Abbey Roadblock

While other artists resist, adapt or succumb to the scourge of illegal music downloads, the Beatles simply turn to "more innovative and high-priced digital products," reports L. Gordon Crovitz in the Wall Street Journal (11/9/09). The idea that "sales and illegal downloads of their songs as loss leaders for their live performances" obviously is a non-starter for the Beatles, whose last tour concluded in 1966 (another tour is unlikely as long as John Lennon and George Harrison remain dead).

And, unlike many other artists, the Beatles "brand is so valuable that they can maintain scarcity even in a world of file sharing and mass downloading." George Harrison’s son, Dhani, simply states that the Beatles "disagree" with the notion that a Beatles song is worth only 99 cents on iTunes. So, the Beatles are instead focused on other things, like "The Beatles: Rock Band," a videogame that includes their music, but must "be played through the game console and can’t be downloaded or shared."

They’ve also released a limited-edition "USB flash drive (link) containing all the audio and video from a re-mastered stereo box set, which can be played on computers." As Gordon observes: "The downside of the open architecture of the web is a … devaluing of the effort and creative genius that went into creating songs and other works." At some point, he suggests, new technology will support "economic incentives for digital creating and sharing." Until then, we can always just buy the Beatles CDs online and upload them freely.