It’s breaking news for Beatles fans everywhere! Rumor very definitely has it that the great Sir Paul himself has now deigned to associate with Apple. The former Beatle has reportedly made a phenomenal deal with Apple that will give the latter permission to showcase the Beatles’ formidable discography on its iTunes store.
McCartney has already enjoyed the patronage of Apple’s iTunes with his latest album, Memory Almost Full, being available for pre-order on Apple’s online music store before it was released. Fans of the other three Beatles may not be very happy to learn, however, that Sir Paul will probably retain most of the money from the $400 million deal, with the remaining being divided among the estates of the late Beatles, John Lennon and George Harrison, and the only other surviving Beatle, Ringo Starr.
Die hard fans of one of history’s most influential bands may also wonder if the signing of this deal, which will give Apple access to the Beatles’ catalog, is no more than a money machine for Paul McCartney. The catalog includes such phenomenally successful albums as Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the White album, and the ever popular Help!. Many suspect that Macca, as he is popularly known in the UK, may be pushing the deal to help pay for his divorce settlement with model Heather Mills, whom he has recently been tussling with over his considerable fortune. Meanwhile the money bookers aren’t far behind, with considerable amounts being placed into bets over which hit Beatles tune will top the iTunes sales once the albums are available for purchase online. It certainly seems as if the Beatles’ vast legacy has come down to money grossing avenues for all concerned!
Fans of the band are not likely to be complaining, however, as the iPod is now a ubiquitous world wide phenomenon, and the new deal is certain to ensure renewed interest in the Beatles. The iTunes store itself, however, still faces some criticism from music fans in countries where music cannot be purchased online via iTunes. Most of the criticism is targeted at the fact that after releasing the world’s most popular MP3 player, Apple has inadvertently encouraged online piracy by not making its store accessible to millions of iPod owners across the globe.
Nevertheless, the signing of this deal, which has been in the works for quite some time now, is welcome news to Beatles fans across the universe! Which will top the charts: Hey Jude, Love Me Do or Strawberry Fields Forever?! With interest in the band being increasingly revived in the popular imagination after the release of the period drama/musical Across the Universe, which features a host of cover versions of the most popular Beatles tracks (including Across the Universe, Girl, Hey Jude, and I Wanna Hold Your Hand), Beatles fans are more likely than not to view any rebirth of interest in the Fab Four as overwhelmingly positive. So move over, Sir Paul—you can be as greedy as you like, but we still love the Beatles!
