What does the Chicago Tribune have to say about the value of the remastered Beatles catalogs?
Could a band that broke up in 1970 really become the best-selling act of the decade? The Beatles might just pull it off, thanks to EMI Music’s September 9 release of their remastered catalog. Eminem currently reigns as the best-selling artist of the decade, with sales of 32 million albums in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, followed by the Fab Four with 28.2 million. The Eminem catalog is sure to pick up more sales by year’s end, thanks in part to the continued strong performance of his May release “Relapse,” which has sold 1.4 million copies. Beyond the fan excitement generated by the first remastering of the entire Beatles catalog in more than 20 years, sales will also benefit from the massive marketing push behind MTV Networks’ video game “The Beatles: Rock Band,” which will be released on the same date. Sources say the game is backed by a $20 million-$25 million advertising campaign, which includes the value of advertising on TV networks owned by MTV parent Viacom
