EMI and Apple Corps have announced that the Beatles recently remastered back catalog will be available as a limited-edition USB on December 8. The drive will feature the quartet’s 14 stereo titles as well as 13 mini-documentaries. Apple has famously been in no rush to release the Beatles’ music in digital form, despite the desire on the part of Paul McCartney that the Fab Four’s tunes be available on iTunes. “It’s bit of a sticky issue,” the music icon told EW earlier this year. “I’d like to make it happen. Though I am not part of the negotiations.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for EMI has confirmed to EW that yesterday the company launched a lawsuit against Santa Cruz-based website BlueBeat.com, which has been selling the Beatles music digitally without permission, and providing free streams as well. According to the spokesperson, “EMI has not authorized content to be sold on BlueBeat.”
Will you be USBing come December, Beatlemaniacs, or better that their Fab catalog “Get Back” to where it once belonged—in regular physical form?
More on The Beatles:
John Lennon biopic trailer
Paul McCartney to document Citi Field shows
The Beatles’ ‘Lucy’ dies
The Beatles stereo box set
The best Beatles songs
More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
Muse: Watch new video here
Lightning Bolt and F— Buttons concert reviews: The present and future of NSFW avant-rock?
‘Say Anything’ turns 20: Cameron Crowe’s crazy story behind ‘In Your Eyes’
Ellie Goulding: The Music Mix recommends
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That’s so cool! They’re doing the same thing with the new Trek movie too: http://gizmodo.com/5379741/4gb-star-trek-flash-drive-comes-loaded-with-the-new-film
This little apple is as cute as a button. And the technical aspects seem strong. But I already bought the mono set and the stereo set, so I’m tapped out. I suppose any young Beatles fans who are more tech savvy than I might prefer the USB to the “old-fashioned” CDs.
Genius!
I’m still waiting for my box set. They were all sold out but I was told they should arrive this week.
TOO CUTE! If I didn’t already get the Stereo set I would have gotten this…but I do kinda like having the individual discs…but this is awesome!
its more expensive than the box set, so even though its super cute and probably collectible, I’m going to have to pass
Coolness aside, December 8 is the day John Lennon was killed. Terrible timing.