The wait is over. Those who were anxious to know what Apple had in store for them today can direct their web browsers to Apple.com and see a huge banner saying “The Beatles. Now on iTunes” complete with a black-and-white picture of the band.
Update: to celebrate the Beatles' arrival on iTunes, Apple has posted a video of the legendary Beatles concert at the Washington Coliseum (in 1964), a video for those looking to relive the band's classic songs and performances, as well as the TV ads announcing The Beatles’ arrival on iTunes.
Needless to point out, there were
much higher hopes for today's iTunes-announcement, even though this can be considered good news for fans of the band as well as for Apple, whose high ups have been struggling to get The Beatles “on board” for years now.
Not so good news for those anxiously waiting for some technical breakthroughs from the Mac makers, such as a cloud-based iTunes, or new ways to download and enjoy music, such as new subscription plans for fans of the iTunes service.
Many also had their money on adjacent announcements, such as the official iOS 4.2 release. Needless to point out, Apple is likely ironing out more bugs in the second GM seed as the software update is nowhere to be found.
With all this out of the way, we’ll leave you with Apple’s original announcement, including some statements from The (actual) Beatles, and Apple CEO Steve Jobs.
More information on purchasable editions of The Beatles’ work can be found in Apple’s official announcement
here.
Apple Corps, EMI and Apple today announced that the Beatles, the most influential and beloved rock band in music history, are now available for the first time on the iTunes Store® (www.itunes.com). Starting today, the group’s 13 legendary remastered studio albums with iTunes LPs, the two-volume “Past Masters” compilation and the classic “Red” and “Blue” collections are available for purchase and download on iTunes® worldwide as either albums or individual songs. Fans can also get a special digital “Beatles Box Set” featuring the “Live at the Washington Coliseum, 1964” concert film, a worldwide iTunes exclusive which captures the Beatles’ very first US concert.
“We’re really excited to bring the Beatles’ music to iTunes,” said Sir Paul McCartney. “It’s fantastic to see the songs we originally released on vinyl receive as much love in the digital world as they did the first time around.”
“I am particularly glad to no longer be asked when the Beatles are coming to iTunes,” said Ringo Starr. “At last, if you want it—you can get it now—The Beatles from Liverpool to now! Peace and Love, Ringo.”
“We love the Beatles and are honored and thrilled to welcome them to iTunes,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “It has been a long and winding road to get here. Thanks to the Beatles and EMI, we are now realizing a dream we’ve had since we launched iTunes ten years ago.”
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