Federico,
You should check this out and see if Steve's link works for you this time as per our last phone conversation. The new photos are absolutely fabulous.
Now this report is saying that Macca took his catalog with him to Hear Music. Well! Did he or didn't he? I was under the impression he only signed for one album and that the back catalog was staying with EMI.
With Jones taking over, I think there's a great reason for being optimistic. Just look at what he did with the entire Sony Jazz division and all of the great (and very complete) CD's that were put out under his tenure. I've got reason to believe that a possibility exists that more unreleased Beatles material may be forthcoming in the future as well as the remasters and 5.1's.
Now this report is saying that Macca took his catalog with him to Hear Music. Well! Did he or didn't he? I was under the impression he only signed for one album and that the back catalog was staying with EMI.
I don't have an exact answer to your question other than initial reports seem to indicate Paul has left EMI/Capitol. There has been no mention yet as to what the plans are for his back catalogue. Stay tuned, I guess.
From a previously posted article on Billboard.com--
McCartney To Anchor New Starbucks Label
March 21, 2007, 3:00 PM ET
Jeff Vrabel, Bluffton, S.C.
After weeks of speculation, Paul McCartney is now officially the first artist signed to Hear Music, a new joint label formed by Starbucks and the Concord Music Group. The as-yet-untitled album is due in early June; its release on Hear Music marks the end of McCartney's decades-long association with Capitol.
"This is something I’ve been working on for a little while now," McCartney said of the David Kahne-produced album during a Webcast today (March 21). "A lot of it’s very personal to me.Tthe songs are in some ways a little bit retrospective. Some of them are of now, some of them hark back to the past, but all of them are songs I’m very proud of."
As previously reported, Starbucks will primarily handle A&R for the collaborative initiative, while Concord will head up marketing, promotion and distribution of the label's product outside the coffee shops. The Hear Music name has been used since 1999 for compilations and co-releases at Starbucks; it will now apply exclusively to this partnership.
Starbucks' profile as a music retail outlet has jumped significantly in the past few years, especially following the success of Ray Charles' "Genius Loves Company," a joint production with Concord that scored eight Grammy awards. The company has also struck deals to release exclusive albums by Bob Dylan and Alanis Morissette.
McCartney's last studio album was 2005's critical favorite "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard," which has sold 533,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
I have to take issue with Geoff Baker's assertion that Aspinall (sp?) was the "architect of the Beatles' success over the past 15 to 20 years." That's ridiculous. The Beatles were the architects of their own success. They were arguably the most talented band/songwriters of the era, and their records continue to sell because they are great. Period.
I think the management of the Beatles business interest has been a mixed-bag. The Anthology project was great, and I think that stopping the use of Beatles music in advertisements was right on.
However, the catalogue badly needs remastering, and it's ridiculous that the DVD projects (Help, expanded Let It Be) haven't been released. It's not just an issue of making money. It's about a long-term marketing strategy--keeping the band in front of the public as technology and musical tastes change.
Hopefully, this change will get things moving again.
Bill
PS Release the 27 minute version of Helter Skelter!!!!
Wow--if Fox News is correct, this could be the greatest bonanza for Beatles fans since John Barrett copied all of those studio outtakes straight out of EMI's vault and turned them over to the bootleggers.
Did Fox News make the comment about Barrett or just about the fact that this would mean we would see a bunch of new releases/reissues? I never knew they had proved anything about Barrett's involvement in the leaking of tapes.
_________________ Don't let nobody take away your smile - Don't let nobody change your funky style. (Eric Lindell)
And there's more: The Beatles are currently suing EMI Music for another $60 million in misplaced royalties. Aspinall won a similar suit for them 18 years ago, increasing their royalty rate on CDs and recovering millions.
It sounds to me like Aspinall was in an on-going no-win situation. Trying to please fans AND bandmembers (who were constantly being screwed out of royalties) must have been a perpetual headache. Why would any artist want to release MORE material, knowing that they are already owed substantial amounts already?
