Beatles on iTunes Still Hung Up on 'Business Hassles' - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Beatles on iTunes Still Hung Up on 'Business Hassles'

121616 beatles logo

It's the rumor that undoubtedly won't die until it comes true, but the BBC takes another look at the prospect of The Beatles coming to Apple's iTunes Store, a topic that has been raised on a regular basis going back to the launch of the iTunes Music Store. According to Paul McCartney, the continued holdup is due to record label EMI.

"To tell you the truth I don't actually understand how it's got so crazy," Sir Paul told Newsbeat. "I know iTunes would like to do it, so one day it's going to happen."

Sir Paul has claimed the delay is down to record company EMI.

"It's been business hassles", he said. "Not with us, or iTunes. It's the people in the middle, the record label. There have been all sorts of reasons why they don't want to do it."

For its part, EMI has continued to remain essentially quiet on the subject, again sharing its oft-repeated claim that "discussions are ongoing" and noting that it would "love to see The Beatles' music available for sale digitally.

Considering their status as one of the biggest selling, if not the biggest selling, music acts in history, The Beatles have been one of the highest-profile omissions from the iTunes Store since its inception.

Related Forum: Mac Apps

Popular Stories

Apple iCloud Plus expansion hero

iCloud+ Now Includes Apple TV, Apple Arcade, and Curated Apple Music Stations in Over 100 Countries

Tuesday September 15, 2026 1:43 am PDT by
Apple today announced a new subscription initiative that turns paid iCloud+ subscriptions into a broader services bundle in more than 100 countries. In select countries, Apple says every paid iCloud+ plan, including the cheapest 50GB tier, now includes Apple TV and Apple Arcade "at no additional cost," while family sharing extends the storage, TV and Arcade access to up to five people....
Everything New Your iPhone Can Do on iOS 27 Feature 1

50 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 27 - Out Now!

Monday September 14, 2026 10:48 pm PDT by
Apple released iOS 27 this week, and despite the company's focus this year on refining its flagship operating system and nixing bugs, there are still many additional features to explore, not least of which is Apple's new context-aware Siri, re-tooled for the generative AI era. Which iPhones Support Every iOS 27 Feature? This year's major iPhone software update isn't all about AI, though,...
iOS 27 Icon iPhone

iOS 27 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday September 14, 2026 9:00 am PDT by
Update — 10 a.m. Pacific Time: Apple has released iOS 27. During its iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo event last week, Apple announced that iOS 27 will be released widely on Monday, September 14. iOS 27 should be available around 10 a.m. Pacific Time / 1 p.m. Eastern Time today via the Settings app, under General → Software Update. Below, we have highlighted eight new features and...