Please please me and let this be the end to the nonsensical absence of songs from the Beatles catalog on iTunes. The decades-long legal battle between Apple Corps Ltd. (which is in charge of the Fab Four’s songs) and "we are going to take over the world with our hypnotic design" computer/iPod makers Apple Inc. appears to have come to an end.
For going on 30 years, Apple Corps has sued the computer maker several times for daring to have used the same logo, an apple (even though they were two obviously different fruits — the Beatles apple is Granny Smith-green, and the Apple apple used to be rainbow-colored and was missing a big bite). The exciting thing, if you paid attention to the pictures from the MacWorld/iPhone hubbub, was the possibility that we’ll be able to buy Beatles songs on iTunes (the band has long been the most notorious holdout in terms of offering their tunes for digital download).
For anyone who still goes to CD shops, most Beatles records are the rare ones that never go on sale, because retailers know that if someone loves the band and really wants to hear them, they’re dang well going to pay the full $18 price. Call me cheap (or broke), but I’m looking forward to getting Rubber Soul for a ten-spot. Are any of you PopWatchers excited about this, or have you already caved and bought all the Beatles songs you’re ever going to buy?
Rubber Soul on Amazon is $11.99 right now. So is Revolver. Abbey Road is $9.99. This has been a public service announcement.
Still no Zeppelin…
It’s about bloody time. I’ve been waiting to download a Beatles song since the invention of iTunes. Now I can get my Beatles fix and make sure that I subsidize Sir Paul’s post-divorce life.
i could not care less about Beatles songs being available online, offline or on any line.
Scotto is right. You can buy this music now without waiting. Beatle albums are amazing as a whole work of art, not just for the individual songs, though those are beautiful in and of themselves.
I am a huge Beatles nerd. When Media Player allowed me to rip music back all those years ago for the first time, i digitized all of my Beatles CDs, including the anthologies as well as several collections, bootleg and live albums. I don’t claim to have every song they ever put out, but I sure as heck have everyone they’ll be selling on iTunes. Most of my friends are the same way.
I think I’ve bought all the Beatles songs I’m ever going to buy, because, as of “Love” I already have them all! As long as the stream of “new” material (“Live at the BBC”, “Anthology”, “Let It Be, Naked”, “Love”) is over, I personally have no need for downloads.
Garth Brooks next! Please tell me why I would purchase an album by “Tribute to Garth Brooks”? Thanks, iTunes!
Actually, I believe Apple (the record company) had an earlier agreement with Apple (the computer makers) because they were in different industries, but when Apple started selling music through iTunes was when the all-out war began.
I already have everything I need from the Beatles (read: all of it – except for the 26-minute “Helter Skelter”). I’m waiting for the catalog to be remastered, and at that point, I’ll buy hard copies of the albums, not digital.
Every so often Costco has Beatles CDs for around 13 dollars. I’ve amassed quite a collection that way.
I’m glad that Beatles songs will soon be available on iTunes and hopefully will soon be available to subscription providers like Rhapsody and Napster.
Apple Corps has done the world a disservice by limiting access to the greatest library of songs ever created. I think it’s sad that twenty somethings these days have no idea who the Beatles were and their contributions to music. They can see the history that James Brown, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Elvis and others created but Beatles songs are foreign to an entire generation because Apple Corps limited access. This is a long time coming.
You can already get some of your Beatles albums for a “ten-spot” on Amazon or at Virgin Megastore. You can hold them in your hand AND put them onto your computer.
I’m happy that I will soon be able to buy Beatles tunes on Itunes. I’ll be even more excited once Led Zeppelin gets in to the act.
I own all the Beatles I ever will but DITTO on the Zep. They would get a lot of my money.