Beatles stay off iTunes cos of 'heavy negotiations', man

Macca can't seal deal with EMI

By Kelly Fiveash • Get more from this author

Posted in Music and Media, 25th November 2008 13:13 GMT

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Paul McCartney has pooh-poohed the suggestion that Beatles tracks could finally appear on iTunes because negotiations with EMI have once again stalled.

The long and winding road to get the Beatles’ back catalogue onto iTunes has proved a huge headache for Apple, which continues to be in talks with the band’s label.

McCartney, who was speaking yesterday at the launch of his new Electric Arguments album by his side project, The Fireman, said an agreement was yet to be reached between EMI and the Beatles.

"That is constantly being talked of – we'd like to do it," he said, according to Reuters/Billboard. "What happens is, when something's as big as the Beatles, it's heavy negotiations."

Macca added: "We are very for it; we've been pushing it. But there are a couple of sticking points, I understand. So the last word I got back was that it had stalled, the whole process.

"[EMI executives] want something we're not prepared to give them. Hey, sounds like the music business.

"It's between EMI and the Beatles – what else is new."

The two are unable to secure a deal on terms to release the Beatles’ full roster of songs to iTunes and other download services.

McCartney left EMI in June 2007 to release his solo album Memory Almost Full on Starbucks’ Hear Music label.

He also had a little dig at big music industry players:

"I think the majors at the moment, I'm not dissing them, but I don't think they really know what's going on," he said. "With the download culture, they are floundering a little bit." ®

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