[Macworld]

Post your comments for Can't buy me Beatles on iTunes, still here

[Schneb]

Solution...
Buy used CDs on Amazon, burn via iTunes. Problem solved for a year now for me. And it was cheaper as well.

[dean_o]

It makes little difference to me. I bought the White Album for the last time when I bought it on CD almost twenty years ago. Since then, I ripped it, and it's been living happily in my iTunes library for many years now.
Sir Paul and the rest can sell it on iTunes, sell it on Amazon, chop it up into 5 second ringtones, or whore themselves out to Guitar Hero for all I care -- they're not going to make another dime selling me the same thing I already bought three times before.
I think a lot of other iTunes users are in a similar position. They've already ripped the Beatles CDs they bought years ago. Unless someone can figure out a way to offer some additional value, a Beatles album on iTunes (or anywhere else) isn't worth much.
Thanks for playing, guys. You waited too long.

[nycmonk]

This is very odd. Just last week I saw a Beatles CDs with pre-loaded Beatles-Branded iPod package for sale in Bloomingdales here in NYC.

[TxTom]

I was going to reply directly to Dean-0 saying that I agree completely. I bought all the stuff as soon as it was released on CD back in the 80's. I had british pressings of many of the LP's. I've paid plenty to the once-Fab Four.
My fav Beatle is dead and I've no intention of making Paul or Yoko any richer.
Time has long since passed for this, Paul. Get a clue. Your core audience is dying or deaf. Get over yourselves and face reality. How freaking rich do you need to get? Your audience is shrinking. Release it for the failing few who will feel the need to BUY a digital copy of something most likely already own!!
You WERE the greatest pop band of the 60's. You couldn't get down like the Stones, but you wrote some great stuff collectively. But now...it's 2008 and your audience is rapidly fading away...and handing their stuff down to kids who MIGHT have interest. Might not.

[himbo]

Considering that the Beatles' album sales still number in the millions every year, I would think that your opinion on the size of their fan base is uninformed at best.

[erictbar]

TxTom and dean_o,
I am 19 years old and a huge fan of classic rock, especially The Beatles. I hate what most of my generation listens to. I have bought most of my classic rock collection on iTunes, including 67 songs by Paul, George, John or Ringo.
While I agree, most fans of the Beatles are older than the target audience for a lot of the stuff on iTunes, I know I am not the only young Beatles fan out there.

[tced1]

We can all agree there is no technical problem about having this music on Itunes. The real problem is the lawyers and accountants can't decide how to divide the money. As time passes, the pie gets smaller and smaller.

[TxTom]

Erictbar,
What you might not understand is that Beatles music is not the Holy Grail. It's 60's classic rock at its best. Great stuff. Stuff past its prime. Some of the greatest music ever made. But it's music. Almost everyone has it on vinyl, tape or polycarbonate. You can find it all on eBay, P2P, BitTorrent or at your local CD resale shop. It is NOT something that's hard to come by!
For them to deny access for digital download is the ultimate in extreme arrogance!
Sorry, it's Paul and the Apple Corp. IDIOTS who do not see reality or are seeking one last payday before they fall asleep for the last time.
Explain any other sensible scenario to me!

[himbo]

What you might not--or don't seem to--understand is that, as I stated earlier, the Beatles continue to outsell most contemporary artists. The scenario that you posit, that everyone interested in Beatles albums has already got them, is clearly and inarguably contradicted by the hard sales numbers they consistently generate.

[Wondercow]

TxTom
What you don't understand is that for many the Beatles are the Holy Grail. You also fail to understand that your tastes in, or opinions of, music do not hold true for all. You don't seem to understand that the Beatles albums are still top-selling ( 1 sold near 30 million in 2000 alone ).
All of that aside, I'd like to know how you have the inside track in all of this:
Sorry, it's Paul and the Apple Corp. IDIOTS who do not see reality or are seeking one last payday before they fall asleep for the last time.
How, exactly do you have knowledge of all f this? Please don't try to pass your opinion as fact.

[doglesby]

It's pure foolishness. Would putting the Beatles on iTunes increase piracy? Only to the extent that it increases visibility. Anyone interested in pirating their music can already do so (as Steve pointed out in his open letter, CDs have no DRM). The only uptick will come from people who decide they want to pirate it after it becomes a hit on iTunes. They should be so lucky.