After the many years of lawsuits between Apple Computer and Apple Corps. were finally settled in 2007, it seemed like only a matter of time before The Beatles were finally available on Apple’s iTunes Store and on November 16, 2010 that time did indeed come. The Beatles music is in the iTunes Music Store!
Before I tell you the details of what Beatles recordings are available in the iTunes store, I think I should flesh out the back story a bit of why it has taken 10 years for The Beatles to join the 21st century.
Way back in 1968 The Beatles started up a new company called Apple Corps (pronounced “Apple Core”) which is still a going concern today. Apple Corps began as a grand idea of a company that would be in all kinds of businesses but today it exists almost entirely for The Beatles music. In 1976 Apple Computer started up and in 1978 Apple Corps sued Apple Computer over the Apple trademark. There were two further lawsuits (in 1989 and 2003) before the dispute was settled for good in 2007.
So what Beatles material is available to buy at the iTunes music store? Their entire remastered stereo catalog! It can be purchased all at once (like The Beatles Remastered Stereo Box Set) or album by album or song by song (the 1st time that every Beatles song has been available to purchase by itself.)
But what is not not available to purchase at the iTunes Store? The original mono mixes. These are still only available to be bought as a part of The Beatles Remastered Mono CD Box Set. I believe the thinking is that most casual fans will prefer the stereo versions so it’s better not to confuse these folks by having the mono mixes available as well.
As a neat bonus iTunes is also letting people stream The Beatles first US concert (February 11, 1964 in DC) in its entirety. Even as a big Beatles fan I had never seen this before, and what’s really cool is that it is totally free.
The iTunes music charts are filled with The Beatles overtaking much music from 2010.