My friends and I were discussing which musical act would be accepted by the largest percentage if you just grabbed a bunch of people at random. It’s not “who would be most popular” so much as who would get the fewest “no way” votes.
Our group of mostly pasty white professionals in our 30s to 50s arrived on Tom Petty. Nobody seems to hate Tom Petty as an artist. It’s not because he’s generic, but rather that he seems universal.
Who would you throw out there as a contender? And do any of you truly hate Tom Petty?
I like Petty, especially since he was a fan of my favorite group, the Monkees.
I feel like the answer to your main question would depend on the majority demographic(s) of the random group being asked—age, ethnicity, male vs. female, etc. The Beatles, of course, are extremely well-liked, but I've also found it rare, in my experience, to find anyone who truly disliked the Monkees. And Elvis seems to have a lot of cross-generational appeal.
Another thing that might factor into this discussion is the fact that artists of the last 30-40 years—that is, those who've been active during the time of modern mass media and then social media—are a lot more visible, including any scandals or questionable behavior that a lot of people would object to. I'm thinking primarily of Madonna, who is obviously a very popular artist but whose image doesn't sit well with quite a few people.