We hope this isn’t all there is to tomorrow’s Apple announcement about iTunes (come on, cloud distribution!), but it certainly does vindicate some theories about the meaning of the clock-themed invitation Apple sent out: The Wall Street Journal reports that the music of The Beatles is indeed coming to iTunes after years of rumors.
“Apple Inc. is preparing to announce that its iTunes Store will soon start carrying music by the Beatles, according to people familiar with the situation, a move that would fill in a glaring gap in the collection of the world’s largest music retailer.
The deal resulted from talks that were taking place as recently as last week among executives of Apple, representatives of the Beatles and their record label, EMI Group Ltd., according to these people, who also warned that there is still a chance that Apple could change plans at the last minute.”
If the rumors are true, it’s worth pointing out that Apple was actually beaten to the punch in securing rights to The Beatles’ catalog by Harmonix, which released The Beatles: Rock Band a little over a year ago.
