Following their success creating music and releasing hit record after hit record, the Beatles created Apple Records in an attempt to change the way records, cinema, and other electronic productions were produced at the time. At the time of Apple Records’ inception, John Lennon said this about the unveiling of the band’s new venture: “It’s a business concerning records, film, and electronics. We want to set up a system whereby people who just want to make a film about anything don’t have to go on their knees in somebody’s office” (Rose, 1). In some ways, this quote shows that Lennon and the Beatles pursuit of Apple Records was ahead of its time. Lennon’s quote skirts the territory of business that has made YouTube so successful today. Lennon recognized the troublesome bureaucracy that existed in the music industry at the time and he, along with his band mates, decided to try and change the industry. Subsequently, following this motive, the Beatles founded Apple Records in 1968 under the parent company Apple Corps Ltd.
Apple Corps Ltd. played a significant part in the development of Apple Records. In 1967, the Beatles lost their longtime manager Brian Epstein (Granados, 1). Epstein discovered the Beatles and guided the band to international fame. Further, there was a mutual trust between the Beatles and Epstein, which had been cultivated over the years. In 1967, after the Beatles had achieved massive success, the loss of a trusted advisor influenced the Beatles into seeking a more entrepreneurial route. Under Apple Corps Ltd. in the Apple Films Division, the Beatles produced their first film, which was named Magical Mystery Tour. However, Magical Mystery Tour was merely the first endeavor for the Beatles in their pursuit of Apple Records, which has been described as “a long and winding road” (National Public Radio, 1).
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After its inception, Apple Records began signing artists. “The Beatles’ Apple Records was the first major label created by a rock band and run as a collective” (Fricke, 1). Essentially, under the managerial structure of Apple Records, each individual member of the Beatles was granted the authority to sign any artist they so desired to sign. In the very beginning, the first few years after the conception of the business, Apple Records signed numerous artists and many of them are still remembered today. For example in 1968, Apple Records signed now-renowned acoustic artist James Taylor. Taylor had been a member of a New York-based band the Flying Machine at the time, but his talent attracted Beatles member Paul McCartney who believed that Taylor would make a tremendous solo performer (especially after McCartney had listened to Taylor’s solo demos)(Fricke, 1). The Beatles helped Taylor get produced by Peter Asher, who was simultaneously producing the Beatles’ White Album. Through the Beatles’ help and Asher’s early contributions to Taylor’s singer-songwriter style, James Taylor was able to release songs such as “Carolina on My Mind,” Something in the Way She Moves,” as well as the album Sweet Baby James (Fricke, 1).
Another early artist brought into the Apple Records family was Billy Preston. Preston, a piano player, had actually performed on the Beatles’ song “Get Back” in 1969 (Fricke, 1). Further, Preston had been on the Beatles’ radar for a number of years, as he was an industry staple who had performed with the likes of Little Richard and Ray Charles. Beatles member George Harrison was the one to sign Preston onto the Apple Records label, which was no surprise considering Preston’s apparent talent and his history with the Beatles. In 1969, Apple Records, under the direction of George Harrison, released “That’s the Way God Planned It,” which showcased Preston’s soulful, gospel style of music. Finally, Preston’s “That’s the Way God Planned It” was released in the United Kingdom. There is much speculation about why the Beatles founded Apple Records when taken in the same light as the United Kingdom’s tax rate. In Joel Rose’s article “The Beatles’ Apple Records: 40 Years Later,” which discusses the high tax rate in the United Kingdom at the time, music industry journalist Douglas Wolk paraphrases John Lennon, who said: “We realized we could either give the money to the government or we could put it into our business” (Rose, 1).
However, despite the early individual artistic successes of Apple Records, the band-run business model was not sustainable. The Beatles soon brought on Allen Klein to manage the label. Klein shut down numerous branches of Apple Records and restricted a considerable amount of the Beatles’ creative control. Klein was a part of Apple Records until 1973 and was replaced by Neil Aspinall. Ultimately, Apple Records became a vessel for re-releasing old Beatles’ records. Finally, Apple Records has been engaged in numerous legal disputes. For example, Apple Corps Ltd. engaged in a decades-long trademark dispute with Apple Inc., the famous technology company from California. Apple Records has also engaged in legal proceedings with EMI and iTunes music concerning royalties.
Apples Records was formed due to an ahead-of-its-time idea. The Beatles wanted to create a record label that was tailored to the artist rather than to the label itself. While Apple Records experienced some early success, launching the careers of many now well-known artists, the company simply did not have the proper managerial direction to become a lasting success. Apple Records now mostly serves as an outlet for Beatles’ music to reach the world, which is full of millions of Beatles fans.
- Granados, Stefan. Those Were the Days: An Unofficial History of The Beatles Apple Organization, 1967-2002. Cherry Red Books, 2002.
- Fricke, David. “Apple Records’ Top Five Albums.” Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 20 July 2010, www.rollingstone.com/music/news/apple-records-top-five-albums-20100720.
- National Public Radio. “’The Beatles on Apple Records’.” NPR, NPR, 25 Sept. 2003, www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1446265.
- Rose, Joel. “The Beatles’ Apple Records: 40 Years Later.” NPR, NPR, 14 May 2008, www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90437894.
