Update: The Beatles Finally Hit iTunes

UPDATED 10 a.m.: Yes, The Beatles have finally come to iTunes. The above image appears on the iTunes landing page, and the band takes up the top section of the iTunes Store.
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The Beatles catalog is finally coming to iTunes for real, if the strongest rumors to date are to be believed.

In a story that was reported first by The Wall Street Journal Monday, Apple's iTunes announcement scheduled for Tuesday seems clear to the the long-awaited, often-premature addition of music by The Beatles to the iTunes catalog.

The story has been reported in the New York Times and Billboard as well, with different sources pointing to clues in Apple's invitation to the iTunes announcement (seen above on the landing page of the iTunes Store), including the invite's wording and design.

Could the Beatles/iTunes speculation be wrong? Billboard has an article offering seven possible developments Apple could spring on us at the iTunes announcement, from streaming music to longer music samples and Ping/Facebook integration.

Music News: Apple Announcement, Beatles Rock Band, and Beatles CDs Remastered

It turns out that 9/09/09 is a big day in the world of music: The long-awaited Beatles Rock Band game comes out today, Beatles remastered CDs are now on sale, and Apple is holding its usual early September announcement, with speculation on products ranging from new iPods (probable, since prices of current iPods have dropped) to the launch of an Apple tablet computer (not so likely) to the very-long-awaited appearance of the Beatles on iTunes (coming, but not yet).

Mac Observer will blog Apple's "Rock and Roll" event live at 1 p.m. today (you can also follow the news live on other sites such as The Apple Blog). The online Apple Store is down, as is the case before new product announcements. Some of the wags on Mac Observer dig through the rumors and anti-rumors regarding today's Apple presentation.

Amazon.com lists a range of options for The Beatles Rock Band game, from software for Xbox 360, Playstation, and Nintendo Wii to limited-edition bundles, controllers, and other add-ons.

You can buy the Beatles remastered CDs here. And if you're a real completist or just need to bring your Beatles collection up to speed in a hurry, you can buy The Beatles Stereo Box Set for $180. A mono box set is available for $230.

Music News: Monty Python Reunion, Beatles Rock Band Songs Announced

Beloved comedy troupe Monty Python is celebrating 40 years since its formation, and is reuniting in New York City for one night at the screening of a new documentary. Brooklyn Vegan says that they'll be at midtown's Ziegfeld Theater on October 15th for a showing of the theatrical version of "Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer's Cut)," along with a Q&A with the cast and a presentation from BAFTA, the British film and TV awards organization.

IFC is behind the documentary and will be televising it October 4th to 10th, in one-hour episodes. BV says IFC will also be showing the Monty Python films during a special Monty Python week. See the link above for episode descriptions and air dates for the episodes.

Speaking of beloved old British performers, the upcoming Beatles version of the Rock Band video game has been in the news a lot lately. Yahoo News says the names of the 19 of the songs to be featured in Beatles Rock Band were released today, with one song title yet to be released. The Web site Vintage Vinyl News lists what it says are 44 of the 45 songs to be included in the game.

Among the songs to be included in Beatles Rock Band: "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," "A Hard Day's Night," "Ticket to Ride," "Helter Skelter," "If I Needed Someone," and "Drive My Car."

Beatles Rock Band goes on sale September 9th.

Music News: New iTunes Pricing, Beatles Remasters

Digital music and reissues are a couple of the leading music-related news stories this week...

iTunes pricing: This week iTunes finally introduced its new pricing structure. While much of the attention has been on the new $1.29 price for popular tracks, there's been much less mention of the fact that many tracks will remain at 99 cents, and some songs will sell for 69 cents. As iPod Observer notes, all iTunes songs are now DRM-free and encoded at 256kbps (which the store calls iTunes Plus).

On a related note, I've read that Amazon has increased the price of some of its MP3 downloads to $1.29, but a quick scan through some of their offerings showed tracks at the usual 99 cents. Anyone come across Amazon.com tracks costing more?

Remastered Beatles albums coming: The music industry is expected to get a big boost in the Fall when all of the studio recordings by the Beatles are to come out in remastered versions. Sept. 9th is the expected date for the reissues, which many music fans say is long overdue. As for digital versions of Beatles music... well, no news on that, unfortunately.

The Beatles' White Album 40 Years Later

Yes, it's really been 40 years since the Beatles issues their landmark White Album (almost exactly--the record came out in November 1968) and NPR's All Songs Considered takes an interesting look back at how this seminal record came to be.

It looks at the band's trip to India [to record the album] andf the many disparate factors at work during the White Album's creation, from the band's impending collapse to disputes with the Maharishi Yogi to oddities such as some band members' unhappiness with the food.

All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen talks with Bruce Spizer, author of The Beatles on Apple Records, in a one-hour conversation about the White Album. The podcast features a number of excerpts from demo sessions for the album, including some unreleased tracks. You can download the podcast or stream the show online, and also check out other Beatles-related podcasts on the site.

Music News: Beatles Jam Track, New Concert DVD from The Who

You've no doubt heard that there's a 14-minute Beatles jam recording out there somewhere, and it turns out Paul McCartney is looking to get it released. According to an article in Billboard, "Carnival of Light" is the most experimental track the Beatles ever recorded and McCartney needs to get permission from surviving Beatle Ringo Starr and the estates of George Harrison and John Lennon to get the tune to see the light of day.

"I said it would be great to put this on because it would show we were working with really avant-garde stuff," McCartney told the BBC about the track, which was recorded early in 1967.

Speaking of classic rock releases, here's one that's definitely reaching the listening public: a DVD of a 1977 concert by The Who. Called "The Who at Kilburn 1977," the DVD is coming out tomorrow, November 18th and is the full performance of a concert that was filmed for the Who documentary, "The Kids Are Alright."