The Beatles confirms plans to offer their music as downloads

18 Apr 06 01:14 by Seán Byrne in category Uncategorized To news archive

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When Apple Computer launched
their iTunes service
back in 2003, they started off with a library of just over 200,000
tracks. Since that time, their library has grown about tenfold to over 2
million tracks, however despite other competitors also offering over a million
tracks in their libraries, target=_new>The Beatles is one major artist missing from the lot.
This is set to come to an end as Neil Aspinall admitted in the High Court href="http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/10491" target=_new>trademark lawsuit against
Apple Computer in London that several Beatles tracks will be sold as
downloads following the completion of the remastering project.

Since then, the Apple Corps label has confirmed
plans to digitally remaster the entire catalogue from The Beatles in order to
sale them as individual downloads, after the decision was made by the two
surviving Beatles – Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney. However, it is not
clear at this time when their remastered hits will become available online, let
alone which music download stores will carry the songs. While no
confirmation has been made about releasing CD remasters, Aspinall had mentioned
that the remastered Beatles catalogue will be made available with booklets for
each package.

This move by the band is rather unexpected
considering how reluctant they have been to enter the music download market and
also how long they waited after the original launch of the CD before they
released CD versions of their albums. Even though the Beatles have not yet
officially released any of its music as downloads, according to the NPD Group
research, they are the fifth most popular artist when it comes to music
downloaded from file sharing networks.

hspace=18 src="http://www.cdfreaks.com/contentimages/newsimages/1249358740" align=right
border=0> Signaling an end to the highest-profile holdout in the booming digital-music arena, the Beatles are coming to the Internet. The band’s business arm, Apple Corps, has confirmed plans to digitally remaster the Beatles’ hit-filled catalogue and then sell the songs individually online.

Don’t get out your wallet just yet, though. The
Beatles’ work won’t be available any time soon, nor has it been decided
which online stores will stock the tunes.

The group’s intentions were made public this week in
written testimony by Apple Corps’ managing director, in the company’s
trademark lawsuit against Apple Computer. In a statement to the High Court
in London, Neil Aspinall acknowledged that “Hey Jude,” “Yesterday,” “Can’t
Buy Me Love” and the like would, for the first time, be sold in digitally
downloadable form upon completion of the remastering
project.

Once the Beatles are finally become available as purchasable music downloads,
it will be interesting to see if they will make their music available via iTunes
as well as what impact they will have on the music download market.
However, even though Apple Corps has a trademark dispute with Apple Computer,
they must not forget that avoiding iTunes would also mean potentially avoiding
80% of the music download market and consumers are not suddenly going to buy
from another source, particularly if they cannot play their purchased music on
their iPod.

Source: The New York Sun

17 Comments

willb3d: Posts: 78; Posted on: 18 Apr 06 02:29

The who?

Zod: Posts: 547; Posted on: 18 Apr 06 03:46

I thought Michael Jackson owned the Beatles catalogue, wouldn't he get the say in this? Allthough I guess he probably just leaves well enough alone, and lets that apple company handle it.

strachan: Posts: 866; Posted on: 18 Apr 06 05:21

No, willb3d, not the Who, the Beatles.

willb3d: Posts: 78; Posted on: 18 Apr 06 05:52

Oh, them, yeah, liked their tv show when I was a kid. I heard they're suing Fiona Apple next.

Demodave: Posts: 22; Posted on: 18 Apr 06 07:32

That's interesting....allofmp3.com has pretty much everything available for digital download.

Demodave: Posts: 22; Posted on: 18 Apr 06 07:32

That's interesting....allofmp3.com has pretty much everything available for digital download.

Demodave: Posts: 22; Posted on: 18 Apr 06 07:32

That's interesting....allofmp3.com has pretty much everything available for digital download.

