In my opinion(and now,don't we all hve those),the beatles were simply an idea whose time had come.Look at how pstring talks about how radio was,just one station or something,same things played over and over,etc.
There's no stopping an idea whose time has come.
It wasn't so much the beatles themselves,but rather the ideas propelling the beatles.
The key thing for me is the idea,not the idea's propagator.
Now,about pop,selling out and all that.
If GnR shortened Sweet child of mine for radio,then to me the problem wasn't GnR,it was radio.Coz they need space to air adverts and weather forecasts and news and all that crap.And the DJ has yelpiasis,so they need time for that as well.
Don't blame the band.Blame the media the band needed to get heard.