The Beatles on iTunes? (slight return)
As everyone is speculating again about The Beatles and iTunes, I thought it might be worth pointing people to three blog posts from the currybetdotnet archives...
It was twenty years ago today...The Beatles CD reissues from 1987. Whenever people talk about the Beatles entering the digital market, you'll always get someone who predicts that under the new chart rules, the top 100 the following week will be chock-full of Beatles tracks and set some kind of new world record. Times have changed though. Firstly, I reckon they'll struggle to outperform the cast of Glee. And secondly, evidence from the first time The Beatles did a big digital reissue programme, when the albums came to CD, shows that they didn't perform that well in the charts. This blog post from 2007 looks back at those reissues.
Beatles digital downloads facing a ticking copyright time-bomb. In February 2007, one of several occassions when the band and the company appeared to ditch their legal battle of the Apple trademark, speculation was again rife that Beatles tunes would swiftly be making their way into the digital store. They have less and less time to do it. Unless legislation changes the length of time that recorded sound stays in copyright, the earliest Beatles recordings will become public domain in 2013.
And we've been down this long and winding road before for sure - back in June 2007 everybody, including me, was absolutely certain that the 40th anniversary of the release of Sgt. Pepper would see the digital Beatles catalogue released. And all we got was this lousy t-shirt and microsite...
I remember buying the beatles reissues it seems like yesterday not over 20 years ago but even so the beatles music is still relevant and still magical today.
Forty years after the Beatles broke up, Apple is selling 13 remastered studio albums, the two-volume "Past Masters" set and the "Red" and "Blue" greatest-hits collections. People can buy individual songs for $1.29 apiece or download entire albums, at $12.99 for a single album and $19.99 for a double!
Personally I cant wait for the day when Beatles tracks start going out of copyright. It is bound to lead to some fantastic remixes and mashups. Saying that, I would be surprised if the influential Sir McCartney doesn't wield his powers to try and force a change in the law before that fateful day!
As a man with some years on the clock ( 53 years old )I can remember the first issue of most of the Beatles hits in the 60's and 70's. I can also recall being asked to stand on the piano chair in my Great-Grandmas best room and sing 'She Loves You' for my family, when I was about seven years old! The magic of the Beatles music has never left me and I still get the urge to dance and sing along whenever I hear their 'upbeat' stuff. I note 'Cman's comments above and to be honest I hope that Paul McCartney does try to keep the Beatles recordings unchanged, they are fantastic just as they are thanks!
It still sounds better on vinyl though!
Hey, I'm just hoping this helps the Rock Band developers get access to more Beatles songs so they can release more playable songs for Beatles Rock Band!
Whether on CD, vinyl, or i tunes, in my book, the Beatles still rock. Maybe the best of both worlds would be the cast of Glee sings the Beatles! Gotta be a hit? yeah right.
This was probably one of Apple's most anti-climatic announcements EVER! But, still pretty cool regardless...
Are you kidding me, the Beatles rock, whether it's on vinyl or CD!.
Beatles has always been rocking. No matter what it is, tape, vinyl, Cd or i Tunes they will still rock.