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Hmmmmm. Mixed feelings about this one. In general, I don't like it when acts "sell out". Kinda like the weird feeling I got when I saw Bob Dylan in that iTunes commercial - or maybe that was just a flashback.

This will be the end of the road for any kind of funny business between Apple Corps and Apple Computer.


And Apple wins!

I like the Beatles, but I think that if they had an exclusive with the Zune, my reaction would be "so what? that is a short term play and doesn't appeal to the iPod market of post-beatles music listeners."

That said, I think it would be interesting for Apple to try to appeal to the older, non-iPod owners, with a Beatles' campaign they can relate to. A 50 year old just isn't going for the neon in-da-club iPod ads.

YES!!! YES!!! YES!!! YES!!! YES!!!

Rr I should say:
YEAH!! YEAH!! YEAH!!

Order me one Beatle iPod please!!!

Even though I have every Beatle Album, every song on CD, and one of every iPod....

Yeah, I'm that much of a Beatle fan!

Put all songs on it, some out takes, some interviews, make it a great Beatle package Apple(s)!

We all live in a Yellow iPod?

(alas… MW = Red)

Apple vs. Apple

"WAR IS OVER--IF YOU WANT IT" --John Lennon


Finally. The Beatles Apple Corps grew a brain, 5 years too late, but better than nothing. They could have made a lot more if they started earlier, but I'm sure they'll still make enough for Ringo to buy a new 17" MacBook Pro (or 2). You can see it briefly in one of his web site home video's.

To Dreaming: Pod color has to be Apple Green, like the logo on the Albums.

beatles suck ass

Any deal should settle the Apple brand name dispute for one once and for all, otherwise a deal seems pretty pointless to me.

I don't see the beatles songs selling in huge numbers on the iTunes store, in order to offset the costs of paying for an (exclusive) deal. My feelings are that the beatles are NOT popular amongst the iPod generation.

The point of paying for exclusivity seems not worth it to me.
The iTunes store is the only significant online music store; where else would they go, the Zune marketplace? LOL.

MacMind,

The point would not be to market to the current iPod target audience, but rather to grow the iPod audience by targeting Baby Boomers. As explained by MDN above.

The Beatles would break all existing iTunes Store sales records with complete ease.

You don't get it.

I like the idea very much. As MDN points out, it will bring the brand to another demographic. Let's hope the rumors are true.

If true this is a huge deal. Sales are unimportant in this regard, having The Beatles would further cement iTunes as THE digital music store. If I weren't already an iPod owner and store user, seeing an ad for The Beatles would be such a strong sign of the credibility of the service.

THIS WOULD BE HUGE!

Normally I don't scream, but this could also kick-start a massive Beatles revival. Potentially equally huge for Apple.

With special iPods, special ads and a target audience with lotsa spending power.
Strawberry Fields indeed.

To Massive: absolutely.

I already can see people in sleeping bags DAYS before the official launch and sales of the Beatles iPod edition. To stop traffic in Oxford Circus and beyond!

"I don't like it when acts "sell out""


Get over it. Music is a business.

Also, Paul has to pay for his divorce.

I never understood the Beatles attitude towards Apple computer. Was it greed and/or envy? If they had chosen a path of peace and mutual cooperation one can only imagine the real success the Beatles might have had—a success shared by all, including the fans.

In a way this conflict has stained the Beatles more than Apple computer. BTW, I agree with MacRaven. Apple Corps could have made major bucks had they worked with Apple computer; even helping Apple fashion a unique platform on iTunes for new bands—something beneficial to the future of rock & roll.

It is not too late.

Although this is a "hell freezes over" moment, as a Beatles fan myself I already have all their stuff on CD, and therefore ripped to iPod, so I can't see myself buying anything of theres off iTunes. I imaging most Beatles fans will be the same way.

oh no, no beatles on my apple please!


Update your systems now!

Apple will make a yellow iPod for The Beatles... like "Yellow Submarine"... or strawberry iPod.. like "Strawberry Fields Forever" ?

