Wall Street Journal: iTunes to sell Beatles catalog

Will the Apple companies finally bury the hatchet?

Apple Inc. said it plans to issue a major announcement at 10 a.m. Tuesday about the future of its music download store iTunes, leading to widespread speculation that it will finally strike a deal with Apple Corps, the company that represents the Beatles and its heirs, and owns the rights to the Beatles catalog.

"Tomorrow is just another day. That you'll never forget," said a message on Apple Inc.'s website.

The Beatles remain one of the few major artists that has refused to sell its music on iTunes. Lawsuits between Apple Corps and Apple Inc. have bounced through the courts for decades.

When the Beatles catalog was digitally remastered last year, Apple Corps said, "Discussions regarding the digital distribution of the catalog will continue. There is no further information available at this time."

Those discussions have resulted in an agreement to sell the Beatles catalog on the site, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Representatives of Apple Inc. and Apple Corps could not be reached for comment Monday night.

Whether the songs would be sold individually or only as albums remains unclear. It is also unclear if The Beatles catalog would be available through other online retailers.