“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.
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.