Wednesday 4 November 2009 | Release announcement | Apple Corps and EMI Music | By Beatles Fabdom
On 4 November 2009, Apple Corps and EMI Music announced a limited-edition Beatles USB drive containing the band’s remastered stereo catalogue. Shaped like a green apple, the 16GB device brought together fourteen stereo titles, music files in two formats and the visual material prepared for the recent CD reissues.
The announcement came less than two months after the remastered albums had reached shops on 9 September. Instead of another set of discs, the USB edition offered the music as ready-made computer files, supplied on a physical collectible. Production was limited to 30,000 units worldwide.
The scheduled release dates were 7 December 2009 in the UK and 8 December in North America. The 4 November entry marks the announcement, rather than either retail release date.
| Announcement | 4 November 2009 |
|---|---|
| Companies | Apple Corps Ltd and EMI Music |
| Design | Green apple-shaped USB drive with Beatles branding |
| Capacity | 16GB |
| Edition size | 30,000 worldwide |
| Music | 14 remastered stereo titles |
| Lossless audio | FLAC, 24-bit / 44.1 kHz |
| MP3 audio | 320 kbps |
| Additional material | 13 mini-documentary films, album artwork, photographs and expanded liner notes |
| Interface | Specially designed Flash interface |
| Advertised compatibility | PC and Mac |
| UK release | 7 December 2009 |
| North American release | 8 December 2009 |
| Announced official-store prices | £200 in the UK; US $279.99 |
A green apple containing the stereo catalogue
The drive used the apple associated with the Beatles’ company as its physical design. The supplied promotional image shows the green body carrying the Beatles logo, with the top section removed to reveal the USB connector.
The small object contained the same fourteen-title stereo programme offered in the remastered catalogue campaign. It also retained the reissues’ accompanying visual material rather than reducing the package to audio files alone.
Apple Corps was the Beatles’ company, distinct from Apple, the computer company behind iTunes. The announcement was an Apple Corps and EMI release. It was not an announcement that the Beatles catalogue had become available through Apple’s online music store.
For the earlier history of the Beatles’ company, read our Apple Corps press-conference transcript from 14 May 1968.
All fourteen titles included on the Beatles USB drive
The programme followed the remastered stereo catalogue. It combined the thirteen core album titles with Past Masters, the collection of recordings needed to gather the non-album material.
- Please Please Me
- With The Beatles
- A Hard Day’s Night
- Beatles For Sale
- Help!
- Rubber Soul
- Revolver
- Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
- Magical Mystery Tour
- The Beatles, commonly known as the White Album
- Yellow Submarine
- Abbey Road
- Let It Be
- Past Masters
“Fourteen titles” is a more precise description than fourteen original studio albums. Past Masters is a compilation, while Magical Mystery Tour entered the core album catalogue in its expanded album form. The White Album also remains one title in this count despite its original double-album format.
The USB edition was a stereo release. It was not a combined stereo-and-mono library and did not include the separate Beatles In Mono programme simply because both belonged to the wider 2009 remaster campaign.
24-bit FLAC and 320 kbps MP3
The audio was supplied in two forms: 24-bit / 44.1 kHz FLAC and 320 kbps MP3. Both formats held the remastered music; buyers were not being offered a choice between two different album selections.
FLAC is a lossless audio format. The 24-bit specification distinguished these files from standard audio CDs, which use 16-bit audio at the same 44.1 kHz sampling rate. The announcement therefore offered a higher bit depth without claiming a higher sampling rate.
The MP3 versions provided a more widely supported compressed alternative. A player’s ability to use the files depended on its format support, rather than on the apple-shaped casing itself. The product was advertised as compatible with PC and Mac.
The audio specifications are part of the edition’s release history. They should not be confused with a guarantee that every listener, computer or playback system would reproduce an audible difference between formats.
Films, photographs, artwork and liner notes
The USB release included the visual material associated with the remastered CDs: thirteen mini-documentary films, replicated original UK album artwork, rare photographs and expanded liner notes.
A specially designed Flash interface provided a way to browse that material. The reference to Flash describes the software interface announced in 2009, separate from the USB drive’s use of flash memory as storage.
The films were short album documentaries from the CD reissue programme. They were not a new feature-length Beatles documentary commissioned specifically for the USB edition.
Album artwork remained an important part of the package even though the music no longer required a disc. The USB assembled sound, images and written material in one edition, carrying across features that had accompanied the physical reissues.
December release dates and original prices
The drive was offered for pre-order ahead of its December release. The UK date was 7 December 2009, followed by North America on 8 December. The announced official-store prices were £200 and US $279.99.
Those figures describe the original offer. They are not present-day valuations or a claim that the limited edition remains available at its launch price.
With production limited to 30,000 units, the USB was a finite physical edition rather than an unrestricted catalogue download service. A customer purchased the drive containing the collection, not individual songs selected from an online store.
The 2009 remasters and the digital-release gap
The starting point for the USB was the remastered catalogue released on 9 September 2009. That campaign brought the original albums back to the market on CD and coincided with the arrival of The Beatles: Rock Band.
The USB added a different delivery format to the same period of catalogue activity. It made authorised music files available on a physical carrier while the Beatles remained absent from iTunes.
On the same day as the USB announcement, news coverage also focused on EMI’s lawsuit over BlueBeat’s Beatles downloads. The two stories concerned different routes to the music: one an authorised Apple Corps and EMI edition, the other a disputed online service.
The Beatles finally arrived on iTunes on 16 November 2010, through an announcement by Apple Corps, EMI and Apple. That later agreement enabled purchases of albums and individual songs from the online store. It was separate from the 2009 USB release.
Timeline: from CD remasters to iTunes
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 9 September 2009 | The remastered original catalogue is released on CD. |
| 4 November 2009 | Apple Corps and EMI announce the limited-edition Beatles USB drive. |
| 7 December 2009 | Scheduled UK release of the USB edition. |
| 8 December 2009 | Scheduled North American release. |
| 16 November 2010 | Apple Corps, EMI and Apple announce the Beatles catalogue on iTunes. |
Explore the albums and their artwork
Two titles in the USB collection, Rubber Soul and Abbey Road, have dedicated guides in our Knowledge Hub. Their artwork also appears on instruments in our store.
Frequently asked questions
When was the Beatles apple USB drive announced?
Apple Corps and EMI Music announced it on 4 November 2009. Its scheduled release was 7 December in the UK and 8 December in North America.
How many Beatles USB drives were announced?
The edition was limited to 30,000 units worldwide, with a capacity of 16GB per drive.
Which albums were included?
The drive contained fourteen remastered stereo titles, from Please Please Me to Let It Be, together with Past Masters. The complete list appears above.
What audio formats did it contain?
The music was supplied as 24-bit / 44.1 kHz FLAC files and 320 kbps MP3 files.
Did it include the Beatles mono remasters?
No. The USB edition contained the stereo catalogue, not the separate Beatles In Mono collection.
Was this the Beatles’ iTunes release?
No. The USB was a physical Apple Corps and EMI product. The official iTunes catalogue launch followed on 16 November 2010.
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