Decca Records Rejected the Beatles: "Guitar Groups Are on the Way Out"

On New Year's Day, 1962, The Beatles drove ten hours through a snowstorm from Liverpool to London. They were auditioning for Decca Records, one of the biggest labels in Britain.

They played fifteen songs. The performance was nervous and rough. It was, by most accounts, not their best day.

The Rejection

Decca's A&R man, Dick Rowe, passed. The explanation attributed to Rowe has become one of the most infamous quotes in music history: "Guitar groups are on the way out" and "The Beatles have no future in show business."

Instead, Decca signed Brian Poole and the Tremeloes. One of the deciding factors: the Tremeloes were from nearby Dagenham, which saved the label money on travel expenses. The Beatles had come from Liverpool. That was far away. And expensive.

What Happened Next

Five months later, The Beatles signed with Parlophone under producer George Martin. The rest is the most successful career in recorded music history: 600 million albums sold, 20 number-one singles in the US alone, and an estimated $800 million per year in ongoing revenue from their catalogue.

The Legacy of Dick Rowe

Dick Rowe became known in the music industry as "the man who turned down the Beatles." To his credit, George Harrison later recommended The Rolling Stones to Rowe, and he signed them. But no amount of Stones records could erase the six words that defined his career: guitar groups are on the way out.