The Beatles in Rock Band; MTV & Apple Corps tease 'unprecedented project' [update]

Apple Corps Ltd., the company founded by The Beatles to administer the band's music catalog, and MTV today teased "an exclusive agreement to develop a global music project." The two camps are scheduled to make an official announcement tomorrow, Thursday, October 30th at 10 am ET (2 pm in the UK). No further details have been presented, save for tomorrow's, uh, presenters: Apple Corps CEO Jeff Jones, MTV CEO Judy McGrath and President of MTV Networks Van Toffler.

Our highly tuned power of intuition tells us MTV has landed a deal to get The Beatles in Rock Band, either as a standalone product (à la the AC/DC Track Pack) or as DLC -- heck, why not both? In June, FT.com reported that MTV and Activision were both dangling bags of money before Apple Corps for The Beatles rights. Guess who had the bigger bag?

Update: The Wall Street Journal's sources say it's true: "The Beatles have licensed songs to MTV Networks' Rock Band video game series." Details mañana.

[Thanks, oolz]

Reader Comments (93)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122531701276881747.html

WSJ article claiming multiple sources. Good news indeed for plastic guitar aficionados. I'm happy cause I love rock band but I hate these exclusive deals

About gorram time.

Frak off.

Yeah you scruffy-looking nerf herder.

Fernando, you're completely missing the point of The Beatles...do you have any idea how innovative they were? Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, The White Album had the largest part in creating Rock/Pop/ and I guess even Indy. They subscribed to no one, and even Dylan, some might call the greatest lyricist of all times admit the Beatles own his face (plus he introduced them to weed during "A Hard Days Night".
Listen to Helter Skelter, or The End, tell me they're not good musicians.
Whats next, you going to say Dark Side of the Moon ruined music theory?

WILL SPEND MONEY! IMMEDIATELY!

Beatles are awesome, enough said. such easy yet appealing lyrics means that these songs are going to be universal for EVERYONE to sing. i wanna hold your hand and other classics sound great. hope they release these like albums...that would be awesome.

This is very good news for the benefit of Mr. Kite.

...There will be a show tonight on trampoline.

Hell Freaking YEAH!!!!! Al I need now is some Led Zep, Pink Floyd, Jimmy Hendrix (Most likely Jimmy won't happen), and The Mars Volta. I hope Rock Band gets more old school rock bands in there.

If you're desperate for Jimmy and Mars Volta, you could rent GH:WT.

YES! I AM HAPPY.

This is cool in so many ways. The main ones to me are 1) their music will be available to play, and 2) this could help influence other major bands to license their stuff under the idea of "if it's good enough for the Beatles, it's probably good enough for us." I'm looking directly at you Led Zeppelin.

I heard Fernando thinks Zeppelin is shit.

@jomolungma How amazing will it be to play Achilles Last Stand or Dazed and Confused. I would probably pass out. Led Zeppelin has songs for the whole band to enjoy.

My friend is your typical hater, and I just ruined his UNO game (and likely week) with this news when I called him. :P

I always loved their music, and I'm sick of not having as many people as I'd like knowing who they are, or knowing any more than a couple songs of theirs.

Games like Rock Band are what help put interest into people for song's and bands they may not have otherwise known, or bothered with. The more the merrier.

Finally.

I doubt anything could make me happier and more of an automatic fanboy of Rock Band.

I read the news today, oh boy
About a lucky man who made the grade...

I'll walk down Penny Lane with Eleanor Rigby to get a system to handle the DLC.

The only reason this news upsets me is cuz I have Guitar Hero. And if the Beatles come out on Rock Band, I'm gonna be out a lot of cash buying a Rock Band set. Can't wait can't wait can't wait. Beatles songs do tend to be more mellow though (by today's standards), so I wonder how much fun they'll be to non-fans. I'll have a blast, myself.

All your Guitar Hero: WT stuff will work with Rock Band. Treat yourself and just rent a copy of RB1 and buy a new one of RB2, pay the five bucks to transfer the RB1 songs to your hard drive and rock out.

Praying for Helter Skelter and i'm an Atheist.

Damn. Whatever happened to a Beatles version of Guitar Hero? I just got World Tour because of "Band on the Run" (a song by Paul McCartney, ex-Beatle). To make up for The Beatles in Rock Band, they should get Beatles songs too AND more Wings songs.

Man I hope there's a lot of Harrison's songs show up. While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Something, Here Comes The Sun, It's All Too Much, Taxman, I Me Mine, For You Blue, Old Brown Shoe.

I second this

Harrison's material is hands down, IMO, the best of the Beatles

Should of been working on getting Led Zeppelin's songs in the game rather than the Beatles.

That's one of two holy grails (Zeppelin being the other). Hopefully Jimmy Page will throw his hat in soon!

Though I am not a major Beatles fan, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" has been a must for Rock Band since the get go. I will buy this without question if it is released.

Sweet merciful crap, this is awesome.

really? the Beatles? the f***ing Beatles? their powers should not be used in any video game.

Oh thank god. If it went to Activision, I would have been terribly disappointed.

I guess Ringo finally decided to get that solid gold house he has been putting on hold for a couple decades.

This made my day. My one friend who owns Rock Band (I live in New Zealand and don't have a PS 3) doesn't like the Beatles, but he's getting whatever ends out coming out.

Tell him that if he likes rock music he'll like The Beatles.

I am the walrus.

I am the eggman.

Goo goo g'joob!

WILL BUY

I speak in behalf of every Hamonix fanboy when I say this :

"TAKE THAT ACTIVISION! YOU FUCKING COWS!"

Good day to you all.

...She's well acquainted with the touch of the velvet hand,
Like a lizard on a window pane.

The man in the crowd with the multi-colored mirrors
On his hobnail boots;
Lying with his eyes, while his hands
Are busy working overtime;
A soap impression of his wife, which he ate
And donated to the National Trust.

I need a fix 'cause I'm going down...

The Beatles weren't the best musicians ever, they only were the best songwriters of the past 50 years...

Here's hoping that a piano attachment comes out. I'd love to be able to play some of those awesome Macca solos!

I love to see a full ensemble Rock Band performing Revolution #9

the beatles are the best i would love to play there song on a video game i hope they put songs on there that never made it really big like happiness is a warm gun i love that song and the beatles are my favorite band of all times

Previous 50 Comments

The Beatles in Rock Band; MTV & Apple Corps tease 'unprecedented project' [update]

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