The Beatles Arrive on Streaming Services Christmas Eve

[PopBitch 1,218]

 

The Beatles, the most beloved rock band in history -- and one of the most persistent holdouts in the digital age of music listening -- are set to finally arrive on streaming services, according to Billboard sources with knowledge of the negotiations.

While Billboard has received conflicting reports on the timing of the Fab Four's arrival to streaming platforms, there's a strong indication that fans will be able to hear "Hey Jude" on Thursday, Dec. 24. (Keep an eye out for whether Liverpool's most famous sons unseat Justin Bieber's streaming record.)

Chatter around a six month "exclusive" for a known streaming service reportedly began to trickle out of Apple Records in 2014, according to one source, but fizzled out. This past January, former Universal Music Group digital executive Rob Wells restarted discussions for the massive get, with papers reportedly having been signed in mid-September. It's unknown which specific services have secured the deal, though sources strongly suggest that most, if not all, will have access to the band's catalog of studio albums next week. (The Beatles are already available on Pandora because of how "non-demand" web radio is licensed.)

When asked, a Spotify representative said the company "would not comment on that." Rhapsody also refused to comment. Apple, Tidal, Deezer and Slacker did not immediately return a request for comment.

The Beatles as an entity has been notoriously slow in adopting and adapting to new technology -- it took the band six years to arrive on the iTunes Store, selling two million songs during its first week. The group took 25 years, since its breakup in 1970, to issue the comprehensive Anthology documentary. It didn't get involved with video games until The Beatles: Rock Band was released in 2009. The Beatles music was released on CD in 1987, but the band didn't remaster their work until 22 years later. 

The group joins the streaming revolution just as music consumption on such platforms has begun to officially overtake downloads in revenue generation for major labels. They've sold 178 million albums in the U.S., according to the RIAA.

It's not as though the group needs the exposure. Since the arrival of Beatlemania, the band has maintained a constant presence around the world through members' solo work -- Paul McCartney appeared on two Kanye West songs this year, "FourFiveSeconds" and "Only You" -- reissues like the 2009 The Beatles in Mono box set and tributes from seemingly every musical artist in history (Kurt Cobain, perhaps most infamously), much of it fueled by a perpetual cycle of rediscovery of the group's work by younger listeners

http://consequenceofsound.net/2015/12/the-beatles-will-finally-arrive-on-streaming-services-this-christmas-eve/

[Thomas P 18,479]

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!11!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have legit been waiting for this since I got apple music!

[Harry 26,836]

I've always found it so funny that for a group so innovative during their time it has taken their brand such a long time to adapt to modern times.

[PopBitch 1,218]

"Beatles songs were streamed an astonishing 50 million times in the first 48 hours after they became available to listen to live on the internet for the first time.

The hits of the Fab Four, who broke up in 1970, are now being enjoyed by a new young audience, with 65 per cent of the Beatles’ listeners on streaming service Spotify under the age of 34.

The arrival of their songs on such digital formats has been delayed for years by bickering over contracts.

But since being made available on Spotify, Amazon Prime, Apple Music and other sites from midnight on Christmas Eve, the band’s much-loved catalogue means their music is being enjoyed by a generation who are strangers to older forms of music technology.

The most popular Beatles song so far is Come Together, which has already been streamed more than 1.8 million times.

Analysis from Brandwatch also found 46,000 mentions of 'The Beatles Streaming' on social media within hours of the launch.

The complete Beatles top ten on Spotify is: 1. Come Together (1.84 million); 2. Let It Be (1.55m); 3. Hey Jude (1.32m); 4. Love Me Do (1.31m); 5. Yesterday (1.23m); 6. Here Comes The Sun (1.23m); 7. Help! (1.22m); 8. All You Need Is Love (1.17m); 9. I Want To Hold Your Hand (1.1m); 10. Twist And Shout (940k)."