"Fortune has learned that iTunes is close to a deal to bring the Beatles catalog online," the magazine's Tim Arango reported last week. How ironic, given their 20 years of legal battles, including most recently a tug of war over the right to use the brandname Apple. Neither Apple Computer or Apple Corps has confirmed the rumor and the deal may still fall through. However, the president of EMI recently told a music industry conference that he expected to see Beatles downloads available "soon." Still to be determined: What window of exclusivity will iTunes win from the Fab Four and their survivors? Will the Beatles allow their tunes and images be used for televised or other cross-promotional advertising, as U2 has done so successfully? Frankly, I couldn't care less, since my iPod already contains Beatles content ripped from legally purchased CDs. What I want to know is: How much longer do I have to wait for the Beatles catalog to be remixed in surround and released on SACD, DVD-Audio, Blu-ray, or HD DVD?
THE BEATLES:Love (Apple/Capitol). Mashups from the Cirque du Soleil show. Unavailable at press time, but billed as "first Beatles album in 5.1": CD+DVD-Audio!
JOHN:The U.S. vs. John Lennon (Capitol; 4-½ stars). Edgy songs from the doc. Also out: Give Peace a Song (Hip-O DVD), Sean Lennon's Friendly Fire (Capitol CD).
