The Beatles finally go digital—on a USB stick, that is
Wed Nov 4, 2009 11:02AM EST
See Comments (4)
At last, you can snap up official digital copies of the remastered Beatles catalog ... but only on a USB stick that sits in a big, green apple. Also: A Web site selling unauthorized digital downloads of the Beatles gets slapped with a lawsuit.
Instead, the official Beatles store is offering a limited edition "Beatles Stereo USB," a 16GB USB stick that doubles as a removable stem in a big, green apple stamped with a "Beatles" logo.
Set to go on sale Dec. 8 in the States, the USB stick will contain all 14 of the Beatles' newly remastered stereo albums, from "Please Please Me" to "Let it Be" and "Past Masters," along with the 13 "mini-documentaries" and digital versions of the original art, photos, and liner notes included in the CD box set.
The tracks will be encoded in 24-bit FLAC 44.1 Khz files for audiophiles and 320Kbps MP3 format for the rest of us, and only 30,000 of the USB sticks will be sold.
The price? A cool $279, or twenty bucks more than the $259 list price for the box set (which is on sale at Amazon for $179).
So ... why would anyone pay more for the green Beatles USB stick, when you could get the CD box set—complete with all kinds of physical booklets, artwork, and other assorted memorabilia—for considerably less? You tell me, folks.
Meanwhile, a California-based online music store is facing legal action after it started offering downloads of the remastered Beatles catalog, apparently without permission.
BBC News reports that EMI is suing BlueBeat.com (nope, I never heard of 'em either) for selling the Beatles downloads, which are still on sale and for cheap—just a quarter a track. You can also stream the entire Beatles catalog for free on the site.
Naturally, neither EMI nor Apple Corps. (the Beatles music label, not the computer company in Cupertino) are amused, and EMI quickly slapped BlueBeat.com with a lawsuit.
So, just curious: Anyone interested in the green Beatles USB apple? Tried snapping up any discount Beatles tunes at BlueBeat yet? Wish that EMI and Apple Corps. would just make a deal with Apple Inc., Amazon, and the like?
Related:
Official Beatles store
EMI sues Beatles download website [BBC News]
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Comments on The Beatles finally go digital—on a USB stick, that is
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2 Posted by avhubble on Mon Nov 9, 2009 10:23PM EST Report Abuse
ohmygawd!!! I want this thing so bad! but I can't afford this thing. *shaking piggy bank* Nope, definitely not enough for this thing. And here comes another one of my Beatlemania episodes. EEEEEEEP! *explodes* I totally (almost) cried seeing the ad for The Beatles: Rock Band. I was that excited. There's *got to be* a twelve-step program for this. I
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3 Posted by etostado88 on Thu Nov 12, 2009 11:58PM EST Report Abuse
Got the apple, i didn't have either of the boxes(mono, stereo) so this is great!! FYI amazon has it on sale for $239.
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4 Posted by bianca.sunny on Wed Nov 18, 2009 1:30PM EST Report Abuse
I know that 24 bit, 96,000hz would almost sound as good as the master tapes. I'm not sure how much of a difference it'll make just going to 24 bits. Can anyone provide an opinion?
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1 Posted by eldoodeeknay on Mon Nov 9, 2009 4:58PM EST Report Abuse
These are 24 bit recordings, whereas the CDs are 16 bit. That should strike some interest among audiophiles.