The Beatles are still number one sellers 50 years after their split

The Beatles are the top-selling rock band in the US this year - half a century after they broke up. Adding album sales to downloads and streaming, the Fab Four moved 1.094 million units from January to June - 25% more than their closest rivals Queen. Queen totted up 768,000 units as well as landing the top rock album, Nielsen’s Mid-Year Report revealed. Streaming soared and vinyl sales rocketed by 45% while CD and digital albums plummeted.

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A Nielsen spokesman said: "The music industry was experiencing a strong start to the year. Audio streaming was growing through early March, up 20% over the same period in 2019. "Vinyl, fresh off its 14th straight year of growth, also was up an astonishing 45%. Total audio consumption was up 15% in the first 10 weeks of the year. “As working from home became a reality for many, some of the key music listening hours, such as during commutes, were disrupted. But one thing that has remained consistent as the pandemic has unfolded is entertainment’s place in helping consumers escape, relax and feel energized. In fact, in our recent consumer research studies, 73% of people said they would go crazy without entertainment during this time.”

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Top five rock albums were: 1) Greatest Hits -Queen; 2) Diamonds - Elton John; 3) Chronicle Vol 1 - Creedence Clearwater Revival; 4) Greatest Hits - Journey; 5) Rumours - Fleetwood Mac.