Beatles Catalog Not Fabulous for iTunes

by Todd Shriber

That iTunes/Beatles deal sure was much ado about nothing, at least as far as Apple’s (AAPL) share price was concerned. Showing that either the market is weakening, that it takes more than some 50-year-old to music to move the needle for America’s second-largest company by market value (according to The Online Investor) or a combination of both, news that the “Fab Four” have finally made their way to iTunes did nothing to stem the tide of what has recently become a precipitous slide for Apple shares.

As usual, there was plenty of fanfare surrounding this event. After all, as the Associated Press reports, the Beatles are the best-selling rock group of all-time. Going forward, this does have the potential to be a huge money maker for Steve Jobs & Co. What Beatles fanatic is going to pass on the chance to get a Beatles box set on iTunes for just $149? (Insert sarcasm here.)

Believe it or not, there are some artists whose recordings are not available on iTunes, as described on The Huffington Post. The list is nothing if not eclectic, but if the Beatles news couldn’t prop up Apple’s stock for a day, it’s hard to imagine the other iTunes holdouts faring any better.

Give AC/DC some credit for their unabashed feelings about iTunes. Band member Brian Johnson, once called the Apple music store a “monster,” according to Reuters. Nascar fans can take heart (or be irritated) that neither Garth Brooks nor Kid Rock makes his music available on iTunes.

Personally, I’m concerned that Def Leppard isn’t part of the iTunes fray. Rick Allen is a better drummer with one arm than Ringo Starr is with two. Other holdouts include Bob Seger and select Black Sabbath fare. The one that is funny, in a weird way, is The Smiths. Besides Steven Morrissey, how are the rest of The Smiths making money these days? Maybe they should get to the negotiating table with Steve Jobs soon.

Of this list, I’d bet that only Garth Brooks could have any kind of impact, and it would probably be slight, on Apple’s bottom line.

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