Maybe...maybe not. ALmost two years ago, I wrote a blog about the impact of The Beatles catalog going online. Every six months for the past several years, there have been rumors about when you can download "Let It Be" (by the Beatles, of course). I have to admit that at that time, I still had a few LPs that I had not replaced with a CD. So I might have been enticed to purchase some Beatles tracks.
9/9/09, the release of the Beatles version Rock Band, and the re-mastered CDs, was a strong contender for seeing The Beatles go on iTunes. It came and went. No iTunes.
Now I am wondering if Apple Corps missed the window of opportunity.
Most people can easily rip a CD into their computer. It used to be a complicated task to do this. Many people bought a track from iTunes that they already had on a CD just to avoid ripping it.
Today, it couldn't be easier. All the song information is filled in automatically and the music files are nicely organized on your computer.
Further, if Beatles fans didn't already have every album on CD in 2003, the re-released masters will surely fill in any gaps.
Apple Corps may be correct in withholding their tracks from the digital services. How much more money do they really need to make? Yet, The Beatles are seen as the Golden Grail and most everyone expects that they will make digital sales skyrocket.
I think that it will be an exciting moment when you can buy The Beatles online. But I don't think it will change anyone's life, including Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, yours or mine.
(If anyone noticed, I made it thru this whole blog without saying "Money can't buy you love" more than once.)
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