The Beatles are the only British act among the founding inductees into the UK Music Hall of Fame.
A panel of experts decided the Beatles should join Elvis Presley, Madonna, U2 and Bob Marley.
The hall, launched ahead of a Channel 4 series this autumn, is for artists who have made the greatest contribution to "UK music culture".
The artists were chosen by a panel including Sir George Martin, Trevor Nelson and Paul Gambaccini.
Gambaccini said some people would inevitably be unhappy with the final list.
"There will be one or two names conspicuous by their absence, but that's the nature of the beast," he said.
He added the UK was one of the few countries to "punch above its weight" in music.
"Outside the US, it's Britain that's dominated pop music for the last 40 years," he said. "It's something this country doesn't properly celebrate."
Oasis star Noel Gallagher championed The Beatles, saying: "They inspire me more now than they did when I was a kid and are still the greatest."
Five two-hour Channel 4 shows will give viewers the chance to vote for further inductees.
document.write(unescape("