Sir Paul McCartney has reportedly signed a deal worth an estimated £200 million to bring the Beatles’ back catalog to iTunes. Citing industry insiders, the Daily Mail reports that the deal will bring the much-anticipated release to the store by the end of the year.
Due to various deals signed in the past, EMI, Sony and Michael Jackson will all receive a portion of the payout as well. McCartney said last November that he was “pretty sure” the Beatles’ music would be available digitally in 2008, adding, “The whole thing is primed, ready to go—there’s just maybe one little sticking point left, and I think it’s being cleared up as we speak, so it shouldn’t be too long.
It’s down to fine-tuning.”
Update: Both Apple and Sony/ATV Music Publishing, a company jointly owned by Sony and Michael Jackson, have issued statements downplaying the report. A Sony/ATV spokesperson said the report was “untrue,” while an Apple spokesperson called it “unsubstantiated speculation,” adding that “This is not news nor is it a scoop.”
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