Report: Activision/MTV Games in Beatles Bidding War

According to a report in British newspaper Financial Times, representatives from both Activision and MTV Games are currently negotiating for the rights to use The Beatles back catalogue of music in future Guitar Hero and Rock Band titles. The report suggests that both companies are pitching for a multi-million dollar deal, although it does not indicate whether any successful licensing arrangement would be exclusive to either company. A Financial Times source suggests a deal could be reached in the next few weeks. Negotiations with rights holders Apple Corps and EMI have traditionally been slow in any media, with the group’s music still not appearing on iTunes despite rumors a deal had been struck in March. However, new Apple Corps CEO Jeff Jones is seen as being more receptive to new licensing opportunities – including television show American Idol. The report quotes Martin Bandier, CEO of Sony/ATV Music Publishing, which controls over 200 Beatles copyrights, as saying: “To my view, it’s only a matter of time before we see Beatles songs that are the original recordings in motion pictures, in television work, and yes, maybe even one day in a commercial.” An unnamed MTV spokesman is quoted by the Financial Times as saying: “We are talking to virtually every major rock artist all the time about ways we might get them involved in Rock Band.”