Yoko Ono, the widow of the late John Lennon has said this week that negotiations between Apple and The Beatles are still at a standstill, so don’t expect the popular catalog to hit iTunes or other MP3 stores anytime soon.
The band remains one of the few to not go legally digital, instead selling physical CDs like they did last year, with the catalog remastered.
Apple Corps (not to be confused with iTunes owner Apple), the group’s holding company still cannot come to terms with the EMI Group, the label which licenses the Beatles’ recordings.
Says Ono: “[Apple CEO] Steve Jobs has his own idea and he’s a brilliant guy. There’s just an element that we’re not very happy about, as people. We are holding out. “Don’t hold your breath … for anything.”
Apple Corps is jointly owned by Ono, Paul McCartney, Ringo Star and Olivia Harrison, widow of former member George Harrison.
While the company may seem closed off to new digital ideas, the band’s music was reissued on CD last year, is available via the “Beatles: Rock Band” video game and through the Cirque du Soleil “Love” stage show.
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The four founders of The Pirate Bay torrent tracker, Peter Sunde, Carl Lundström, Frederik Neij and Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, have filed an official appeal against a ruling that found them guilty of assisting copyright infringement, sentenced to one-year in prison and fined $3.6 million. The four always had planned to appeal a guilty verdict from day one of the trial, which kicked off in February 2009.
The case will now be referred to the Swedish Supreme Court, which may take a number of years to deliver a final decision on the case. Since the verdict was announced, there have been a number of DDoS attacks against the IFPI, demonstrations in Swedish cities and outside the country and a boost in membership for the country’s Pirate Party, which hopes to win a seat in the European Parliament.
The reaction from the entertainment industry was exactly what you would expect, as we reported earlier. Also, Paul McCartney is one celebrity who decided to comment on the decision, calling it “fair”. “If you get on a bus you’ve got to pay. And I think it’s fair you should pay your ticket,” he said.
For now, the site continues to be completely operational with no signs of it halting. “You, our beloved users, know that this little speedbump on the information super highway is nothing more than just, a little bump,” reads a defiant blog posting on the site.
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The United Press International has reported that a tentative agreement between Apple and former Beatle Paul McCartney had been made which would mean that the Beatles’ back catalog will finally be available for digital distribution on iTunes.
The deal, which could be in excess of $400 million USD, will be split between all the former members of the Beatles, Sony, EMI, and Michael Jackson all of which have some rights to the songs, whether it be in publishing, recording or reproduction.
Paul McCartney recently released his latest solo work for distribution on iTunes and that was followed by the release of John Lennon’s solo work prompting widespread rumors that the Beatles catalog would soon follow. There has been no official announcement from either McCartney or Apple so for now the report is just speculation but we will keep you updated.
