Beatles catalog to arrive on streaming sites by Christmas?

By Trevor Mogg Published December 21, 2015

the beatles arriving on streaming services christmas eve — Roger/Creative Commons

Search for a Beatles hit on any on-demand streaming service and you’ll be served up covers by established and not-so-established artists together with efforts by a slew of tribute bands with names like The New Beatles, Re Beatles, and just so no one’s in any doubt about exactly what it is they do, The Beatles Tribute Band.

What you won’t find are The Beatles.

Recommended Videos

However, after years of rejecting the overtures of music streaming services, it looks as if the Fab Four (that’s The Beatles, not another tribute band) and its sizable song catalog are to finally show up on streaming sites on Christmas Eve, according to Billboard.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

It’s not known which specific service or services have finally secured the deal, though Billboard’s unnamed sources “strongly suggest that most, if not all” streaming sites — Spotify and Apple Music among them – will begin offering the band’s catalog of 10+ studio albums, and other work, from Thursday.

Reports last year suggested The Beatles’ Apple Records label was in talks with a single streaming services with an eye on an exclusive six-month deal, though judging by this most recent report, that’s come to nothing.

While it’s safe to assume surviving members Paul and Ringo don’t need the extra income, having the Beatles’ songs finally available via streaming sites is sure to please plenty of music fans and should introduce the band’s work to a whole new generation of listeners.

The Beatles, or those in control its fortunes, have been famously slow in embracing new technology. It took a good five years for its catalog to make it to CD, and around six to show up on iTunes.

But having finally come around to the idea, the work of one of the most iconic bands in music history now looks set to come to streaming services, great news for fans keen to choose from more than just a bunch of covers (of varying quality) from tribute bands. Though not such good news for the tribute bands.

Topics

Contributing Editor

Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…

Audio / Video

Victrola’s Stream Onyx turntable makes listening to vinyl over Sonos more affordable

The Victrola Stream Onyx Sonos-ready turntable on a wood cabinet with a Sonos Five.

Time-honored audio gear pioneer Victrola is continuing its foray into the wireless record player market, today unveiling the Victrola Stream Onyx turntable at CES 2023 in Las Vegas. An updated and more affordable continuation of its popular Stream Carbon turntable launched earlier last year, the Works with Sonos-verified player allows vinyl lovers to spin their records and wirelessly stream the audio over their Sonos speaker system via Wi-Fi. The new player will retail for $600 and will be available for preorder on January 7.

While Bluetooth-enabled turntables offer the convenience of being able to wirelessly play your records through headphones and speakers, Bluetooth is not the ideal way to do this, as you can lose a lot of the details and accuracy from the vinyl because of the digital file compression needed. Most people wouldn't notice the difference, but using a higher-fidelity wireless system like Sonos to do this is a much better option (especially for audiophiles), one that Victrola started making a lot easier with the Stream Carbon turntable last year.

Smart Home

The SodaStream Art makes cocktails and sparkling water

The SodaStream x Dante bundle spread out across a bar with fruits and drinks.

SodaStream has been one of the top brands worldwide for changing water into sparkling or carbonated drinks. Now the company has announced that its latest and greatest sparkling water marker, The Art, is available nationwide. The company has also partnered with Dante, which was crowned the world’s best bar in 2019.

The partnership between these giants in the beverage industry comes to fruition via a limited-edition cocktail-making kit. The Sodastream Art x Dante Art Limited Edition Cocktail Kit includes everything a home mixologist would want for their bar. You’ll receive a drink recipe book that contains recipes for Dante’s rendition of the Paloma, Moscow Mule, and Spritzer, along with various never-before-seen recipes. Also in the kit are a custom-made shaker and jigger.

Audio / Video

Bose updates speakers and soundbars with Chromecast built-in

bose solo 5 tv soundbar walmart deal s

We've been pretty impressed with Bose's collection of smart speakers and soundbars, especially their ability to connect seamlessly to Apple products via AirPlay 2. But because these products haven't included Google's Chromecast Wi-Fi audio streaming protocol, Android users have gotten the short end of the streaming stick. On February 8, that changed, thanks to a software update delivered by Bose through its Bose Music app that adds Chromecast built-in. The update is available to those who live in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K., and the U.S.

The news that Bose products were slated to get this update initially came from Google in January 2022 as part of its virtual Better Together with Android and Beyond presentation at CES 2022, which included improvements to Google Fast Pair and other Android-specific advances. Bose was the only company Google mentioned by name, but it promised to also bring Chromecast built-in "to more brands."