Newsbeat

Sgt Pepper at Live 8 download tops chart

21st July 2005

A favourite for over 35 years, Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was never a single for The Beatles but has today hit the record books as the fastest-selling song of all time -- online.

The download is of Sir Paul McCartney and U2's performance of the song which opened the Live8 show in Hyde Park on Saturday 2nd July, and shot to the top of Apple's iTunes download chart within hours of its release. It has also entered the Guinness Book of Records for being the quickest single put on sale. It was available online within 45 minutes, after the production company 7 Digital received the audio from a runner who ran from the concert to St James's Square with a CD to be uploaded.

The profits will go to Live 8, though there are worries that illegal copies of the concert could cut sales.

The download is available from 7 Digital's Live 8 downloads page.

[Sir Paul]
Sir Paul at Live 8.

Sources: NME, ITV, Revolution, Guinness World Records