London,
(ANI):
It's
almost
40
years
since
'The
Beatles'
split,
and
yet
the
British
band
is
set
to
earn
the
biggest
amount
ever
this
year,
and
could
even
net
1billion
pounds
by
Christmas.
The
Beatles
comeback
will
start
with
remastered
versions
of
13
of
late
John
Lennon,
Paul
McCartney,
Ringo
Starr,
and
late
George
Harrison's
studio
albums.
The
170-pound
box
set
is
the
first
upgrade
to
the
Beatles'
back
catalogue
since
the
music
was
released
on
CD
22
years
ago,
and
it's
the
first
time
every
track
is
available
in
stereo.
A
Beatles
In
Mono
box
is
also
set
to
go
on
sale
the
same
day
for
200
pounds,
and,
on
September
9,
the
Fab
Four
will
also
make
their
video
game
debut
in
'The
Beatles:
Rock
Band'.
The
50
pounds
game
lets
players
perform
in
a
virtual
Beatles
band
with
45
songs
to
choose
from,
and
the
series
of
games
has
already
raked
in
600
million
pounds,
with
the
Beatles
edition
cited
to
be
the
most
popular
yet.
As
well
as
a
huge
selection
of
songs,
it
also
recreates
iconic
moments
in
the
band's
history
from
their
first
gig
at
the
Cavern
Club
to
the
zebra
crossing
at
Abbey
Road
and
the
record
company
rooftop
where
they
staged
their
famous
1969
concert.
Experts
believe
the
game
will
introduce
a
whole
new
generation
of
music
fans
to
the
Beatles,
keeping
the
cash
rolling
in
for
decades
to
come.
"By
encouraging
players
to
become
part
of
the
band,
the
marketing
people
are
introducing
timeless
pieces
to
a
younger
audience," the
Mirror
quoted
brand
expert
Jonathan
Gabay
as
saying.
"But
they've
gone
further
still
with
nostalgic,
highly
detailed
backgrounds.
This
will
appeal
to
the
older
market,
which
will
relish
the
old
eras
of
the
Swinging
Sixties
and
psychedelic
Seventies.
"So,
in
one
masterstroke,
they
address
failing
sales
of
CDs
as
well
as
grabbing
a
new
generation
of
Beatlemaniacs.
They
have
been
very
shrewd," he
said.
The
next
stage
in
the
Beatles
masterplan
is
putting
their
tracks
on
iTunes.
A
long-running
legal
dispute
between
Apple
computers
and
Beatles
firm
Apple
Corps,
which
is
jointly
owned
by
Paul
McCartney,
Ringo
Starr
and
the
estates
of
John
Lennon
and
George
Harrison,
has
stopped
their
music
from
being
available
online.
However,
XBox
games
console
owners
will
now
be
able
to
download
All
You
Need
Is
Love,
making
it
the
first
ever-digital
Beatles
song,
followed
by
The
Abbey
Road,
Rubber
Soul
and
Sgt
Pepper's
albums.
And
music
business
analysts
believe
the
entire
Beatles' back
catalogue
will
then
be
made
available
on
iTunes,
possibly
in
time
for
next
Christmas.
Marketing
strategist
Michael
Bayler
says
the
excitement
over
the
new
Beatles
releases,
downloads,
and
game
are
testament
to
very
shrewd
management.
"Up
to
now,
the
Beatles'
copyright
protection
has
been
tight.
For
many
years,
the
answer
for
using
their
music
to
promote
goods
was
'No'," Bayler
said.
"If
the
music
is
harder
to
come
by,
the
value
will
go
up.
If
the
Beatles
music
was
everywhere,
there
would
be
a
significant
drop
in
the
perceived
value
of
the
catalogue
because
of
over-exposure.
"There
is
a
perception
of
exclusivity
with
the
Beatles
which
means
they
are
still
in
demand
and
these
developments
will
be
hugely
successful.
"Put
it
this
way,
if
the
Beatles'
music
had
been
on
every
tampon,
car
and
shampoo
advert
around
the
world
for
the
last
30
years,
how
much
impact
would
the
album
reissue
or
Rock
Band
game
have?
Not
much.
"The
very
scarcity
of
The
Beatles
means
that
there's
a
pent-up
demand,
which
means
that
when
they
do
come
out
the
take-up
is
huge.
"There's
going
to
be
recognition
that
music
income
isn't
coming
from
where
it
used
to
come
from.
It's
not
just
about
radio
play
and
CDs
any
more.
If
you're
looking
to
maintain
your
superstar
status
there,
forget
about
it.
"Music
sales
have
been
severely
reduced,
so
for
The
Beatles
to
continue
as
aggressively
as
they
have
been,
they
need
to
seek
alternative
avenues.
"The
sales
of
games
like
Rock
Band
are
phenomenal.
And
I
think
these
decisions
by
The
Beatles
and
those
in
charge
of
their
back
catalogue
will
do
very
well
indeed," he
added.