Beatlemania to hit streaming

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) To the excitement of of Beatles fanatics worldwide, the famed British rock group is rumoured to finally begin releasing their music on streaming services. Billboard reported that there is conflicting information on the exact date in which Beatles originals will grace the playlists of music streamers, but discussions are strongly hinting at a December 24 arrival date. It's also unclear which streaming sites will secure deals to stream the Fab Four's iconic tracks. Earlier reports linked Universal Music Group's Apple Records label to some sort of exclusive streaming deal, but Billboard's sources suggest that it's likely "most, if not all" streaming sites will have access to Beatles' comprehensive portfolio on the reported December 24 release date. Whatever the deal, parties involved are keeping it under wraps. Representatives from Rhapsody, Spotify, Apple, Tidal, Deezer and Slacker didn't immediately comment on the status of the looming deal.

The English quartet has often chosen to sit out the digital revolution. It took the Beatles six years to join the ranks of iTunes' artist roster, 25 years to release the Anthology documentary following the band's 1970 dissolution and 22 years to remaster their music after initially releasing it on CD in 1987. The band's cautious involvement in this realm of the business, however, hasn't appeared to affect its popularity or relevance in music. The Fab Four sold 450,000 digital albums and over 2 million tracks during their first week in the iTunes store in 2010. Though a definite release date is up in the air, the introduction of Beatlemania to music's streaming sphere will likely garner an equally manic reaction.