Really . . .

They struck a cultural chord. It was real. It swiftly made them incredibly rich. That doesn't diminish the realness of their talent.

Their talent allowed them to call the shots. They created a space in which other artists in 'rock' could also call the shots.

Eventually, the 'suits' (re)asserted control, and the pop culture/marketing complex we still experience today was born. That complex is the soul-sucking, commodity-centric beast that rules our culture and deserves all the opprobrium you misdirect to the people it exploits. (Taylor Swift, though her talent as a songwriter is almost nonexistent compared to Harrison, much less McCartney or Lennon, has, to her eternal credit, found a way to take control of her existence as a 'pop star'.)