McCartney Says Beatles Digital Catalog Talks Stalled

Paul McCartney has said that negotiations over the Beatles catalog's digital release have stalled.

While speaking about his new album as the Fireman, Electric Arguments, he detoured into the negotiations. "That is constantly being talked of, we'd like to do it. What happens is, when something's as big as the Beatles, it's heavy negotiations.

"We are very for it, we've been pushing it. But there are a couple of sticking points, I understand. So the last word I got back was that it had stalled, the whole process.

"They [EMI] want something we're not prepared to give them. Hey, sounds like the music business.

"It's between EMI and The Beatles. What else is new."

He also spoke about his reasons for leaving EMI for Starbucks.

"I think the majors at the moment - I'm not dissing them - but I don't think they really know what's going on. With the download culture, they are floundering a little bit.

"I think I was right at that time, because right after that EMI got sold so I would have been in the middle of a sale situation.

"The other thing is, they've got so many people on their books, like it or not you're just one of them. It's not a great situation, you like to feel like you're among friends so that was why I ended up going independent. And this time it's kind of even more indie."