It's a goof. It started out as a goof, and it's still a goof. I love the Beatles, both as cultural artifact & a collective body of work. Were they a corporate entity? Sure! Was there an element of fakiness? Yupper! Were they trend followers or trend setters? One as often as the other. But danged if they didn't churn out some fantastic music. And they did, and still do, have an incredibly huge impact on our culture.