Next month, 25 years after his death, John Lennon is finally going digital. But what does this mean?
Will we soon see John Lennon be reanimated by Pixar for a new digital film about The Beatles? No. Will John Lennon be starring in his own Alex Kid-style digital computer game? Again, no.
In actual fact, John Lennon’s entire back-catalogue is being made available for digital download. Sorry to get your hopes up.
Until now, the only Beatle whose solo work has been available for
digital download has been Ringo Starr and, as much as a lovely bloke as
he seems, we can pretty much live without hearing Fastest Growing
Heartache In The West pelted into our ears every morning.
But now John Lennon’s (CDs) back catalogue has been made available for
download by various digital music sites, so soon trains will be full of
commuters humming such catchy John Lennon tunes as My Mummy’s Dead and
Woman Is The Nigger Of The World. Yoko Ono has spoken about the
decision to turn John Lennon’s songs digital, saying:
"I am very
happy that John’s music is now available to a new generation of music
fans. New
technology is something he always embraced and this is something he
would have loved. I always say that he would have been very excited by
all the opportunities offered by the development of new means of
communication. At this time I think it’s important that we remember
John for what he contributed to the world. For people who still love
John’s music and for those now getting into John’s music, this opens up
a whole new world in which they can appreciate John’s music again."
Unless
you’ve got an iPod, that is. Lennon’s music won’t be on iTunes because
Apple and Lennon’s record label are still squabbling about wholesale
rates. Imagine all the people sharing all the world, indeed.
Read more:
John Lennon moves into digital era – NME.com
[story by Stuart Heritage]