Beatles Songs On Apple iTunes Won't Happen Soon

Sir Paul McCartney has acknowledged that plans to release songs of legendary group, the Beatles on iTunes and other legal download sites are unlikely to happen this year.

Apple Corp and Music behemoth EMI have reportedly "agreed to disagree" on key terms, much to the displeasure of Apple - for which the Beatles song catalog would prove to be a massive financial boost - and Sir Paul McCartney, who could rake in even more royalties (and help him promote his new ventures).

He told BBC News "We'd like to do it, We are very for it, we've been pushing it. But there are a couple of sticking points, I understand. "EMI want something we're not prepared to give 'em. It's between EMI and The Beatles I think - what else is new?"

All the Beatles albums are expected to be re-released in 2009 on CD as remastered versions and hopefully, simultaneously as legal downloads. Many expect the likes of "Let it be" and "Hey Jude" to top charts when they are released.

The last great Beatles album, the Beatles' "Anthology" sold 25 million copies and EMI is keen to milk the Beatles cow properly to help it weather the current economic conditions. EMI lost more than $1.2 billion for the year ended March 2008, money that it obtained from Private Equity Firm Terra Firma as revenues dropped by 19 percent.