The Beatles’ monumental back catalogue is finally available on iTunes after years of legal wrangling.
The Beatles make peace with the other Apple The Beatles make peace with the other Apple
The arrangement between Apple (as in Steve Jobs) and Apple (Corps, the Beatles’ record company) marks the first time it’s been possible to legally buy and download digital tracks by the Beatles. iTunes will remain the only legal distributor of Beatles tunes with an exclusive deal running into 2011.
The Beatles Box Set containing ‘256 items’ including all the music alongside video footage is now available to buy for £125. Any of those individual tracks are also available from 99p as are each of the band’s individual albums, including the Red and Blue singles compilations and classics from Please Please Me to Let It Be from £11 each.
Apple has been in talks with EMI, which is responsible for the Apple Corps catalogue, for the last decade and is likely to be hoping for a bumper cash boost from the move. Within 24 hours of going on sale, the Fabs took over 15 per cent of the iTunes chart, with 31 entries in the top 200, sparking memories of their hit parade dominating heyday.
With Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and now the Beatles jumping the digital download bandwagon, the most significant download refuseniks are AC/DC.