Internet to gain Beatles' magic!

NEW YORK (CNET/Beatles Fans Website) - It seems that after years of refusing to authorise the sale of their songs online, The Beatles (what's left of them, anyway) are now talking with technology companies about doing that very thing.
"According to sources familiar with the situation," negotiators for the band have "spoken with numerous online music providers, ranging from small companies to Microsoft, which is planning to open an Internet music store this year," reports today CNET.

"The Beatles' side is asking for a considerable sum in return for providing exclusive online distribution rights, perhaps for as long as a year or more."
They may be a trifle late, of course. Their music - virtually all of it, and including videos - has been on the p2p networks since the original Napster appeared.

EMI owns the Beatles' master recordings and, "has sought the group's permission before putting the songs online," says the story. "We've had several discussions with them, because we think it would be terrific to make all the Beatles' work available in digital services," EMI spokeswoman Jeanne Meyer is quoted as saying. "We would be delighted if they made that decision."

However, any exclusive deal - especially if the music is distributed in a proprietary copy-protected format from a company such as Apple or Microsoft - "could spotlight the growing problem of the lack of interoperability between services, digital music formats and portable devices," CNET has 'analysts' saying.
It'd be interesing if Steve's Apple and The Beatles' Apple teamed up.

For the moment, however, rather than Apple & Apple, it's Apple vs Apple in a lawsuit in which The Beatles argue that the iTunes Apple infringes Apple Corp's trade mark Apple.