X

iTunes has Beatles, but where is AC/DC?

While The Beatles may finally be available on iTunes there are plenty of other high profile acts who are not, including Australia's own AC/DC.

Erica Ogg Former Staff writer, CNET News
Erica Ogg is a CNET News reporter who covers Apple, HP, Dell, and other PC makers, as well as the consumer electronics industry. She's also one of the hosts of CNET News' Daily Podcast. In her non-work life, she's a history geek, a loyal Dodgers fan, and a mac-and-cheese connoisseur.
Erica Ogg
3 min read

Apple pitched today's announcement that The Beatles' music can now be downloaded from iTunes as a "day you'll never forget".

The Beatles 13 studio albums are now available from the iTunes store at a price of AU$20.99 for single albums and double albums at AU$35.99. Users can also elect to buy the entire collection for AU$259 in iTunes LP format, or as individual songs for AU$2.19 each. But in the wake of the news, many are responding that Apple's over-hyped the announcement and that there are many popular musical acts still missing from iTunes.

ac/dc itunes beatles
AC/DC's most recent album was purposely kept out of Apple's music store (Credit: Last.FM)

AC/DC: the band has been vocal about its anti-iTunes stance for years. The band refuses to offer music through iTunes because it isn't interested in selling individual songs. In 2008, while promoting its album Black Ice, which was only sold in the US through Wal-Mart despite widespread Australian release, lead singer Brian Johnson took some swipes at Apple.

"Maybe I'm just being old-fashioned, but this iTunes, God bless 'em, it's going to kill music if they're not careful," Johnson told Reuters. "It's a ... monster, this thing. It just worries me. And I'm sure they're just doing it all in the interest of making as much ... cash as possible. Let's put it this way, it's certainly not for the ... love, let's get that out of the way, right away."

Tool: another popular group that doesn't want its songs sold off piecemeal. The Los Angeles-based progressive rock band has kept its music from the clutches of Apple's online empire.

Def Leppard: you can find the English group's classic "Pour Some Sugar On Me" on iTunes, but not its original version. Only covers of Def Leppard's hits are currently available on iTunes. Some of its albums have been sold through Apple's store in the past, but have been pulled.

Garth Brooks: the biggest selling US solo artist of all time — and second in overall album sales to, guess who, The Beatles — is still at loggerheads with Apple on the practice of selling albums online. In the past, he's stated he believes iTunes is "killing" music, and says he won't give in until Apple offers variable pricing and will allow more album-only downloads. A search for his name on iTunes reveals merely karaoke versions of some of his most popular hits.

Kid Rock: another artist opposed to selling his music track by track. Kid Rock embraces some digital music outlets, but not iTunes. You can download his full albums only from Amazon.com and the Rhapsody MP3 store.

Bob Seger: you can find one song from Seger in iTunes, "Roll Me Away". There's a catch though: the song is part of the original "Armageddon" movie soundtrack, and while most other songs on the soundtrack can be bought individually, the only way to nab Seger's is to purchase the whole album. He, like many of his fellow holdouts, objects to single-song sales.

Those are the biggest names, but who else is missing? Are there any other acts you'd still like to see in iTunes? Let us know below.

Via CNET