Stringent copyright legalese and exorbitant price tags surrounding commercial use of the highly coveted Beatles catalog has probably led to more god-awful muzak renditions of “Hey Jude,” blasphemous covers from adult contemporary artists for Target ads, and Across the Universe exploits than even Epstein might have allowed. But as every rock legend from Aerosmith to Bon Jovi has jumped on the Rock Band-wagon, it seems the tight reign on Beatles innumerable hits has loosened in turn.
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Rather than tucking away quietly behind another typical Rock Band installment, though, MTV Networks announced last week that the pending Beatles video game will herald an entirely new custom-made platform. While higher-ups are keeping tight-lipped on the details, chocking it up to a work in progress, Alex Rigopulos, chief executive of Harmonix Music Systems – the concept developer hired by MTV in 2006 – said the deal represents the most widespread co-op since Guitar Hero reared its money-making head in 2005. Not only have Sony/ATV Music Publishing, EMI and Apple Corps, Ltd. given their seal of approval, but Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, as well as Beatles heirs Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison were key figures in the game’s creative input. Producer George Martin and his son Giles are also said to have used masters, not secondhand remixes, to produce the project in order to maintain its vintage credibility.
Whether we’ll still be tapping at multi-colored keys along with “Let It Be” or rubber hi-hats to “Yellow Submarine” is hard to tell. But come mid- to late-2009, it’s going to be hard to tag The Beatles as the untouched holy grail of produce placement.
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