Latest News
Week commencing 9th April 2007
"When I'm 64"
Neil Aspinall, the CEO of Apple Corporation, the Beatles' record company, is set to retire at the age of 64. Neil has been described as the "fifth Beatle" and has worked for the Beatles in various roles over the past 40 years. He started off as the Beatles' van driver but with an accountancy background moved into management and assisted with the development of the record company. Apple is owned by Paul McCartney, Ringo Star, Yoko Ono and George Harrison's estate. Neil was fiercely protective of the Beatles' intellectual property rights and Apple Corps were not afraid to litigate to prove so; the famous stand off with Apple (as in iPod) over the use of the name is one example. The issue was over the use of the name and trade mark Apple. Apple (iPod) had agreed not to use their name in association with recorded music but then came their iTunes. The matter was settled out of court and has led to the imminent availability of the Beatles' catalogue as a download through iTunes. Now that a record can enter the UK charts by downloads alone could mean that the entire top 40 could be Beatles' tracks. Worth a bet?
iPod Record
Apple has announced that the iPod is the fastest selling music player in history - selling its 100th million player. The first iPod was sold in November 2001.
Grommitt kills off scouse dog
Aardman Film's loveable dog Gromit of Wallace & Gromit fame is to be the new face of HMV. Gromit replaces Nipper, a Liverpool dog, which was painted listening to a recording of his deceased master's voice. The original picture and the copyright was sold to EMI in 1898 for £100. The deal with HMV involves no money apparently but HMV have agreed to an active promotional campaign of the works produced by Aardman. A spokesman for HMV has said that they would not have entrusted the change of image to anyone other than Aardman. Gromit was unavailable for.......(I'm not going to insult you by finishing that!).
ITN Lock-Up Cock-Up
The Home Office is suing ITN for £300,000 - the amount it had to spend to change every lock at a Young Offenders' Institution in London following an ITN report. ITN broadcast close-up images of a key which security experts said could be used by some locksmiths to create copies. Broadcasters usually sign a contract in order to film inside prisons which contains an agreement not to show footage of keys or locks because its broadcast is a security hazard. It is claimed that ITN has offered to pay £10,000 but the HO wants the lot.
