Los Angeles (CA) – The Beatles is the last big name in music that has not arrived in the digital age yet and we recently got word that the organization behind the Beatles’ music, Apple Corps, are not ready to release their music to iTunes at this time. But the group will make their music available in a new video game scheduled for launch later this year. And just in case you wonder: There are more than 46 years between the first Beatles album release and the introduction of this video game.
Despite the fact that Beatles music cannot be downloaded legally on the Internet, it is widely believed that tracks from the legendary British group are among the most downloaded music. We will still have to wait until songs like Twist and Shout or Yesterday will make their appearance on iTunes, but we now know that at least gamers will be able to enjoy a large selection of the music in a new video game, The Beatles: Rock Band, scheduled for release on September 9, 2009.
Publisher MTV, developer Harmonix and Apple Corps promise that the game will provide an “unprecedented, experiential progression through and celebration of the music and artistry of The Beatles.” Expect the companies to fully exploit what the Beatles name has to offer – gamers will be able to “pick up the guitar, bass, mic or drums and experience The Beatles extraordinary catalogue of music through gameplay that takes players on a journey through the legacy and evolution of the band’s legendary career.”
In addition, users can purchase “a limited number of new hardware offerings modeled after instruments used by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr throughout their career.”
MTV said that the game will be offered for the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii and will launch simultaneously worldwide in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand “and other territories”. The game will be offered as a standalone version, combo pack as well as standard and limited collector editions. Price will range from $60 for the basic package and $100 for the “limited” edition to $250 for the “premium bundle”.
The Beatles’ first album was released on March 23, 1963. For those who are keeping track, the time between that album and the release of the first approved digital versions of the music (we will forget CDs for a moment) is 16,972 days or about 46.5 years.
