iTunes vouchers can't buy you love, but they can buy you the music of the Beatles. Yes, stand by for a flurry of Fab Four-related puns as the Beatles finally arrive in Apple's iTunes music store.
Apple Computers and Apple Corps have finally come together -- sorry -- to make the music of the Liverpudlian legends available for download to your iPod or iPhone.
The band's entire back catalogue can be downloaded from the Beatles iTunes page for £125. The physical release of the 16 CD box set of all Beatles albums currently costs £130 on Amazon, with some sellers offering the set for as little as £110. The other 13 studio albums cost £10.99, with individual tracks costing 99p. You can also buy the two-volume Past Masters and Red and Blue collections, as well as the band's first US concert, live at the Washington Coliseum in 1964.
The albums are available in the iTunes LP format, which means they come with photos and liner notes. You can easily find the CDs online for less than the download price -- and better, CD quality -- so unless you're planning to cherrypick your favourite songs this doesn't sound like much to get excited about in terms of actually buying the music.
We Can Work It Out
If one more person says, "Anyone who wants the Beatles' music has probably already bought the CD," we're going to toe-end them right in the Sgt Peppers. The significance isn't that lots of people are going to buy Beatles records -- although they undoubtedly will, guaranteeing that the band will have multiple songs in the charts in coming weeks and turning a tidy profit for all involved -- but that the biggest and most important band ever are finally on board HMS MP3.
Now the Beatles are on iTunes, it's a final seal of approval for digital music. AC/DC, Pink Floyd and Garth Brooks still refuse to sign up if their tracks are sold individually, but the Beatles' presence lends a weight to iTunes that can't be ignored.
Money (That's What I Want)
Surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, as well as Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison, widows of John Lennon and George Harrison, have clearly agreed a deal over the use of the Apple name, which will see some of the profits being for the benefit of Mr Jobs. Apple currently takes about 30 per cent of the money spent in iTunes.
Hello Goodbye
Previously, it was a case of "don't let me download", as the Beatles' back catalogue was only available in digital form if you shelled out for a ridiculous £200 memory stick. For more Fab Four-foolery, take a look at our pun-tastic Beatles headline contest.
Will you be shelling out for the Beatles in MP3 form?
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Comments 9
Add your comment
ekholden 16 November, 2010 15:51
Are Apple becoming the new evil empire?
Playing with customers over changing the world' and then releasing music from the 70's, albeit classic, says that they are ignoring what people are really waiting for and feeding their own quest for further control of markets.
Next time I ignore the news from Apple completely! I am starting to side with Bill Gates who actually seems to care very much about people and the world much more than the Apple and Jobs.
The cult is dying...
dj9928 16 November, 2010 16:14
Total let down by Apple
anonymous 16 November, 2010 16:19
slight mistake in the fact your can but pink floyd track indiviually but anyway i think this is goo as i have never brought any of their CD's and like every other artists i can download indiviual tracks rather than shell out for a whole CD
skapete 16 November, 2010 16:26
Shell out for a whole CD? The Beatles are real music and so best enjoyed as an album experience! I will always remember the first time I listened to 'Revolver' all the way through: it blew my mind!
anonymous 16 November, 2010 16:41
rubbish.
Nyllo 16 November, 2010 16:56
Nope. My iTunes library is a strictly lossless thing. I'm a stuck up poncy audiophile, me. :P
anonymous 16 November, 2010 17:29
@skapete i agree with you the beatles are great one if not the greastest rock band off all time i just just don't want to pay for a whole album when i will only listen to 3 or 4 songs on it. that why i like usingitunes and spotify
Anonymous 16 November, 2010 17:50
The Beatles are the most overrated band in history. Seriously, Apple dedicated an entire announcement for them?
Anonymous 16 November, 2010 17:55
That's it??? Some old Beatles tracks available to download?? No disrespect to the Beatles' music but we are talking about 40-year old tracks here."A day you'll never forget"...umm, doubt I'll remember it by tea-time, matey. Does Jobs come up with this embarassing hyperbole personally?