I blogged about it before, and it looks like I will blog about it again, but the rumors about The Beatles move to the digital world are even stronger this week, or so it seems. Numerous sites are reporting (including NME and Billboard) that EMI and The Beatles have come to a settlement regarding the 18-month royalties case between the two. Accordingly, the assumptions that the band is one step closer to becoming available in digital stores are also included in the reports.

This is certainly nothing new, and especially for this week considering that when Aspinall stepped down earlier in the week (see this blog) the rumors were strong. In either case, I think it is smart to avoid jumping too far on the ship that The Beatles will soon be downloadable. If anything this is exactly what the reports also call a step in the right direction. The speculation is at best only speculation, despite if members of either party come forward to state that they are working on The Beatles becoming available in digital stores.

Fans have known that much for a while now. Just remember that while you are hopeful, it will still be some time before it occurs. After all, many Beatles fans would also like to see new remastered CDs for the albums as well. Making one available without the other just doesn't make much sense, especially when the generation tied to The Beatles first may have physical products in higher preference than the digital ones (I know I do, and I am not of that generation).

It was rumored to be the truth of Steve Jobs' visit as soon as all of the reports announcing The Beatles' entrance to the digital world were filed. Now it is the truth, but there was no Beatles announcement. It would certainly be easy to say that my last blog post was wrong, but I was basing my hopes on the incorrect reports of a multitude of sources.

Despite the lack of a Beatles press announcement, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and EMI are working together to end EMI's use of DRM technology in their entire repertoire (see the article on NME). Obviously this is a big move, because now stores like iTunes can sell a major label's material that is equal in sharing capacity as the free sharing networks most labels and the RIAA deplore so much (perhaps that is why Jobs made the announcement with EMI in the UK, where EMI is based). NME also reports that the DRM-free music will be "superior quality downloads" which are interesting terms to use and may indicate something else on the horizon, like a remastered Beatles catalog. A technological "improvement" would not go beyond how innovative The Beatles as a unit have always been. They would have to try something, since The Beatles music has been kept out of the digital world for so long (thus making it somehow more advanced than the rest of the digital music available).

Ok, this is really confusing. Apple Inc. (Steve Jobs's company) has ended a legal dispute with Apple Corps (remember the Beatles' record label...) which represents the Fab Four's business interests. The end of the legal wrangling perhaps paves the way for Beatles songs to be available on iTunes. For now, they remain a glaring omission from the site. You can download over 100 different Don Ho songs, but no Beatles.

A spokeswoman for Apple declined to comment on whether a deal was forthcoming, but Apple founder and CEO Steve Jobs has said that brining the Beatles to iTunes is an important goal for the company.

A longstanding trademark dispute between Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Apple Corps LTD., the record label responsible for the distribution of the Beatles' music, could finally be over after Apple, Inc. says they've FINALLY reached an official agreement.

For those not familiar with the fruit fight, Apple, Inc (then Apple Computer, Inc.) reached an agreement for use of the Apple trademark, saying as long as the computer company stayed out of the music space Apple Corps LTD wouldn't pursue any further legal action. Um, then Apple, Inc. kind of ... entered the music space ... and released an MP3 player you might have heard of before ... the iPod. With both the iPod and iTunes music store heading out of the gates in 2001, Apple Corps LTD started the fight up again.

Lucky for Apple, especially with the recent shortening of the name to Apple, inc., everything is now resolved. Today's new agreement replaces the earlier 1991 agreement, but terms of the deal weren't released.