Yesterday Apple Computers announced that The Beatles catalog will be sold through iTunes. This is not really news to those who have all The Beatles albums on CD and ripped them into their computer (me) or those who have illegally gotten them through BitTorrents (millions of people). The announcement of Apple Computers success in acquiring The Beatles won't be mind shaking to many, but seeing as how resistant and protective The Beatles are over their music, this is a big deal.

Apple Computers and The Beatles have been locked in legal struggles since Apple Computer's founding. I don't have the time or patience to run you through the gory details. You can go to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Corps#Legal_battles_with_Apple_Computer" target="_blank"> Wikipedia for that. The important thing to note here is that The Beatles have ushered in "officially" the digital age marking the legitimization of MP3's by inking the deal with Apple Computer.

You are saying: "This means nothing to me because I have all their albums anyway. This announcement is five years too late." That is because you are ahead of the curve when it comes to technology and music. But Nickelback's albums sell millions and those fans can't figure out how the keys on their keyboard, when pressed, make words on a screen. They also have no idea that the Somalian Prince online doesn't really want to deposit a "small amount" in their account. Those are the people who are going to rebuy The Beatles albums through iTunes.

But due to their influence and mass appeal, no format is consider "legit" in the industry until The Beatles catalog is available through it. Vinyl, 8-Track, CD, and now MP3 have all become main stream, if only symbolically, thanks to The Beatles.