"British Invasion"

The Beatles' releases in the United States were hindered for over a year by EMI's American subsidiary, Capitol Records, who initially declined to issue their music, including the first three singles. Concurrent negotiations with the independent US labels Vee Jay and Swan led to the release of the songs in 1963,^[74] but legal issues with royalties and publishing rights proved an obstacle to the successful marketing of the group in the US.^[75] Exercising complete control over format, Capitol began to issue the material in December 1963,^[74] compiling distinct US albums from the band's recordings and issuing songs of their choosing as singles.^[76] American chart success began after Epstein arranged for a $40,000 US marketing campaign and secured the support of disk jockey Carrol James, who first played the band's records in mid-December 1963, initiating their music's spread across US radio. This caused an increase in demand, leading Capitol to rush-release "I Want to Hold Your Hand" later that month.^[77] Released 26 December 1963, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" sold a million copies and was a number one hit in the US by mid-January, with the band's previously scheduled debut there just weeks away