For a decade that saw the recording industry implode, Nielsen/SoundScan’s list of the top-selling artists of the 2000s was still impressive. There was Linkin Park’s 21 million records sold, for example; Nickelback posted 19 million in sales.

But these and other stadium-filling groups, including Metallica, U2, and Coldplay, were absolutely demolished by a band that broke up decades ago -- maybe you've heard of them.

They're called the Beatles.

The Fab Four ranked second in record sales for the decade, beaten only by Eminem.

Even Britney Spears, arguably the most-popular artist of the decade, trails 5 million albums behind the Beatles. Their sales for this decade were buoyed by the 2000 release of 1, a compilation album and the best-selling title of 2000, with over 31 million in sales.

With 2010 marking 40 years since the band’s break-up, the group is experiencing a period of unprecedented growth: John Lennon’s estate earned $44 million in 2008, almost 20 years after his death. The estate of George Harrison, who died in 2001, collected $22 million.

But the biggest Beatles news of late is the September release of Beatles Rock Band, a video game release from EA (ERTS) and MTV (VIA) featuring the band’s most popular songs. Concocted by Harrison’s son Dhani, it's the biggest release in a franchise that surpassed $1 billion in North American sales in 15 months.