“After years of litigation and ill will, it took two men just a couple of hours to hammer out the basic terms that would finally bring the Beatles’ music to the iTunes Store,” Ethan Smith reports for The Wall Street Journal.
“The deal was outlined by Jeff Jones, chief executive of the Beatles’ corporate entity, Apple Corps Ltd., and Roger Faxon, CEO of EMI Group Ltd., which owns and distributes the band’s recordings,” Smith reports. “The meeting took place at the EMI’s London headquarters this past July 14, less than a month after Mr. Faxon took the reins at EMI.
Smith reports, “Under the terms, Apple Inc.’s digital media store is the Beatles’ exclusive online retailer at least until January, Mr. Faxon said in an interview Tuesday, after the much-awaited deal was announced. It marks the first time that Beatles songs have been available for digital-download sales.”
Read more in the full article here.
Yeah. And I still don’t care.
Has anybody not already downloaded them illegally?
To be correct, WSJ is ignorant: EMI Group does NOT own Beatles’ recordings, it only orders manufacturing (if applicable) and distributes in all media.
EMI has exclusive copyrights which were given by Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC (half owned by Sony and the late Michael Jackson) through long-time contract.
I’ll admit… after seeing the Apple home page, and watching that concert, I felt like I wanna buy a few songs.
These songs were great in their originally published day. But to want to listen to them now is really living in the past. Give me a current John Digweed Transitions Mix any day over these old tines.
In honor of my favorite Beatles tune ever, and a comment on the past 24 hours, I purchased “Tommorrow Never Knows”.
Now let’s all just relax and float down stream..
For me (50ish), I voted a #2 on the MDN poll. I think the Beatles waited too long to do this. They are becoming less relevant every day.
The “golden oldies” types are slowly thinning out (as is my hair) and I think FutureMedia hit a serious note
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@FutureMedia
According to your logic Beethoven,Mozart,
Bach,Wagner are all not worth listening to
because their stuff is old.
@ daugav369pils: By FutureMedia’s logic, then Britney Spears produces only masterpieces.
Nah. Judging by at least half the comments today, Britney is already part of the golden oldies too.
John Digweed? What, is Moby too déclassé for you?
“These songs were great in their originally published day. But to want to listen to them now is really living in the past.”
Yeah, those has-been hangers-on Beethoven, Mozart, Dvorák, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Bach, Strauss, Wagner, Sibelius and many others have pretty well worn out their welcome too. Living WAAAAYY in the past. These cheap classical music nostalgia acts should take a hike too, eh?
If it ain’t Baroque, don’t fix it…
I bet Apple will announce sales numbers tomorrow. Over a million songs downloaded in 24 hours.
We’ll see.
@Daniel… I haven’t. This may come as a surprise to you, but some people actually have principles that prevent us from living our lives under the childish notion that we should be able to download any song or movie we want without paying anything for it.
Look up “ethics” in the dictionary some time.
My wife and I went and saw the show Love in Vegas last year. I forgot how much I loved the Beatles. I think it is great that apple is finally able to offer there songs in a quick and easy online format like all other music. BUT.
My question is this why the big fight . If anyone is a threat to music it would be Youtube. You can hear just about any song you want , make a play list and pipe it threw your house without spending a dime. The Beatles music is no exception. How is it that Youtube is allowed to offer this service without ,what seems be, no fight from anyone. I would think that this would be a big hit on sales. Not just to cds but to radio as well. I can listen to music without any adds and I can pick the play list.
Still with the Beatles crap? Please let this story be over by tomorrow.
If Apple wanted November 16th to be a day I’ll never forget, they should’ve released iOS 4.2 already.
Now yesterday, after watching Mike Vick on Monday Night Football, THAT’S a day I’ll never forget!
R2,
Yah boy!!!
Cubert is right.
All you fuck-wit holier-than-thou-I-don’t-give-a-shit-wise-acres are forgetting is, what YOU want no-one, especially Apple, cares about. They are running a business.
Every news agency world-wide is carrying this story. Good for Apple? You bet. Good for business? You bet. Good for share-holders? You bet.
And, as it happens, their music will still be here long after you are dead.
Can’t happen soon enough.
@DeRS: Before you throw around charges of ignorance, you should learn the difference between songs and recordings.
Michael Jackson owned (part owned) the rights to the Beatles songs, not the recordings. That means that he had no control over which CDs could get produced. Apple Corps owned the recordings.
Jackson’s rights to the songs earned him royalty payments whenever any version of the song, including cover versions, were sold or performed. But the actual recording of the Beatles performing — that was not his property.
