Beatles Songs Removed From Free Podcast Downloads

The entire Beatles back catalogue is to be removed from a series of free Norwegian podcasts.

All 212 of the band's recorded songs were to be made available online throughout January following a deal between the Norwegian broadcasting company NRK and music rights company TONO.

However, the IFPI, the company who owns the rights to The Beatles' songs, has said NRK doesn't have permission to include the songs on the podcasts.

Oyvind Solstad, a technology adviser for NRK, said there was clause in the original agreement which meant certain artists could be excluded.

The Norwegian broadcaster is currently trying to open up its achieves to the public.

The podcasts, which were first aired in 2007, also included background information about the recordings.

Had the the songs been included on the podcasts it would have marked the first time The Beatles' music has been available to download legally.

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.