View this article at: http://www.macnn.com/articles/08/11/25/beatles.itunes.delayed/

Tuesday, Nov 25, 2008 5:50am

Apple's negotiation with Be...

Paul McCartney has said that the negotiations to bring the Beatles' music onto iTunes have encountered problems, according to the Associated Press. "The last word I got back was it's stalled at the whole moment, the whole process," he said. Apple Corps, Ltd., the band's holding company, has thus far prohibited the Beatles' music to be sold on any Internet outlets. EMI, the label that owns the recordings, claimed that it was still trying to resolve the matter, but would ultimately need Apple Corps' blessing before any agreements could be reached.

"I really hope it will happen because I think it should," McCartney said, adding "It's between EMI and the Beatles, I think." An EMI spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed that the various parties have been unable to reach an agreement, but expressed hope that progress will be made soon.

Even Steve Jobs indicated a desire for the entities to work things out. "We'd love to have the Beatles. It will happen — I hope by the first half of next year," he said in an interview last year. "As soon as they're ready, we're ready."

Apple Computer and Apple Corps had fought a legal battle against each other in 2006. The music company sued the computer manufacturer over the use of a logo, although the judge did not agree with the accusations. The exact reasons for the current delay in the iTunes talks remains unknown.