All the headlines today focused on the Beatles now being on iTunes focus on the money for the Beatles, but say little about what it all means. There's a much wider significance to this whole thing.
Who will buy the tracks? How about who won't buy them? Probably not seasoned collectors, except maybe for the diehard completists. They have all those songs in many forms from various sources.
And those who bought the Apple USB stick, which does have the benefit of including the lossless FLAC format, probably won't, either.
Making the Beatles available on iTunes is for the mass market, especially for younger people with iPods and mp3 players. They'll be the ones downloading them, as will older people who haven't had access to the illegal downloads.
At various times in the past there were rumors about how the Beatles songs would be available on iTunes if it ever did happen. There were rumors of limited time availability, for one. None of that appears to be true.
Now that it's done, though, you have to wonder what took so long. EMI's official comment was simple: "It’s always been something that the various parties had talked about, but it’s only now that the timing felt right."
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SURVEY: We've set up a not-so-scientific survey on polldaddy.com asking whether you will buy or consider buying Beatles songs from iTunes. The survey is here. We'd like to see what you think. We'll report the results.
Comments
No one really cares about this due to exactly what you say above. None of this is new...except that they are lossy. Give us new content and I'll get excited. Until then...a waste of time.
I think the general public does care. There are a string of albums already going up the iTunes best-selling charts.
How about LET It Be
How about LET It Be
How about LET It Be
How about LET It Be
How about LET It Be
How about LET It Be
How about LET It Be
Oh this is such a big rip, now that they sold all the box sets & USB sticks the now do an iTunes box with the video of "The Bealtes at The Washington Coliseum, 1964" as an extra. I've paid for the stereo box, the mono box & the USB, where my copy of Washington! A GIANT RIP trying to soakus of another $150.
Maybe the Washington show will be out there soon enough.
I think NBC 4 in LA said it best--the Ballad of Jobs and Yoko
That's a good one...
Md....support you 100%!!!!!!
What Beatles fan doesn't already own "The Bealtes at The Washington Coliseum, 1964"? Oh yeah, and all the tracks now offered on itunes.
Well, this version of the Washington concert is apparently the complete closed circuit tape. It has more of the intro. The quality is pretty sharp, too.
I haven't watched my copy but once since I bought it. It's title is The Beatles in Washington DC Feb 11th, 1964. It's 40 minutes long. All I see is a VHS copy on Amazon. I don't have anything rare do I? I just picked it up at a Target or somewhere, if I remember right. It says it is digitally remastered with dolby 5.1 sound.
It has eight songs plus Beatle Beat by the Brittband.
I agree with MD. I've been saying it since last year... the whole REMASTERS are a rip off. $200 for the box of Stereo and $250 for a box of Mono CDs... LOL. Now the Lennon, and McCartney remasters.
... Fools and their money.
Paul...I mean Badfinger
Come and Get It!
Sorry Steve I disagree with you, I'd say 90% here is all about the $$$ you see we have a 40+ year old catalog delivered digitally, no packaging or printing sub quality and iTunes is charging the buyers a premium price.
It's well know in the industry that EMI is having big $$$ problems and they are using the Beatle catalog to make as much money as they can.
There was a time when the Beatles were the leaders now well thats all in question, even Neil Young & Tom Petty released there music on BluRay, but if you asked me I think EMI/Apple are just milking it. I wouldn't be surprised to see remixed box sets in the next few years or maybe even BluRay just to keep the $$ flowing in.
RS: While I can see where you're coming from, you can't deny the Beatles on iTunes fills a need. And in the end, it'll mean a lot for them in the future. This is a move they should have made long ago.
Steve, agreed, they should have done it a long time ago, but the fact are that $$$ stood in the way of the music that means so much to so many people. I don't think Steve Jobs was thinking about the $$ I think he would have wholesaled it if allowed and probably was just thinking of the prestige of having the Beatles on itunes, but as I said before the $$ got in the way of giving the public what they want...downloads...no wonder the music business is in the shape it's in, most kids said the heck with it and downloaded the music from P to P sites.
This is about the new fans who might not want to spend $8 - $14 for an album but might like to have a Beatle song or two. I suspect once they start buying these songs, they won't quit until they get them all.
Sure, this is not what I'm waiting for but I just told that guy running around holding the gun to everyone's heads, "f**k off".
I know all the music people hyping all of the trend music out today aren't doing it for the money, but they are racking it in too.
I think it's kind of nice that someone's saying "Hey, try this. It's good too."
It might inspire some artist to say "No. I don't want the steel guitar on my song so I can sell it to a country audience, I want it to sound like it does in my head".
No. I don't want the steel guitar on my song so I can sell it to a country audience, I want it to sound like it does in my head
--Or you can be like Shania Twain and have different style music backing you to sell to both audiences - Pop and Country :)
I don't think money stood in the way as much as the Beatles wanted to first consolidate the music in remastered form first as albums before splitting up the tracks for individual downloads.
Of course having the double pay off first selling it at the end of 20th century CDs and now at the (late) beginning of 21st century downloads could be seen as a double pay off but I think those are for different target markets. (album buyers vs younger track by track buyers)
BTW, the picture and sound on the Washington video is amazing. I wondered if they didn't electronically bring the drums up louder on this. There were some moments where I could have sworn the LP track was dubbed in.. but apparently it was really live and just sounds that good.
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