How about the Beatles rumors?
Every time people look at Apple subjects on the Web today, there is another new rumor about the Beatles coming to iTunes as a part of tomorrow’s announcements, although there does not seem to be a positive consensus.
Paul McCartney says he wants to see the Beatles’ music on iTunes. Yoko Ono says that the deal is done and that it will be there after tomorrow’s dog and pony show at Apple. Most say that there is an new and marvelous Beatles video game coming, but no downloadable music. How the heck can a person tell what’s going to happen?
It is certain that The Beatles: Rock Band video game will be announced and hit the shelves tomorrow. According to a Reuters story, the Guitar-Hero-like video game contains 45 Beatles songs to play, some of them the biggest of the big. The early reviews are all positive. As an example, the New York times says, “With all due respect to Wii Sports, no video game has ever brought more parents together with their teenage and adult children than ‘The Beatles: Rock Band’ likely will in the months and years to come.” That’s pretty high praise, and it is typical of what’s being said.
There are a lot of people hoping that the new Beatles music game will revive video game sales as we enter the first turn into the holiday season. The game will be available for the Wii, Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360, and game makers everywhere are hoping that the industry gets a boost from the Beatles, especially similar games like the new version of Guitar Hero. That remains to be seen.
Also unclear is whether of not the Beatles music will be available for download from iTunes at the end of the day tomorrow. Yoko Ono’s cryptic remark aside, the smart money seems to be saying that a deal has not yet been cut among Apple, the Beatles, and EMI. McCartney more or less said today that everyone was willing but EMI, who opposes the download of music on general principles. Apple would love to have it. McCartney says he’s in favor. But most likely EMI is still balking, holding out for who knows what. As much as we all want to download our Beatles favorites from iTunes, tomorrow is probably not going to be the day. It’s going to happen; it’s just probably is not going to happen now.
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