The Channel Wire

November 25, 2008

Discussions to get The Beatles' music catalog on iTunes have stalled again. Paul McCartney told the BBC that discussions between Apple's iTunes and The Beatles Apple Corps Ltd. have come to a standstill, even though the full catalog was expected to be online by the end of this year.

The last obstacle that was seen between getting the full collection of John, Paul, George and Ringo's music on the iTunes store was a trademark suit between The Beatles' company and Steve Jobs' crew. However that suit was settled and music fans were getting their iPods ready.

But now MACCA has hit a sticking point with EMI, the distributor for The Beatles music since the 1960s.

"We'd like to do it," McCartney was quoted as telling the BBC on its Web site on Tuesday. "We are very for it, we've been pushing it. But there are a couple of sticking points, I understand."

McCartney added, "Last word I got back was it's stalled at the moment. But I really hope it will happen because I think it should."

"We have been working hard to secure agreement with Apple Corps to make the Beatles' legendary recording catalog available to fans in digital form," said a spokeswoman for EMI, Reuters reports.

"Unfortunately, the various parties involved have been unable to reach agreement, but we really hope everyone can make progress soon."

The music recorded by all four members of The Beatles after they split in the 1970s is currently available on iTunes. But fans hoping to download a digital copy of Let It Be, Abbey Road and The White Album will likely have to wait at least a little bit longer.

It is most likely just a matter of time until The Beatles catalog hits the iTunes store. Let's face it, there is way too much money for all the involved parties to make. But that doesn't mean that the maneuvering between Apple, MACCA and EMI will come to an end in the near future.

After all, neither Apple, the record label nor Sir Paul are known for providing their services cheaply and not squeezing out every last dollar.