U2 want a yellow iPod?

i already have most of the beatles on cds and ripped to my laptop. and by the way the people my age that i know who use windows wouldn't be able to figure out how to get to itunes without a lot of help for the most part. so it wouldn't do any good. and i agree with a previous post - why bother to pay for an exclusive deal - just doesn't seem worth it.

mw: first - beatles on itunes first?!

One must see that the wave of the future is turning music from a physical medium, to a digital, or non-physical one.

If the Beatles and EMI want to continue to make money off of their music, they will find that CD sales will not bring them the fortunes they are looking for.

Now Internet downloads on the other hand...

Interesting article from the New York Times about exactly which demographic group drives the music industry...

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/26/arts/music/26leed.html?ref=music

Hint:
They don't pierce, tattoo, wear goatees or pants around their ass cracks.

If the Beatles allowed a song to be used in an iTunes commercial wouldn"t they essentially be promoting themselves? This quite a bit different than selling beer, sneakers or candy.

Rope in yet another demographic into the iPod customer base. This can only be good.

MW: thing. This can only be a good thing.

To some of you to young to know:

Historically, The Beatles, never chose their Apple Corps personnel wisely. They lost millions (probably billions) to every clueless hanger on or old friend that they made a "Somebody" in the company (ex: Magic Alex, Neil Aspinal, Pete Shotten--probably the smartest of the lot though) that they paid large paychecks to. The Apple Corps store was a huge poorly mismanaged mess as was the recording studio/promotion end of the business.

Neil Aspinal's poor management skills show glaringly in this case--getting on board late with digital music, and keeping this ridiculous Apple vs Apple feud going is typical Apple Corps disfuctional family management that has plagued the rotten core of Apple Corps business ventures since it's inception.

The Beatles themselves have always had great innovative ideas for Apple Corps but they were never executed properly with skilled management. The only skilled, marketing savy manager The Beatles ever had was Brian Epstein. And with his death, soon came the death of the Beatles due to a very big elaborate ship having NO rudder.

Neil is no Brian. Neil wasted more money on lawyers suing Apple Computer when he could have made many, many millions for the last 5 years by partnering. Brian would have made a business deal with Apple in a heartbeat, Brian could instinctively smell money and a good business venture a mile away. He wasn't perfect, but his track record was FAR better than Neil or anyone else managing Beatle assests since his death.

If anybody needs wise marketing advice for a change, it's The Beatles. Steve Jobs is their return of Brian Epstein, and they'll let him take the reins this time if they are smart.

"... by the way the people my age that i know who use windows wouldn't be able to figure out how to get to itunes without a lot of help for the most part..."

ABQ Peter - oh, they'll get by with a little help from their friend.

The Beatles/AppleCorps/EMI are supposedly re-re-releasing the entire Beatles catalogue completely remastered.

I wouldn't be surprised if that release coincides with an announcement of an iTunes/iPod Apple deal. I'd also suspect that they'd announce and release SACD recordings of the main albums.

Say what you will about the Beatles, but this will be a BIG deal.

"They don't pierce, tattoo, wear goatees or pants around their ass cracks."

I never figured out the baggy pants thing but I am a soon to be 40 professional that just happens to have piercings (5), tattoos (5 again) and a well trimmed goatee. I have two iPods and two Macs, thank you very much.

It would be unwise for Apple to ignore any segment --- be it the AARP crowd or the hip-hop crowd. All have money to spend and all are going digital. And btw, many of those AARP folks are ex-hippies and likely have a tattoo or two under that Brooks Brothers suit.

Unlike the days when the Beatles held out on releasing their songs on CD's, there is no pent-up demand on Beatles songs for download. They missed the boat. Those who wanted to download them (I ripped mine from my CD's) already did from other free sources.

"Hmmmmm. Mixed feelings about this one. In general, I don't like it when acts "sell out". Kinda like the weird feeling I got when I saw Bob Dylan in that iTunes commercial - or maybe that was just a flashback."

Pfff, get over yourself. Pop music is not a charity. The Beatles never compromised for Apple. Hell, they broke up before Apple Computer even excisted! Dylan never sold out, he wrote this song way before the commercial. Apple just used it and Bob never compromised.

