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Listen to the 'final' Beatles song, 'Now and Then,' made with help from AI
The Beatles are back with a new-ish song featuring the late John Lennon on vocals and the equally late George Harrison playing some guitar. The song is called “Now and Then” and was made using some machine-learning AI provided by Peter Jackson.
Paul McCartney will play a YouTube concert on September 7th
Paul McCartney is no stranger to embracing technology, and you're about to get further proof of it. The iconic musician is performing an "intimate" YouTube concert on September 7th at 8PM Eastern as part of a YouTube Original production. It's a plug for his new album Egypt Station, as you might have guessed, but he'll also play tunes from his Beatles and Wings days.
Paul McCartney adopts VR so your grandparents don't have to
For his latest release, Sir Paul McCartney is diving headfirst into virtual reality. As The Hollywood Reporter notes today, the 73-year-old former Beatle has filmed a six-part VR documentary series with Grammy winner Tony Kaye, who also directed American History X and the music video for Soul Asylum's 1993 breakout hit "Runaway Train."
The Beatles come to streaming services on Christmas Eve
The rumors were true: music from The Beatles is coming to your favourite streaming service. From tomorrow (December 24th), you'll be able to listen to all 13 remastered studio albums and four essential collections on Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play Music, Deezer, Amazon Music, Groove, Rhapsody, Slacker and Tidal. Put simply: everyone's invited.
The Beatles may hit streaming music services by Christmas
The Beatles haven't exactly been in a rush to embrace the online music world -- there's iTunes, Rock Band and that's about it. However, they might be making up for lost time. Billboard sources claim that the British pop rock legends will make their catalog available on Christmas Eve... you know, next Thursday. It's unclear as to which services will be offering the Beatles, but talks for a half-year exclusive at an unknown service apparently "fizzled out." It's not a repeat of Apple's ongoing lock on downloads, then.
Jukebox Heroes: Destiny's soundtrack
Is there any MMO soundtrack that arrived with such incredible expectations and baggage as Destiny? If so, I can't recall it. We have not only the legacy of Halo's scores (which are for some gamers the only soundtrack they know and revere) but also the saga of Composer Martin O'Donnell's firing and the boon of picking up (of all people) Paul McCartney -- because when you think "space epic video game," you of course think "former Beatles septuagenarian." However, here on Jukebox Heroes, we do not give preference to a soundtrack's pedigree, the game's popularity, or how many members of the Beatles it boasts. We listen to the music for what it is. And what Destiny's score is... is above-average. It's a good, but not great, orchestral album that's heavy on action and Star Wars influences. I was hoping for a little more when I listened to it, but upon a second evaluation, I found myself appreciating more what it does as a whole to construct a solar system under siege.
Paul McCartney assists with Destiny's soundtrack
Destiny will have another prestigous feather in its cap when it launches on September 9th: ex-Beatles musician Paul McCartney as one of the composers. McCartney joined the project in 2010, joining Composer Marty O'Donnell in creating the score for the game. He claimed to be intrigued by the challenge of writing music for this type of game and met with O'Donnell at London's Abbey Road Studios to work on it. In fact, the theme song for Destiny is a Paul McCartney original and will be released as a single following the game's launch. The title of the theme song has not been revealed, but its theme is about "hope."
You can now relive the Beatles' US invasion on your Apple TV
Are you nostalgic for the hysteria when the Beatles first set foot in the US, or just wonder what all the fuss was about? If either is true, you'll be glad to hear that you now have a chance to recreate that commotion on your Apple TV. Apple has quietly launched a Beatles channel on its media hub that will let you stream the British band's entire Ed Sullivan Show performance from 1964, complete with shrieking fans. Naturally, Apple is also using the channel to plug the recently digitized US versions of the group's albums. The concert footage will only stick around for a "limited time," so you'll want to hurry if you'd like to see the Beatles' big moment on a big screen.
Daily Update for December 16, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get some of the top Apple stories of the day in five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the player at the top of the page. The Daily Update has been moved to a new podcast host in the past few days. Current listeners should delete the old podcast subscription and subscribe to the new feed in the iTunes Store here.
Rare Beatles recordings launching exclusively on iTunes this week
A set of rare Beatles recordings will be released exclusively on iTunes this week. Titled The Beatles' Bootleg Recordings 1963, news of the exclusive album was first reported on WogBlog and confirmed by NME. The Beatles' Bootleg Recordings 1963 will consist of 59 rare and unheard recordings from the Fab Four in 1963. The recordings originate from multiple sources, including studio outtakes and songs recorded live for the BBC. According to the BBC, the album is being released in order to stop the expiration of the record's copyright: EU law protects songs for 70 years after they are recorded, but only if they get an official release. Otherwise, copyright lasts 50 years. In the case of The Beatles, that means their 1963 debut album Please Please Me is protected until 2033, but the unreleased session tapes for that album are not. If the Beatles chose not to release the recordings before the end of the year, it would mean other record labels could theoretically put them out and profit from them. If you want a sneak peek at all 59 tracks, you can check out the full track list on NME.
