One of the best known rock bands in the world is in negotiations to get its music online. The band I"m speaking of is The Beatles. The Beatles in the past haven"t fully supported online music voicing their objection towards it. Well this time around it looks like The Beatles are singing another tune. Apparently The Beatles are looking for the right technology company to sign on to. The real winner in all of this will be whatever format is used to play Beatles songs. If Microsoft"s audio format is used then Microsoft audio format will get a substantial boost. While others like Apple or Reals format will suffer.
Rock legends The Beatles are in preliminary talks with technology companies about selling their songs on the Internet, after years of shunning the online music business, according to sources familiar with the situation.
Negotiators for the band have spoken with numerous online music providers, ranging from small companies to Microsoft, which is planning to open an Internet music store this year. The Beatles" side is asking for a considerable sum in return for providing exclusive online distribution rights, perhaps for as long as a year or more. "They are looking for someone to come up with the ideal way to put the Beatles online," one digital music executive told CNET News.com.
The growing interest by rock and roll"s premier group--whose breakup more than three decades ago, and the subsequent deaths of two members, have hardly hurt its popularity--in distributing its work online marks a milestone in the short history of digital music. Online music services are struggling to prove they can offer more music than a brick-and-mortar store--and the lack of Beatles songs has been an often-cited gap in their appeal.