“Talks have begun that could finally make the songs of The Beatles available for sale online, sources familiar with the situation said,” John Borland reports for CNET News. “Representatives for The Beatles have spoken with numerous online music providers, ranging from small companies to Microsoft, which is planning to open an Internet music store this year. The Beatles’ side is asking for a considerable sum in return for providing exclusive online distribution rights, perhaps for as long as a year or more.”

“‘They are looking for someone to come up with the ideal way to put The Beatles online,’ one digital music executive told CNET News.com… But it may be some time before ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ and ‘Let it Be’ are sold on Apple Computer’s iTunes or on Napster. One idea being considered is a Beatles-branded store that would be the only place online where the group’s music, videos and other multimedia products would be sold, sources said. The store could be operated by one of the existing online music services,” Borland reports.

“The long shadow of The Beatles has already touched the world of digital music. Apple Corps–the company formed by The Beatles in 1968 to manage their business interests–sued Apple Computer in a dispute over the use of the Apple name and logo after last year’s release of the iTunes song store,” Borland reports.

Full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: Yes, one can find every song ever recorded by The Beatles on P2P networks, but the first legal online distributor would score a coup of sorts by landing The Beatles – especially if the deal is an exclusive for a decent period of time. It’ll probably take deep pockets, so Microsoft could be looking to trump Apple here. “The Beatles only in WMA.” Or maybe the remaining Beatles still can recognize what’s cool and they’ll decide to Think Different.

Related MacDailyNews articles:
Forbes: Apple vs. Apple; iTunes Music Store just might end up with exclusive Beatles deal – September 12, 2003