Beatles still not on iTunes ... and, who cares?

Talks between the various Beatles record labels and Cupertino have "stalled," according to Sir Paul. So, barring a miracle, that means no Beatles on iTunes (or on any music download service) before 2009. Meanwhile, millions of Beatles fans (who know how to rip CDs, after all) shrug and move on.

Somehow, the whole "Beatles on iTunes" thing is still seen as some kind of digital music milestone, so much so that every time Paul McCartney pipes up about the subject, we get a flurry of headlines.

The latest? Sir Paul tells the AP (via PaidContent.org) that negotiations between Beatles record label Apple Corp, EMI, and Apple Inc. have "stalled at the whole moment, the whole process," although "I really hope it will happen because I think it should."

McCartney was pretty vague about what's holding everything up ("They [EMI] want something we're not prepared to give them,") but Fortune's Apple blog has a simple explanation: "Paul wants more money." Gotcha.

While negotiations drag on … and on … any excitement about the Beatles actually arriving on iTunes has long since evaporated. Why? Because it's not 2004 anymore.

Back then, getting the Beatles on iTunes would've signaled that digital music had truly come of age. But that was then; today, iTunes is the No. 1 music retailer on the planet, and even stubborn digital holdouts like Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, and Kid Rock have jumped on the MP3 bandwagon. If anything, the Beatles (or their various representatives, at any rate) look more out of touch than anything else. 

Oh, and another thing: There's this feature on iTunes (maybe you've heard of it) that lets you, as they say, "rip" your music CDs into MP3s, which are then playable on your iPod or music player of your choice.

Now, besides the fact that I've put the Beatles on a personal 10-year playback hiatus (don't you dare call up "Twist and Shout" on the jukebox), I ripped my old Beatles CDs long ago—and I'm sure you have, too.

So I think Sir Paul might be in for a nasty surprise come 2010, when all the "t"s are crossed and the "i"s dotted … and nobody really cares anymore.

Not that we care now, actually.