Beatles ready for digital in 2008: McCartney

The Beatles' album catalog is close to a deal and should be available in 2008, band member Paul McCartney has revealed to Billboard. The musician notes that there is only "one little sticking point" to be cleared up before a release sometime next year and that it has only been a question of contractual obligations and the setup process itself. Neither the surviving Beatles nor Apple Corps want to rush the release and risk tarnishing the effect, McCartney says.

"You don't want to do something that's as cool as that," he says, "and in three years time you think, 'Oh God, why did we do that?!"

While the uncertainty of the remaining steps prevent McCartney from providing a more specific timeframe than next year, his comments echo beliefs expressed by George Harrison's widow Olivia, who herself expects a 2008 release of the group's work. Each of the individual Beatles' solo works have been gradually introduced to iTunes and other major online stores in recent months.