As for Apple's new manager... I guess it's going to depend on where his loyalties really are. What's best for fans and for EMI may not be what's really best for the Beatles themselves (at least financially.)
I can''t help wondering why Paul doesn't make a bid for EMI...
_________________ Don't let nobody take away your smile - Don't let nobody change your funky style. (Eric Lindell)
Music fans may soon finally be able to digitally purchase songs from The Beatles. Apple Corps, the company representing the pop band, has settled a $59 million royalty dispute with EMI Group. Heralded as the last hurdle before digital distribution of the Liverpoool's band music, the royalty settlement comes on the heels of a revolutionary DRM-free music distribution agreement by EMI and this week's announcement of the departure of a key Apple Corps executive.
Apple Corps, which settled with settled with Cupertino-based Apple earlier this year over the use of the Apple brand name, is owned by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and the families of John Lennon and George Harrison. Apple Corps had threatened to sue EMI in December 2005 after negotiations broke down over royalty payments from its music contract, the report said.
"We have settled on mutually acceptable terms and there will be no further comment," a spokeswoman for EMI told Reuters. A spokeswoman for Apple Corps said the deal had been agreed last month but would not give any further details.
The report notes that Apple and EMI previously fought a separate, decade-long courtroom battle over royalties and other issues which was resolved out of court in 1989.
I told you in yesterday's column about the ouster of the Beatles' longtime chief executive, Neil Aspinall. This morning, the British papers report that the Beatles have settled their $60 million royalty suit against EMI Music.
The Beatles and their heirs are thought to have been the victors in this negotiation. It clears the way, as well, for the Fab Four's music to be put on downloading services.
None of this is a coincidence; Aspinall's firing and the settlement of the suit are intertwined, sources say. Aspinall held out against downloading and was quick to sue anyone he thought crossed the Beatles or underpaid them.
But Aspinall's entrenchment may have been his undoing, too. With the suit settled, he would have had to give in to downloading, which was something he didn't want to do.
At the same time, sources knowledgeable about Apple Records say that Paul McCartney's expensive divorce may have been a factor in Aspinall's exit.
McCartney, they suggest, is keen on making money to replace the $50 million or so he will have to give his gold-digging, network-dancing estranged wife, Heather Mills. If Aspinall wasn't going to find new revenue streams, they say, someone had to.
LONDON — The arrival of The Beatles' songs catalog online could be imminent after it emerged Thursday that their Apple Corps company has settled a royalty dispute with EMI Group.
Apple Corps began legal proceedings in both the Supreme Court in New York and the High Court in London in 2005, claiming that EMI had withheld £30 million ($59 million) in royalties.
Neither company would give specific details about the settlement, but with no further obstacles in place, it seems likely that The Beatles' music will soon be available to buy online.
It is understood that Apple and EMI have been working to re-master singles and albums in digital form so that they can be attractively packaged for the Internet. Indeed in court proceedings last year, former Apple chief Neil Aspinall admitted that they were working toward launching the band's music to the online community.
Renowned as one of the most litigious companies in the music industry, Apple has had a number of courtroom battles with EMI, as well as its computer namesake Apple Inc, whom it finally settled a trademark dispute with two months ago.
Earlier this week, Apple announced that Aspinall was leaving the company and with its lawyers now finally idle, it seems that the Fab Four's catalog is set for yet another format transformation that could introduce their music to countless millions of new fans worldwide.
LONDON (Reuters) - The company representing The Beatles has settled a 30 million-pound ($59 million) royalty dispute with EMI Group, in a deal that could finally pave the way for the Liverpool band's music to go online.
Apple Corps, the company owned by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and the families of John Lennon and George Harrison, said in December 2005 it would sue the record company after negotiations broke down.
Apple Corps said an audit had determined EMI had not been fulfilling the terms of its contract.
"We have settled on mutually acceptable terms and there will be no further comment," a spokeswoman for EMI said. A spokeswoman for Apple Corps said the deal had been agreed last month but would not give any further details.
Apple and EMI previously fought a separate, decade-long courtroom battle over royalties and other issues which was resolved out of court in 1989.