It’s a pet peeve of mine when people talk about Michael Jackson owning the Beatles “songs” and how that means any new pressing of the CDs had to go through him. Nothing could be further from the truth.
——RM
What Childermass said… without the profanities.
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Fantastic! The Beatles are now on iTunes!
Hurrah, and all that to those who care and to those who don’t.
..and now …. (cue trumpeters)
…..finally …. (drum roll)
Life can go on *without* some media hit-monger predicting The Beatles will be released on iTunes every time Apple makes a vague announcement.
i hate the beatles
all modern commercial music is a direct result of those mofos
Goo-goo-goo-joob!
@ radio
“i hate the beatles
all modern commercial music is a direct result of those mofos”
Bravely and brazenly spoken by one so ill informed. C-Rap, Hip-Hop and the like are craptastically non-Beatles inspired.
Also I have to ask with all of every style of music genre currently being produced what exactly is missing? What variation oh wisely musical one would music have gone if the Beatles hadn’t arrived, who were influenced by those before them?
Too old and too late.
My – Some people do get all stressed over nothing. I like the Beatles, good for me… You don’t like them, good for you.
But please, enough of the insults.
The Beatles can rot in hell for all I care.
@MottLatte: I agree, waiting for nearly 7 years, this was sooo anti-climactic…but the Apple site does transport one back to that music scene back in the day, where there was a genuine excitement, talent, charisma.
Can I listen to the Beatles while listening to Pandora?
Please do not compare the Beatles to Beethoven, Mozart or Wagner. You harm the Beatles, and make you look like a fool on a hill.
Heya
Enough already .
Apple just want the beatles in it’s catalog.
Why , who cares , maybe OLD BOD including Steve Jobs are mega followers . And it is a big deal to them.
For me not so much.
Normally such drama by Apple are about some HUGE deal that affects EVERY ONE who loves apple. A new product , a major update ….
This sucks and makes me dissapointed .
@Lemon
Are you saying beatles is better that those Amazing composers ?
To me you are the fool, fool!!
Well I never was a big fan of the Beatles, BUT I am still aware of the bigger picture, be it Beethoven, Beatles, Bee Gees, Bangles, Bebop Deluxe or the Blues.
It should all be available on iTunes.
Oh yeah yeah yeah.
I’m one of them oldies who has just gone out & bought some real music at that new fan dangled iTunes store. In fact I bought the whole collection of them long haired Liverpudlian Beatle fellas. Had to sell a few sacks of potatus to pay fur the musik as well. You younguns just don’t know what real music is. Well dun Steve! & yus fellas at EMI as well.
Anyone who won’t listen to the Beatles because they’re old is a fadist.
Fortunately listening habits aren’t dictated by your kind or else we wouldn’t have a culture.
I don’t understand why Mac users and especially MDN are jaded about the Beatles.
Obviously Apple and in particular Jobs are pleased to have them on board. Jobs might say he wouldn’t be doing what he’s doing today if it hadn’t been for the Beatles. So to Jobs at least the Beatles did change everything. I know they made me aware of meditation and of the power of love over war. Maybe instead of being negative and only using their clouded minds posters can write from their hearts how they’re different today because of the Beatles.
If you can’t see the bigger picture of the Beatles then what’s the point of arguing that Apple Inc. was ever the first in anything.
We’re all connected through all time.
Beatles crap shit music group should give up their name Apple. Apple Inc has the REAL right to it and the have NO business using it with their over rated crappy music.
I appreciate diverse forms of music. On this site, we see that trolls live everywhere and will flame anything for a laugh.
Dylan got the Beatles to start making albums like Rubber Soul and forward to even greater heights. Those days were about transformation and creative change and artists talked and influence each other to experiment and change and grow. Now most musicians seem to copy their own stuff over and over again. Sad. And yet, there is always really great music being made out there, but not so much in the popular arena.
I liked what Apple did. The more the better.
To answer the critics above who say “who cares?” —
In very recent large study of the listening tastes of 12-24 year olds, respondents were asked “What are your five favorite musical artists or group?” Of those most mentioned, The Beatles ranked #7. The top-10 were, in descending order: Eminem, Lady Gaga, Llil Wayne, Taylor Swift, Drake, Rihanna, Beatles, Katy Perry , I.I., Green Day.
In the identical survey/question in 2000, The Beatles did not make the Top-10 list, though interestingly, Eminem was #1 then too.
And needless to say, these young fans are not CD buyers. If they pay for any music at all, it will be via iTunes or something like it.