After almost a decade since its creation, iTunes has finally made available songs by The Beatles. There are now 16 albums on the site, starting with 1963’s Please Please Me to 1973’s 1967-1970. Most of the albums are $12.99, and individual songs are $1.29 each. There is also an exclusive digital box set that includes 13 studio albums, a twovolume “Past Masters” compilation, and concert footage from Live at the Washington Coliseum, 1964, for $149.
To celebrate this long awaited decision, Apple has developed an extensive marketing plan that includes announcing the arrival of The Beatles on its website’s homepage and creating ads for newspapers and television.
Some people feel that this event is overhyped and not worth half the attention it is getting. These people say that true Beatles fans already have their albums, so they do not need to use iTunes to obtain their music.
However, I truly believe that this is something worth celebrating. Many Beatles fans of the older generation have their music in the form of tapes and vinyl records, which are very difficult to convert digitally. In a society obsessed with iPods, it is important that we can have our favorite music at our fingertips anytime, anywhere.
This will also attract younger listeners to The Beatles’ music who may not have heard it otherwise. iTunes is the most prevalent Internet site for digital downloads and all the advertising will surely intrigue some curious listeners. Youth today are accustomed to convenience, especially with music, and The Beatles are now much easier to access.
The Beatles have been one of the last holdouts in the digital age, and their arrival is symbolic. They are truly “the band that changed everything,” and have inspired other artists and listeners.
It is about time that bands adapted to the changing culture. Paul McCartney said in a news release, “It’s fantastic to see the songs we originally released on vinyl receive as much love in the digital world as they did the first time around.”
Already, The Beatles have broken records in iTunes sales. In one week they sold an astounding 450,000 albums and 2 million songs. This proves that The Beatles are and will always be one of the most influential bands and will continue to gain fans throughout the years.
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