I'm not too excited about the whole thing, I have most Beatles music on vinyl. Still play the albums. Although if this deal does pull through it's cool for Apple (both apples in this case). And about time too!

it always cracks me up when people naively complain about musicians "selling out" when they land a contract. They are entertainers in the business of making $$ off of their talent.

andy sucks ass

If this happens then maybe the Beatles will finally get back together.

I was a minor communist party official in my home land of China. However, as you may know, China is now more capitalist than communist. Therefore, I now work for the last true communist organization in the world - Microsoft.

Your potential. Our Politburo.

To Apple

All you need is love. And a shitload of money.

As a boomer, I grew up with the Beatles and experienced their growth, transformation, and breakup. The music has lived on as evidenced by my three daughters (14-21) having the music on their iPods.

When you listen to their music, you can't but realized that they were way, way ahead of their time...and now it just comes back around.

MacMind says:

"...My feelings are that the beatles are NOT popular amongst the iPod generation...".

Boy are you wrong, there.
I cannot tell you how many times I come in the house, and here my 14 year old and his buddies doing homework with BEATLES on itunes; singing a,ong in their new deep little voices, an aoctave lower (hilarious).

I witness this as much as them playing marron5, white stripes, etc.

Plus, new remixes will provide a never-ending stream of Beatles.
Now, let's get the rest of the Hendrix catolog up, and Zappa, too.


BTW, macRaven, you nailed it.

Re sell out, in the words of Bill Hicks:

"suckers of satans nob"

but then satan runs the U.S

" "...My feelings are that the beatles are NOT popular amongst the iPod generation...".

Boy are you wrong, there."

You are indeed, MacMind. The beatles were huge when I was in my teens, but my twenty-ish kids have numerous Beatles tracks on their iPods. Their friends do also.

Re sell out, in the words of Bill Hicks:

"suckers of satans nob"

but then satan runs the U.S

andy sucks zune

Mr. Reeee

Hint:
They don't pierce, tattoo, wear goatees or pants around their ass cracks.

hahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahah!!!!!

All you need is love.

"In general, I don't like it when acts "sell out".

What is it with this "sell out" bullsh*t? A famous band finally decides to embrace a new delivery medium in order to expose a whole new demographic to their music and that's a sell out? Baloney! Isn't the whole point of making music to distribute it to the widest possible audience?

UNLESS!!!

Microsoft throws a boat load of money at Apple Corp to give it's (by most accounts) disasterous Zune a big PR lift.

Apple Corp seems to like money best (see it's frivilous suits against Apple Computer) and MS has all the money in the world to score a big PR trick over Apple. The iPod/iTunes way (given it's popularity) would be Apple Corps logical choice but it may lose out to MS $$$$.

I hope it doesn't go down that way and Apple goes with Apple but MS will likely resort to any means to save face and Zune.

The boot is clearly on the other foot now.

Apple Corps NEED to deal with Apple - anyone else would be a damp squib.

Let SJ drive a hard bargain and claw back some of the costs they have racked up defending themselves against the greed of Apple Corps.

business maybe business, but Apple is in the ascendency and Apple Corps is heading the other way - so maybe this is the opportuinty of SJ to tell them to GO SCREW YOURSELVES !!

Maybe its time to bring back the Flower-Power iMac

Microsoft throws a boat load of money at Apple Corp to give it's (by most accounts) disasterous Zune a big PR lift.

I don't think any amount of money can make up for Steve Ballmer.

Jobs is the Hollywood smoothie with ties. Ballmer is the freak outsider nobody likes. Both are contributing greatly to their respective companies' music businesses.

They need to do it before Christmas...don't they like money?


How much did they not get over the last 3 years because they were being stupid and stubborn?

Hi! I'm an iPod and I'm a Zune.

Zune: I get a little constipated. I can't go podding.


iPod: I'm sorry I can't help you with that. Don't you squirt or something.

Come on people make up some good ones. I am going to keep my day job unless you email me some good ones for my up coming book.