Why The Beatles will Never Come to iTunes

Ah, yes, another of the perennial classic Apple rumours. I was forgetting the exact sequence. After “the Mac Mini is dead” comes “The Beatles on iTunes soon.” But as I’ve written elsewhere, I would be very surprised if this ever happens.

For a start, whatever legal truce currently holds between Apple, Inc. and Apple Corp., it’s an uneasy one. The surviving Beatles, the families of the deceased, and the management of Apple Corp., are at least a match for Steve Jobs in terms of arrogance, and I’m sure they view gracing iTunes with their presence — exclusively or otherwise — as a humiliation too far. Which doesn’t matter, because the Beatles don’t need iTunes.

Among the many accolades you can assign to the Beatles is that of really good business men. They played the record industry’s game for as long as they needed to, then took control of their own affairs. They haven’t entered the digital download game yet because they’ve been waiting until the time is right for them. And I’m sure they’ve watched the exploits of bands like Radiohead with interest. My prediction is that when they come to the web, they’ll do so independent of any existing on-line music store. The band that’s bigger than god is surely bigger than iTunes.

When Apple Corp. announces The Beatles’ on-line debut it will make headlines around the world, so publicity isn’t going to be a problem. Software for running the store and serving downloads is available off the shelf. Plus, there shouldn’t be any shortage of trained web monkeys for hire these days. It’s all a little more work on Apple Corp.’s part, but the extra profits they get to keep for themselves should make it more than worth their time. It will be interesting to see what stand they take on DRM. I wouldn’t like to guess one way or the other.

The Beatles rhythm game from the makers of Rock Band, announced yesterday, should be seen as a completely isolated event, and not Apple Corp. dipping its toe in the digital waters — although introducing their music to a whole new generation of listeners cannot hurt the prospects of any future venture. Whatever The Beatles’ record company has planned for their back catalogue, they have yet to reveal their hand. But when they do, it’s going to be big.

• Mac Daily News