The Beatles On iTunes For Valentine’s Day?
Many took little notice of the fact that Steve Jobs, Apple, Inc.’s eclectric CEO, played “Lovely Rita” by the Beatles in the background during his MacWorld iPhone announcement. Even more foreshadowing took place when he featured the album covers of Abbey Road and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band when demonstrating the iPhone’s ability to showcase album covers. These hints have just started to rise to the surface and have created speculation that Apple, Inc. and Apple Corps have finally reached a settlement, and the Beatle’s catalog will appear on iTunes in short order. A Beatle’s branded iPod may also be unveiled as part of the promotion.
Anticipation of the inevitable grew more intense recently when a popular Beatles fan website, Abbeyrd, claimed that an “unnamed source” has confirmed that a deal between Apple, Inc. and Apple Corps has already been solidified. An announcement will come in the next couple of weeks and the first official Beatles album to be released digitally will happen on Valentine’s Day. “Love” will be the first record released on Februrary 14, 2007.
The Beatles on iTunes have been going on for some time, and heated up last year when Beatles drummer Ringo Starr hinted that tracks from the band would be made available “at some point.” The swell grew when EMI’s former Vice Chairman David Munns, who recently got the boot, told a November web conference that music from the Fab Four would be made available online “soon.”
Most of the action between the two Apples has come in front of a Judge — the companies have been battling over who has the right to use an apple in their logo when referencing music product. Most recently the two Apples sparred over use of the Apple logo within the iTunes Store in London’s High Court. Job’s Apple, Inc. won that round.
