of Lennon and Harrison. From their rise to superstardom in the early 1960s, The Beatles have been cited as a major influence on many of the acts that followed them.
Their rightful place as the best-selling band in history with over 600 million records estimated to have been sold across the world speaks for itself.