Yoko Ono has finally decided to give downloading a chance.
After years of resistance, the wife of the late John Lennon, and the guardian of his estate, relented to prodding from Lennon’s record label, EMI, and agreed to digitally release the iconic musician’s solo work.
Lennon’s timeless catalog of recordings, which includes “Instant Karma,” “Imagine” and “Power to the People,” will debut at online music stores Tuesday, two days shy of the 25th anniversary of the ex-Beatle’s tragic death.
Perhaps the most prominent digital holdout, Lennon’s post-Beatles work and its availability on download sites is further evidence that legal music downloading is maturing into a highly profitable business for record labels.
For the six months ended Sept. 30, EMI’s digital sales grew 142 percent compared with the previous year to $81.2 million.
And given the position Lennon still holds in pop culture – the $22 million in royalties his work earned last year was good enough to rank No. 2 among deceased singers, behind Elvis Presley, according to Forbes – his work is certain to both entice older fans to digital music and attract a new audience online.
“This is, dare I say, a watershed moment for the online music industry,” said Gartner Research Group analyst Michael McGuire.
Moving to make Lennon’s solo material available digitally could also prove to be a huge boon to most every online music site – except Apple’s iTunes.
That’s because Steve Jobs’ Apple is embroiled in a legal tussle with Apple Corp., the business entity that controls and manages the rights to Beatles material, over use of the Apple trademark in the music business.
Jobs had already paid an estimated $50 million to settle previous lawsuits brought by Apple Corp. against his computer company, but Jobs’ move into music, via iTunes, reignited the skirmish.
Apple representatives did not return calls for comment.
While Tuesday’s launch may give Lennon fans instant karma, devotees of The Beatles shouldn’t expect that group’s catalog to hit the digital divide any time soon.
While EMI is in constant negotiations with Apple Corp. about digitally releasing the Fab Four’s material, the representatives for the other Beatles members – Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr – have not yet agreed to make the move.