At first glance, comparing the Beatles to Blackstone, Brookfield, KKR, Apollo, Ares or BlackRock seems absurd. One group wrote songs. The others raise capital. One attracted screaming teenagers. The others attract pension funds, sovereign wealth funds and private wealth investors.
Yet the deeper you look, the more similarities emerge. Both Beatlemania and the rise of today’s megafund managers are examples of a recurring pattern in human affairs: the concentration of attention, trust and influence around a small number of dominant brands.
The products may differ. But the psychology is remarkably similar.
In the early 1960s, popular music was fragmented. Hundreds of artists competed for attention. Then something unusual happened. The Beatles broke through on a scale never b
