“When will digital music consumers finally be able to meet the Beatles? Sooner than later it seems: Anticipation is building that the group’s storied recordings will be available for (legal) digital download, now that Apple Corps, which oversees the catalog, has settled litigation over its name with Steve Jobs’ Apple,” Louis Hau reports for Forbes.
Hau reports, “But while the Beatles have been the most prominent digital holdouts, they aren’t the only ones. Even though the vast majority of well-known recording artists now sell their music online, you still can’t buy a digital copy of AC/DC’s ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ or ‘Back In Black.'”
“In fact, virtually none of the Australian hard-rock veterans’ music is available as a legal download anywhere on the Web. Ditto for Led Zeppelin. And the same is true, except for the occasional tribute album contribution, for Garth Brooks,” Hau reports.
Hau reports, “The desire among some artists to retain control over the use of their music, continued ambivalence about new technologies and legal challenges in securing the necessary rights continue to keep some prominent song catalogs from being widely available for downloading. The result is a crazy quilt of restrictions that can frustrate their fans and their record labels.”
Full article with mention of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Radiohead, and more here.
Related articles:
Why Apple iTunes Store + The Beatles would be a very big deal – February 06, 2007
Wired News: Apple iPods pre-loaded with music are about to become the new CD – February 06, 2007
NPD’s Crupnick: Beatles-iTunes deal ‘almost certain’ – February 05, 2007
Apple Inc. and The Beatles’ Apple Corps Ltd. enter into new agreement – February 05, 2007
The Beatles to share the love with Apple’s iTunes Store on Valentine’s Day? – January 16, 2007
Apple close to offering Beatles music via iTunes Store – December 05, 2006
Fortune: Apple close to landing exclusive iTunes Store deal with The Beatles – November 27, 2006
The Beatles catalog to be available for download ‘soon’ – November 13, 2006
Apple will do ‘everything we can’ to lure The Beatles to iTunes Music Store – May 10, 2006