Beatles Tracks Available As Podcast Downloads

All 212 of The Beatles' recorded songs are to be made available as downloads on a series of Norwegian podcasts.

The podcasts, which were first aired in 2001, also include background information about the recordings.

The deal between the Norwegian broadcasting company NRK and music rights company TONO marks the first time The Beatles' music has been available to download legally.

The agreement between the two companies permits the inclusion of the songs because the podcast contains less than 70% music.

Some of the podcasts are already available, while the remainder will be released through January, NRK said.

As previously reported on Gigwise, Sir Paul McCartney recently revealed that discussions over whether the Beatles back-catalogue can be digitalised had “stalled”.

The group are still one of the few remaining bands who haven't appeared on download sites such as iTunes.

You can see a selection of rare shots of John Lennon ,currently on display until March 2009 at the Beatles Story’s ‘The Many Faces of John Lennon’ exhibition, below.