Flipboard launches user-created magazines, partners with Etsy (video)
Everybody loves Flipboard, right? If you're a fan like us, rejoice -- your favorite social magazine just got a whole lot better. Today Flipboard for iOS is receiving a major update that will let you create and curate your very own magazines. It also brings a boatload of other improvements to the table including a content partnership with Etsy. An update to the Android version will follow shortly. We were able to take the new version of Flipboard for a spin and get a demo from CTO Eric Feng. Hit the break to dive into the details and watch our hands-on video. %Gallery-183818% %Gallery-183819%
Apple now owns the trademark to The Beatles' Apple Corps Logo
Apple and The Beatles have had a contentious relationship for years. The Beatles Apple Corps company felt Apple's logo -- and the company's eventual foray into digital music -- infringed on their trademark Apple Corps logo. Then in 2007, Apple, Inc. and Apple Corps Ltd. finally settled trademark dispute. That settlement gave Apple, Inc. ownership of "all of the trademarks related to 'Apple' and will license certain of those trademarks back to Apple Corps for their continued use." But in 2011, Apple went further to secure its right to the trademark, actually filing for it to secure ownership over it. Yesterday, that ownership was granted. As discovered by Patently Apple, the Cupertino company was granted the registered trademark of the famous logo on October 24, 2012. So what does this mean for Apple? Theoretically, it could use the Apple Corps logo for any purpose. But that probably won't happen. This is more just a housekeeping matter with the company tying up any loose ends to a decades-long trademark dispute.
Europe approves Universal - EMI merger, cements the dominance of the 'big three'
The European Union has signed off on Universal's $1.9 billion purchase of EMI music, provided that it sells off two-thirds of the fallen giant's assets to comply with competition regulations. The most notable jewel on the auction block is label Parlophone, home of the early Beatles records, Pink Floyd, Radiohead and Kylie. Chiefs added the conditions in the hope of preventing the new mega-corporation from gaining too much market share, but given that Sony (which bought EMI's publishing arm) and Warner Music are its only real competitors -- it's sealed the trio as the only guests at the top table of the music industry, problematic for anyone looking to found an iTunes or Spotify rival and doesn't fancy playing by their rules.
Daily Update for February 22, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
WoW Moviewatch: Something
Have you ever wondered what John Lennon would look like as a WoW character? Well, wonder no more, my friends. Machinimist Eric Cartmans recreated the music video for Something in Azerothian glory. One of my favorite touches in this piece is the original video being simultaneously played in the corner. While this music video definitely feels like a learning experience for Cartmans, the end result is a surreal, real-life-in-WoW that blends music history with gaming innovation. It's a trippy walk down memory lane with The Beatles, and the video just fundamentally works for me. I have to admit that I'm not the biggest Beatles fan to ever walk the planet, but this video really won my heart. Cartmans painstakingly recreated so much of the original that you can feel his care and affection for the material. That speaks volumes in the end result. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
Apple airs new Beatles-themed ad: Covers
Apple recently aired a new iTunes ad called "Covers." It's an animated compilation of The Beatles album covers set to the song "Magical Mystery Tour." The ad presumably is celebrating The Beatles one-year anniversary on iTunes. Last week Apple also released the free Yellow Submarine animated ebook on the iBookstore. Yellow Submarine was also released to celebrate The Beatles one year anniversary on iTunes (which was actually back on November 16th).
Beatles Anthology will arrive on iTunes June 14
Apple is now taking pre-orders for The Beatles Anthology, the three double-length albums issued during the mid-90s that releases live recordings, demos and studio sessions of the Fab Four. Each of the Anthology albums will be US$29.99 with a $12.99 Anthology Highlights album. The three main albums also will be collected into a $79.99 boxset. The Beatles Anthology will be available June 14.
Are The Beatles responsible for music's digital growth in 2011?
Nielsen announced yesterday that music sales in the US are up 1.6 percent in 2011. That might not seem like a lot, but for the embattled music industry, any growth is good news. Interestingly, Nielsen seems to ascribe the growth of music sales to The Beatles' deal with Apple. As Nielsen says in its report, "Catalog album sales are up 5.4 percent in 2011, thanks in part to a long-awaited 2010 deal allowing digital distribution of The Beatles' albums for the first time." The Fab Four's music exclusively went on sale on iTunes in November to much fanfare. I, for one, hate when someone can't admit when they were wrong, so let me say that I myself didn't think The Beatles news was that big of a deal. If Nielsen is right, it looks like I was very wrong. However, Peter Kafka at All Things D does seems to come to my rescue by saying that he has "a hard time believing the 'Love Me Do' bump extended into March and April," six months after The Beatles' debut on iTunes. But with the music industry the way it is, maybe The Beatles did help fuel a turnaround. Other interesting stats from the Nielsen report include a decline in physical album sales year-over-year while digital album and track purchases increased 16.8 percent and 9.6 percent, respectively, and digital retailers, like Apple's iTunes, received more than half of all music transactions.
Apple files for old Apple Corps trademark
Apple Inc. (formerly known as Apple Computer) must be feeling pretty sure of itself after finally hammering out the Beatles deal for iTunes with Apple Corps. and its associated partners. The company that makes iPhones is now trying to re-secure the Apple logo trademark that Apple Corps. used for so long. The logo was originally lost to Apple Inc. in 2007 after a settlement gave much of Apple Corps.' trademarks to the computer company, but now Apple Inc. is actually filing for the legendary trademark, per Patently Apple, in order to nail down ownership once and for all. As I read it, Apple is simply trying to ensure that the Granny Smith logo stays where it legally belongs now: in Cupertino. Apple already had a hold on the trademarks, thanks to that 2007 settlement (which itself paved the way for the Beatles' iTunes release), but this filing was most likely pushed by the legal team and seeks to hammer out a total and complete hold on everything Apple Inc. can use Apple Corps.' trademarks for in the future. [via CrunchGear]
Get five free songs on iTunes with your American Express card
If you have an American Express card, the company wants to give you five songs on iTunes for free. Just hit up this URL and enter your card information (we double-checked -- it's an official deal, not a scam), and then whenever you buy five songs on iTunes with the same card, you'll get refunded the price. Nice bonus for the weekend, if you happen to be an AmEx card holder. It's also an interesting way to get you to use your AmEx for iTunes purchases. If you've been meaning to pick up The Beatles ever since their music finally appeared on the store, now's your chance. Enjoy! [via TMO]