_chef_: Posts: 28226; Posted on: 18 Apr 06 08:44

Really? Really? Really? :B

Saruman: Posts: 476; Posted on: 18 Apr 06 13:18

All that '60's era stuff is crap. Just let the band die its been on life support for far too long. Would John Lennon have really wanted the Beatles to go on living in such a vegastative state? I think not. Euthanasia is the only humane thing to do. :+

heystoopid: Posts: 307; Posted on: 18 Apr 06 13:43

Oh well, given the total volume of 45's, Lp's and CD's sold for this group, given the dominance of the Beatles Album sales within the top 100 best selling record albums in both the regular sales of 45's, LP's and CD's in the past four decades, allied to how esy it is to convert to mp3 or Apple DRM free crap. Only, an idiot or an oxy moron would buy it again, from the record company's in the new drm'd lousy format! I suppose for a marketing ploy, one could totally remix , create brand new Digital Masters, and basically alter the music's perspective as was done to the butchered modern version of "Hey Jude" If the record companies sell this turkey, it will show the old adage, "a sucker is born every minute!":c

Mordorr: Posts: 874; Posted on: 18 Apr 06 21:49

Sarumon says: "All that '60's era stuff is crap. Just let the band die its been on life support for far too long. Would John Lennon have really wanted the Beatles to go on living in such a vegastative state? I think not. Euthanasia is the only humane thing to do." The especialist did spoke. Let me gess:90`s are the best, maybe? I prefer 60`s to 90`s, and todays music really sucks.. Did you ever try hear them? Share with us your amazing music life! We want now it! P.S. 80`s has the best music ever...:S and F*** music today`s...

themushroom: Posts: 188; Posted on: 18 Apr 06 21:54

Indeed, the 80's rocked...

Good to hear that the Beatles music will finally make it for sale, since everyone (including GW Bush) has illegal copies on their players.

Crabbyappleton: Posts: 5757; Posted on: 18 Apr 06 23:31

I think that the logo above in the quote is for Apple compter. So we can see why they are being sued. :+ To me music is very much entwined with our lives and memories and there is no "best" era. Music seems great as I think we let our minds wander to where we were when we used to hear the music. Often, these are good memories. This is why (I think) we can listen to music over and over and it never dies for us. As it is a part of our life. I still like the Beatles (the group) even though some of the best stuff they ever did was when I was 11 years old i.e Sgt Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour Rubber Soul etc.! But, the remaining Beatles are not representative of the whole by any stretch of the imagination. They are former Beatles. In the 60s and 70s there was much rebellion and also a "vibe" with the young people. The Beatles rode this vibe for all it was worth, along with a ton of other great talens, like Hendrix, Clapton, Joplin, Ten years After, The Who, The Guess Who, Rolling Stones, to name but a few. You can take Busta Rhyme and his ilk and they do nothing for guys my age. Only so many words rhyme with bitch. Metered rhyme...repetitious hook lines -when will it end? Damn I feel like it is stagnating the the evolution of music as this is all the labels will dish out.

There is no progression of the craft anymore it seems. :c

Ivanhoe: Posts: 751; Posted on: 19 Apr 06 06:45

The beatles songs are now available for downloads, but President Bush admitted months ago that his Ishite(ipod) had already been loaded with Beatles songs. How could this be without pirating the songs. Is he advocating piracy?:B:B

Saruman: Posts: 476; Posted on: 19 Apr 06 13:26

Mordorr says "The especialist did spoke. Let me gess:90`s are the best, maybe? I prefer 60`s to 90`s, and todays music really sucks.. Did you ever try hear them? Share with us your amazing music life! We want now it! P.S. 80`s has the best music ever... and F*** music today`s..." I agree that the '80's was the best ever and that "'80's" had some bleed over into the early '90's and some of the early heavy metal from the '70's was damn good, too. Radio music for me started going downhill in the early '90's when the Seattle crap started coming out in force. That was the end of the best music on radio. However, I HAVE listened to the Beatles and have always thought they sucked. Don't like Jimmy Hendrix, either. Can't see what the big deal is over him or why he's still even played on some of the "modern rock" stations. I find it funny how some guy who claims that the '80's music is the "best ever" defends not only '60's music but the Beatles as well. :r

Mordorr: Posts: 874; Posted on: 19 Apr 06 19:33

That`s easy Sarumon

-Even i prefer 80`s, in General, for instance, one of my favorites bands is The Doors ( 70`s):B It`s you that said:":r All:r that '60's era stuff is crap.".. I said my favorite decade was 80`s,,,doesn`t mean i can`t hear 1 or 2 bands from 90`s.:S Even a "radical" like me has no problems to admit a good band of todays`.. But i think you are a litle more radical... and Elvis is not dead!:B:B:B

Icy Mt.: Posts: 597; Posted on: 19 Apr 06 23:17

Of course the King of Pop gets a say in this. He's flat broke and living in another country and all for it! If he could get a few cents out of every Beatles download, he go back to Neverland and have enough ready cash to start being even wierder than he was before.

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The Beatles confirms plans to offer their music as downloads

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