The announcement follows the settlement in February of another legal dispute -- a trademark disagreement between Apple Corps and computer and iPod company Apple Inc. which was also seen as key to putting the group's music online.
The Beatles have been one of the last big acts to hold out from putting their music on the Internet. Elton John said last month he would make more than 30 of his albums available for digital download.
"It seems like it is heading in that direction," Jupiter analyst Mark Mulligan told Reuters of the Beatles catalogue. "The conversation has changed from an 'if' to a 'when'.
"The Beatles are a perennial (favorite). You can put the content out there and it will sell. If they put the Beatles catalogue online you will very likely see them having number ones again."
EMI's Chief Executive Eric Nicoli told reporters earlier this month he was working on a deal to put the band's music online but refused to give a time frame.
_________________ Putty Cats are God's gift to the universe.
Is it just me, or does Julian really look older then his Mom??!
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Julian Lennon, the 44-year-old elder son of John Lennon, has sold a financial stake in his late father's compositions for the Beatles to Primary Wave Music Publishing, a year-old New York City concern, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The deal is to be announced on Friday, the Journal said.
Terms of the deal weren't disclosed, the Journal said. But it quoted the parties as saying in a statement that the share of the catalog was "significant."
The deal relates to the songwriting income generated by the compositions, as opposed to the publishing rights. The rights to most of the compositions John Lennon wrote with Paul McCartney are owned by Sony/ATV Music Publishing.
Primary Wave last year paid an estimated $50 million for a 50 percent stake in the music-publishing catalog of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, which it bought from his widow, Courtney Love.
Reuters
_________________ Putty Cats are God's gift to the universe.
Lennon's son sells Beatles stake Julian Lennon has sold a "significant" stake of his share in the songs his father John wrote for The Beatles.
John Lennon's songwriting royalties passed to his family when he died, and Julian has sold a slice of these to US music publishing company Primary Wave.
The firm will now receive payments when Lennon's compositions are sold on CD, performed live or played on the radio.
But it does not mean Primary Wave owns the songs or recordings themselves and it cannot decide how they are used.
The catalogue includes classic tracks such as All You Need Is Love, Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, which was inspired by a picture Julian drew as a child.
Julian Lennon will release a new album later this year
"We are thrilled to be partnering with Julian Lennon and to own a piece of music history," Primary Wave's chief executive Larry Mestel said.
The company, which will also market Julian Lennon's new music project, declined to reveal how much the deal was worth.
Julian Lennon said: "I felt it was the appropriate time to take on a partner for both my interest in my father's legendary music and for my future music endeavours."
Julian Lennon has had mixed fortunes with his own music career - he is his best-known chart hits were Too Late For Goodbyes in 1984 and 1991's Saltwater. His new album is due out later this year.
Primary Wave owns several other music catalogues including those of Kurt Cobain and Nirvana, which it bought last year.
The rights to The Beatles' recordings are owned by EMI, while the publishing rights are jointly held by Michael Jackson and Sony.
John Lennon and son Julian with Yoko Ono and her daughter Kyoko
I like the music. I like the juggling. But I don't like them together. Maybe I am just trying to read more into the performance than I should. It just doesn't work for me.
I think I can Let It Be though.
_________________ I put the "mental" in "sacramental."
Beatles Deal Nets Paul McCartney £200million Macca's wallet expands...
by Chris Taylor on13/04/2007
Sir Paul McCartney will be pleased he dumped Heather Mills when he did – he’s set to make £200 million with the latest Beatles deal.
The star’s fortune could be boosted by that amount after a new deal between Apple Corp, iTunes and EMI means the band’s entire back catalogue will soon be available for download on the internet.
With Sir Paul and John Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono set to take the majority of songwriting credits the revenue will now come rolling in.
A source tells the Daily Mail, “That might just be a few per cent, but on a billion pounds of sales, that is hundreds of millions for the likes of Paul and Yoko.
“The release of the back catalogue though iTunes will be the most extraordinary money-spinner. We are talking perhaps 14 remastered albums and numerous opportunities to release singles.”
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