Beatles and iTunes deal still at impasse: Yoko Ono

Reuters via yahoo ^ | Fri Aug 6, 2010 | Dean Goodman

[a fool in paradise]

Don't hold your breath waiting for Beatles songs to go on sale at iTunes or other online retailers, Yoko Ono said on Thursday.

The Fab Four have long resisted the allure of digital downloads, instead selling millions of old-fashioned compact discs last year after remastering the catalog.

Apple Corps, the group's holding company has been unable to agree on terms with EMI Group, which licenses the Beatles' recordings. And then there's the unrelated Apple Inc, owner of iTunes, the world's largest music retailer.

Apple and Apple have had a difficult history over rights to the name. But that trademark dispute was settled in 2007, and speculation has regularly popped up ever since that the two companies would strike an iTunes deal.

"(Apple CEO) Steve Jobs has his own idea and he's a brilliant guy," Ono, the 77-year-old widow of John Lennon, told Reuters. "There's just an element that we're not very happy about, as people. We are holding out.

...Ono said her comments did not necessarily reflect the opinions of the three other equal shareholders in Apple Corps -- McCartney, bandmate Ringo Starr and Olivia Harrison, the widow of George Harrison. But she added that the infamous rancor of the past has been replaced by smooth consensus because "we're older and more experienced."

...Ono was reluctant to discuss upcoming Beatle-related activities, but has plenty of projects in the works to commemorate Lennon's 70th birthday on October 9, and the 30th anniversary of his murder on December 8.

"LENNONYC" will premiere nationally on November 22, as part of PBS' "American Masters" series...

..."I'm 77, so I think this could be my last effort, so I'm really trying very hard," she said...

[dfwgator]

I loosely borrowed it from Dennis Leary:

“What kind of country is this where John Lennon gets six bullets in the chest, and Yoko is standing right next to him and not one f’ing bullet? Explain THAT to me!”

[Swordmaker]

Yoko Ono says holding breath will just get blue face and no Beatle music in online digital stores—PING!

Please!
No Flame Wars allowed!
Discuss hardware.
Don't attack people!

Apple v. Apple Ping!

If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.

[Gay State Conservative]

Just borrow the CD from the local library,convert it into MP3s with Windows Media Player and voila! Not as handy as downloading but you get free wav files in the bargain (if you want them).

[newheart]

But there are some people who view the Beatles as being the band that derailed Yoko Ono's career path.

I was really looking for the Sarcasm tag on this comment, but I didn't see it. Nonetheless, thanks for the laugh.

[GSWarrior]

I can understand how aficionados of avant-garde, minimalist crap might feel that way.

[Mr. Blonde]

I would guess that very few people can tell the difference between a 256 or 320 mp3 and a cd especially not on average equipment.

[antiRepublicrat]

There's just an element that we're not very happy about, as people

Apple refuses to inflate the ratings of Ono's offerings on iTunes so it looks like SOMEONE is buying her stuff?

[RachelFaith]

Agreed.

Yoko Ono is a VERB when it comes to bands.

[RachelFaith]

God Bless WhatCD and Waffles!

[newfreep]

Actually, the differences between MP3 & CD are easily heard on very modest equipment.

Hi-Rez 24/96 files can sound amazingly real. Coming soon are 24/192 downloads.

I have all the Beatles albums on CDRs burned direct from the master tapes. I expect Apple Corp are determining the best vehicle for Hi-Rez 24/96 downloads and simply delaying decision on the iTunes MP3 format.

[freedomlover]

“Many people think of her as the woman who broke up the Beatles. But there are some people who view the Beatles as being the band that derailed Yoko Ono's career path. “

---

I didn't know there was a market for cat shredding imitations. I guess each to his own.

[Richard Kimball]

Yoko Ono was already a lauded composer and artist by the time she hooked up with John Lennon.

Many people think of her as the woman who broke up the Beatles. But there are some people who view the Beatles as being the band that derailed Yoko Ono's career path.

[Mr. Blonde]

If you say so. I can’t hear it.

[KosmicKitty]

Hey, Yoko, thanks for breaking up the Beatles!!

[dayglored]

> for those willing to be PIRATES and thieves... I'm not.

100% agreed.

I'm the biggest Beatles fan I know, have been since I was in junior high in the mid-60's. I've got them on vinyl, I've got them on CDs, I've got a few old 8-tracks of 'em...

And I ripped my CD's to MP3s rather than download illegal files.

I will not download copyrighted material -- even though I hate the RIAA and MPAA and DRM -- because no compensation gets to the artists that way, not even the tiny dribble that they get from the physical media sales.

Screw the RIAA, but not the artists.

Politics aside, even Yoko aside, I'm still a Beatles fan. Some of the best music I've heard in my entire life.

[dennisw]

The Beetles stink and are boring ....who cares. They have 2-3 listenable tunes. I can listen to “House of the Rising Sun” and “LA Woman” anytime it’s on the radio. The Beetles are painful to listen to. U2 are the Beetles of today

[SunkenCiv]

The day John Lennon climbed up that stepladder to peer through the big magnifying glass, Yoko hit the lottery.

[Locomotive Breath]

Imagine no Yoko Ono.
It’s easy if you try.

[relictele]

Fine...what if someone takes their newly-remastered Beatles CDs and undertakes the Herculean task of creating MP3s from them and then undertakes a second Herculean task of loading them into one’s iPod?

And please don’t misuse the term piracy just because others do same.

[relictele]

Moreover my point was an economic one. Apple Corps Ltd. assume that digital versions of the music are not currently available and therefore they badly overestimate their bargaining power.