Sunday, November 21, 2010

The Beatles Are Finally On iTunes!

By Jason Davis


After the many years of lawsuits between Apple Computer and Apple Corps. were finally settled in 2007, it was only a matter of time before The Beatles music was finally available on Apple's iTunes Store and on Tuesday, November 16, 2010 that time did indeed come. The Beatles music is in iTunes!

Before I tell you the details of what Beatles stuff is available in the iTunes store, I think I should tell you a bit more about the back story of why it has taken so long for The Beatles to join this most popular online music store.

Way back in 1968 The Beatles started up a new company named Apple Corps (pronounced "Apple Core") which is still a going concern today. Apple Corps began as a grand idea but today it exists almost entirely for The Beatles music. In 1976 a computer company called Apple Computer started and in 1978 Apple Corps sued Apple Computer over the Apple name. There were two more lawsuits before the dispute was finally settled for good just three years ago.

So which Beatles recordings are available to buy at the iTunes music store? Their entire remastered stereo catalog! It can be purchased all at once (like The Beatles Remastered Stereo CD Box Set) or album by album or song by song (this is the first time that every Beatles song has been available to purchase individually.)

But what is not not available to purchase at the iTunes shop? The remastered mono mixes. These are still only available to be bought as a part of The Beatles Remastered Mono Box Set. I think the thinking is that most casual Beatles fans will much prefer the stereo versions so it's better not to confuse these iTunes shoppers by having the mono versions available as well.

As a neat bonus iTunes is also letting people stream The Beatles first US concert (held in Washington DC on February 11, 1964) in its entirety. Even as a big fan of the band I hadn't yet seen this, and what's really cool is that it's completely free.






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