WSJ: Apple to announce arrival of Beatles catalog on iTunes
Apple on Tuesday will announce that the iTunes Store will begin carrying music by the legendary rock group The Beatles, The Wall Street Journal has reported.
Citing people familiar with the situation, the site reported Monday evening that Apple's "exciting announcement" would revolve around the arrival of Beatles songs on iTunes. Representatives of the band, as well as their EMI Group record label, were in talks with Apple as recently as last week.
Monday morning, Apple put a teaser on its website, telling customers that the company would have an "exciting announcement from iTunes" Tuesday morning. That led to speculation that Apple could announce a new, cloud-based iTunes service, or a monthly music subscription plan.
Other reports, however, said those products would be unlikely, as Apple does not have the rights required to stream music to customers. Apple has allegedly been in negotiations with record labels for months in an effort to forge a deal.
Rumors of The Beatles finally coming to iTunes are nothing new, but John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono helped to quiet those talks in August, when she said that fans shouldn't hold their breath for a potential deal.
The Beatles have long resisted digital music, instead opting to re-release albums on physical mediums. The band finally released their music digitally on special USB devices, as well as the video game "The Beatles: Rock Band," but iTunes did not come to be.
Rumors of an Apple-Beatles deal became more plausible in recent years, after Apple and Apple Corps made amends and settled a trademark dispute. Previously, the two companies were engaged in a legal battle for years.
Citing people familiar with the situation, the site reported Monday evening that Apple's "exciting announcement" would revolve around the arrival of Beatles songs on iTunes. Representatives of the band, as well as their EMI Group record label, were in talks with Apple as recently as last week.
Monday morning, Apple put a teaser on its website, telling customers that the company would have an "exciting announcement from iTunes" Tuesday morning. That led to speculation that Apple could announce a new, cloud-based iTunes service, or a monthly music subscription plan.
Other reports, however, said those products would be unlikely, as Apple does not have the rights required to stream music to customers. Apple has allegedly been in negotiations with record labels for months in an effort to forge a deal.
Rumors of The Beatles finally coming to iTunes are nothing new, but John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono helped to quiet those talks in August, when she said that fans shouldn't hold their breath for a potential deal.
The Beatles have long resisted digital music, instead opting to re-release albums on physical mediums. The band finally released their music digitally on special USB devices, as well as the video game "The Beatles: Rock Band," but iTunes did not come to be.
Rumors of an Apple-Beatles deal became more plausible in recent years, after Apple and Apple Corps made amends and settled a trademark dispute. Previously, the two companies were engaged in a legal battle for years.
Comments
Still, if they get the Beatles, that's okay by me.
Piper: Expect iTunes cloud, not music subscriptions, from Apple.
Apple appears set to launch iTunes Live Streaming.
WSJ: Apple to announce arrival of Beatles catalog on iTunes.
What's next? NYT: Apple to announce baseball cards.
How about some intelligent articles, guys. There's something to be said about the patient approach. You guys are so mad to say you said something first that what you actually say has become irrelevant - to you. Do you simply care that you said something that was right? In which case you'll pump out the stories just to say: "yeah, we published that one". How about actually waiting to publish something good?
A day we'll never forget is The Beatles on iTunes? Really? Everyone who likes the band already has their records. To hype this one, like they are doing by taking over the Apple homepage across-the-world and being very mysterious while alluding to promise a lot, is well beyond a joke. Well beyond a joke.
Are we turning into a 'republish every story that hits the web' now, website?
Yeah, republishing an article from a little-known publication such as the WSJ about such irrelevant event is a waste of bits.
I'm kinda excited about what may be revealed tomorrow... If it has anything to do with the Beatles though, I will be thoroughly let down.
When did the WSJ become a gossip publication??
When Rupert Murdoch bought it and blessed it with his legendary journalistic standards.
Yeah, republishing an article from a little-known publication such as the WSJ about such irrelevant event is a waste of bits.
Your sarcasm tells me you're not getting it. They have published three stories about three different things about this all within a few hours now. They should just admit they have no clue and we'd at least respect them for that.
I love - absolutely love music, but I could not care less whether the Beatles were on the iTunes store or not.
I'm kinda excited about what may be revealed tomorrow... If it has anything to do with the Beatles though, I will be thoroughly let down.
Coming from the WSJ, and considering their recent track record, get ready to be let down like the rest of us. But, we can only hope it's not that.
In the words of Dr Laura - "Don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining."
iOS4.2?
Cloud?
Streaming?
Please Steve - don't make The Beatles reason for the big announcement.
When did the WSJ become a gossip publication?? I always thought they were a no nonsense business publication that made informed business articles and speculations.
Anything owned by that Australian, no offense to Australians meant, is nothing, in my book. That guy is nothing more than a wrinkly old shit-bag. They do get scoops though. Directly from Apple.
I think they may be riffing on the title of a song from the Revolver album of 1966? "Tomorrow Never Knows." It was one of my all time favorites. You had to have been there.
Sort of not the point, though. Is it? If they want to tells us The Beatles are on iTunes, just do it. Don't yank our chain in the process. Any Beatles albums fans desperately want, they already have, iTunes or no iTunes. The Beatles, who incidentally, broke up in 1970. 40 years ago.
iTunes in the sky...with diamonds. Cloud based iTunes?
iTunes has lost movie revenue from me since I switched to Netflix. Can't Apple offer the same, but better?
Throw in the iPad OS update and it starts to get interesting.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.