Beatles News

All you need is cash: I am told that Neil Young’s high end music player and library, Pono, has scored a coup. They’ve secured the Beatles catalog for download in what’s known as loss-less digital.

Paul McCartney himself is said to be supervising the transfer of the Beatles’ crown in the jewel recordings so they can be added to the Pono catalog which can then be purchased and downloaded into the $399 Pono player.

This could be huge for Pono, which is already offering a wide selection of music on its site at 192 khz. But the Beatles will kick it over the top. Even last night when I ran into the Black Eyes Peas’ will.i.am the first thing he said to me about Pono was “Wait til you hear Sgt. Pepper on Pono. It’s going to blow your mind.” The Pono people have already played the classic 1967 album for him on their device. One thing he did tell me was that you don’t need very expensive head phones to enjoy it. “Just regular good headphones.” (Me, I have Grado and Sennheiser.) details

Sony has no plans to sell the music publishing business that controls rights to songs from the Beatles and Taylor Swift, as was suggested by leaked e-mails, Sony Entertainment chief executive officer Michael Lynton said.

Sony's music-publishing business, the largest in the world, has a catalogue of more than 2 million songs. Music publishers collect songwriting royalties from album sales, use on TV and other performances.

E-mails and documents released in the cyber-attack on Sony mentioned a 'top secret' plan to sell the music publishing business because it had few growth prospects, it has been reported last month. Top management at Tokyo-based Sony was concerned about the complex ownership and governance of the business.
In a January 8 interview, Lynton said a sale isn't under consideration.

Music publishing accounts for 14 per cent of Sony's music revenue, with recorded music generating the l details

Ringo: New album on the way

Beatle Ringo Starr has completed his 18th studio record, ahead of his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April.

The drummer and singer-songwriter informed his fans in a video update. “I’ve finished my record, mixed the record and, next year, it will be out on Universal Records,” he says.

He also suggests that the All-Starr Band may tour in February and March. The Liverpudlian's most recent album, Ringo 2012, was released in January 2012.

Some weeks ago, Ringo was elected into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the last of the Beatles to be elected for their solo careers.

 “I think it’s good,” he said. “I didn’t know that George and John were in it. I’m not keeping up with it all the time. It means recognition.

"And it means, finally, the four of us are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, even though we were the biggest pop group in the land, though now it all looks funny in black and white.” The details

LAS VEGAS — A performer was hurt during a Monday evening performance of Cirque du Soleil's Beatles LOVE at the Mirage.

According to a spokeswoman for the company, Cirque said it followed protocol and "had the artist transported to a local hospital where they (the performer) have since been released in good condition."

While the show would not confirm what happened, a show attendee said the performer fell.

It's not the first time a performer has been hurt during a Cirque show. Sadly, one performer also died in 2013 after falling 50 feet.

• Nov. 13, 2007 -- During the “Zumanity” show at New York-New York, two performers reportedly fell 15 to 35 feet from a white drape. One unnamed performer suffered serious injuries while the other performer, Alan Jose Silva, was treated for minor injuries.
• June 26, 2013 -- An acrobat slipped from a slack rope and fell head first to the stage during a preview performance of “Michael Jackson One” at Mandalay Bay, reportedly suffering a mild concussion.
• June 29, 2013 -- details

David Roberts establishes himself as a long time Beatles fan in the introduction to this e-book and offers up his list of list of trivia apparently hoping there are still people interested enough in these facts ( or fictions ) who haven't already heard them or some version of them. The Internet is littered with such lists and many of the entries are, in this reviewers opinion, irrelevant or in some cases second hand gossip that has been circulating for years. There is a disclaimer from the publisher at the beginning stating that no responsibility is taken for the accuracy of the information presented and since there are no citations for resources, we must proceed with caution.

There are, however, some fun facts and interesting stories included. One of my highlights would be the number 7 entry which tells the tale of the missing cardboard cut-outs used for the Sgt. Pepper album cover. It is not a new bit of information for me but every time I come across this I am astonished that none of these props have turned up to be auctioned, pawned, or sold on e-bay. Of course, if I personally was in possession of any of them, I would not part with them for the world, so I guess it's understandable that whoever has t details