Beatles/itunes Deal Stalls

MCCartney states the Beatles' move to digital has been in the works for years, but the Fab Four are too iconic to rush through a deal with iTunes.

He says, "What happens is, when something's as big as The Beatles, it's heavy negotiations.

"We are very for it, we've been pushing it. But there are a couple of sticking points, I understand. So the last word I got back was that it had stalled, the whole process.

"EMI want something we're not prepared to give them. Hey, sounds like the music business. It's between EMI and the Beatles. What else is new."

A spokesman for EMI says, "We have been working very hard to secure an agreement with Apple Corps to make The Beatles' legendary recording catalogue available to fans in digital form.

"Unfortunately the various parties involved have so far been unable to reach agreement, but we really hope that everyone can make progress soon."

Apple Corps is a multimedia corporation founded by the Beatles in 1968.