Beatles-iTunes Deal Imminent

According to Billboard magazine, a deal to make The Beatles’ back catalogue available for sale online with iTunes is “virtually settled.”

Paul McCartney told Billboard, “I don’t want to pre-empt anything, but we’re well on the way to something happening there, which is very exciting.”

Some reports say McCartney is rumored to be making over £200 million from the deal.

Efforts to clear The Beatles’ music for digital distribution have been previously held up by a long-running feud between Apple Inc and The Beatles’ label, Apple Corps. Both sides finally settled the dispute in February, paving the way for distribution via iTunes and other digital retailers.

McCartney is doing a press tour for his new album, “Memory Almost Full,” his first to be made available for download and streaming on PCs and mobile phones. The album is due June 5 on Starbucks’ new Hear Music label. Starbucks previously announced that the McCartney album will be available on its Hear Music section of Apple’s iTunes Store.

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