14 DAY TRIAL // The dispute between EMI and Apple Corps. (Beatles society owned by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and the widows of John Lennon and George Harrison) has finally come to an end. A $59 million end, to be more precise. After an audit on EMI, which has somehow revealed that they were not fulfilling exactly all terms of the contracts, the Beatles went legal and simply sued the records company in late 2005.
The suit went on and it wasn't until now (and the 2007 Q1 online music sales stir) that it found a resolve. Things calmed down for the very neat sum of approx. 30M pounds and it looks like EMI and Beatles/ Apple Corps. are buddies once more.
Now, the big game is not the money, as I presume you already know. Since EMI teamed with the other Apple (Apple Inc., the iPod-boys) and together they're set on turning the online music sales markets upside-down pumping the Whole EMI Catalog on iTunes... one thing was still missing: the Beatles' tracks!
The Fab Four are one of the few artists who have stubbornly constrained their music from going online in digital format. Even if the fans are desperately looking forward to the day they will be able to buy it from no matter which online service, Beatles are still reluctant even to the proposals coming from EMI (after all, they've friggin' sued them, right?)
Still, there is hope. Or at least this is what Eric Nicoli, EMI's Chief Executive, says. Elton John recently announced that more than 30 of his records will be available via online services in binary format. EMI officials are very confident that convincing Apple Corps. to lift the "digital ban" will be one hell of a move which will make even more money flow.
I guess that relatively soon we will face some radical changes especially as the Apple Corps. Chief Exec, Neil Aspinall , now 64 has announced his retreat and will be replaced with Sony BMG's former vice-president, Jeff Jones.