According to Fortune Magazine, Apple is close to a deal that will finally bring the Beatles music catalog online. For those of you who are interested, the Beatles are one of the only major artists out there who have not made any of their music available on legal downloading sites.
Other issues that are reportedly being discussed include the possibility that the band would endorse the iPod by allowing its music to be used in commercials and through the development of a Beatles branded iPod (a la U2).
An exclusive deal with iTunes would be a major coup for Apple who just recently wrapped up a lawsuit with Apple Corps (Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono, and the estate of George Harrison) over a trademark violation concerning the Apple logo.
Keep in mind that at this point, nothing has been finalized – and as Fortune Magazine points out, “the deal could well fall apart for any number of reasons.”
