Apple Corps announced that they will release a new music video game, The Beatles: Rock Band, in September 09.  Apple Corps, the venerable band’s marketing and licensing arm, has long envisioned  making money on the popularity of the Beatles. After a number of so-so attempts including  Apple Electronics, Apple Films, Apple Publishing, and Apple Boutique, little was heard from the core for over 25 years.

Late last year, we talked here about a possible release of the  Beatles Collection on ITunes, and we really hoped it would happen. Since the Gordon’s don’t torrent, Lisa and I were faced with using the Evil Apple to pay those poor artists their 3 cents for our listening pleasure, and any artist who resisted the ‘personne corrompue’ for all those years deserved our support. Anyhow, now that DRM is a thing of the past so goes those thieving rotten bastards and viola, Beatles Rock Band!

As avid gamers, there is always a certain pride when we see an obvious winner like Rock Band getting set up in peoples living rooms. It’s just too bad EA didn’t  steal Take Two last year, we could have seen a “Revolver”  theme in the next Grand Theft Auto!  Either way, you have to hand it to Jeff Jones . What a great job so far in bringing what is now a 40 year old brand into the new century, and almost getting all of these young kids rocking to the Beatles. Not just that, it will be a lot of fun to karaoke I Want To Hold Your Hand with a bunch of  50 something Paw-Paws. What a laugh it will be.

Sir Paul announced that the Beatles will finally sign up for an ITunes contract worth near $400 million. It was also reported that after he pays off all the blood-sucking, goldbricking, worn-out Beatles groupie’s he stands to make about $3.50. People waiting with hat in hand include Michael Jackson, EMI, Sony, and Heather. 

Also a big part of the deal, Apple Computer and The Apple Corps finally settled the lawsuit started in 1978 over the trademarked Apple logo this February, 30 years after it was started. EMI, who had habitually ripped off the Fab Poor for the last 3 decades, also settled another trademark suit worth millions. Either way, if Led Zeppelin and Tull crashed the ITunes server when they released, I can only ‘Imagine all the People’.