According to a number of UK-based online sources, Paul McCartney has officially worked out a deal to bring the Beatles back-catalog to multiple music download sites including a $400 million agreement with iTunes to offer the tracks. All of the Beatles currently have works available for download through iTunes, but the likely most popular tunes have thus far eluded the mammoth music download service.

According to reports, albums including Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Help and the White Album could be available from iTunes on possibly other online services “within months”. Now that the deal has been worked out, officials for the Beatles are reportedly in the process of creating digital versions of the songs to be available for download.

Amazon today announced plans for an international rollout of the Amazon MP3 music download service to take place sometime yet this year. This announcement is probably the biggest threat to Apple’s mammoth iTunes to date as it likely to cause the reining media download leader to make some changes in coming months to keep up with the competition.

Once Sony BMG came onboard Amazon became the only online retailer to offer downloadable MP3’s from all of the four most major music labels that are all also DRM-free. Amazon MP3 now boasts over 3.3 million songs available with no restrictions on what player or computer the songs can run on, and no restrictions of how many places users can copy it to.

This Cassette looks like it could have come straight out of the 80’s, but it’s also an MP3 Player. It can be used as a stand alone MP3 player with headphones, or inserted into any cassette deck and played that way. It plays the music directly from the SD card that you put in it, so you can’t reverse/skip/etc. when the tape is playing. Pointless, but neat.

Of course if you want different tunes, just load another SD card in it. It will cost you $22 from Chinavasion, and some valuable dignity as you go back to using an old cassette deck. With this kind of backwards thinking, Chinavasion will have an iPod in an old 8-Track tape in no time.

We’re used to seeing our share of iPod docks, but this borders on the ridiculous. Okay, it crosses the border screaming and begging not to be deported. I think it goes without saying that this device is designed to charge your iPod while you discharge your own product, commonly known as an iLog.

It does more then charge your iPod in an inappropriate location, though. It features two USB ports and not only dispenses precious paper, but while doing so, will soothe you with music through four high-performance, moisture-resistant speakers. “Easy-to-use controls allow for one-handed navigation.” One word…Ewww!

Robert Radio announced the MP-Sound 41, a slick looking silver colored and compact portable digital radio with Electronic Programming Guide (EPG) technology. The Electronic Programming Guide lets you program the radio to record up to 12 of your favorite shows for up to a week in advance, so you won’t have to miss anything again. You can also use the EPG to store up to eight hours of recordings directly onto a SD memory card.

Some other features include a full screen display, easy “cassette key-style” navigation, which will give you pause, rewind, fast-forward, record and playback. You also get PausePlus, a clock function with up to 12 different alarms and a headphone jack.

Pioneer is offering a new line of products that should score big with DJs. In the old days you had to lug around crates of heavy records, but that’s not the case anymore thanks to technology. Their backs are grateful. These days being a DJ is much easier, but the life of the DJ is about to get better still thanks to the MEP-7000, unveiled today at NAMM.

The 4.3-inch LCD screen is the central hub and command center. Two OLED screens help with the functionality of the DVD mixer with pitch, playback and position information. It also has dual DVD drives and USB adapters that make it compatible with everything from MP3 players to flash drives to hard drives. If you want to expand the command center ability, just plug a PC into the unit and the PC and will cooperate with the other software.

With plummeting CD sales, the music industry has been looking for ways to make more money, despite the fact that they still make a nice profit from the sales of digital media. In between counting their millions and crying crocodile tears, they found an ally in MediaStreet, who have announced the vAMP Virtual Album MP3 Player. It weighs just 0.7 ounces, and claims to be the “smallest, thinnest, fully functional MP3 player” They have high aspirations for it. MediaStreet intends for the vAMP to replace the CD.

The vAMP comes loaded with songs from an artist just like a CD, and even has album art on the front of the MP3 player as well as track listing and liner notes on the back. Inside it has 1 GB of storage, which gives you room to put other songs on the vAMP as well as transfer the ones that are there to your computer.

The Rock Band Stage Kit will add more authenticity to your dreams of becoming a real life rock star. The peripheral kit was spotted on GameStop’s website, retailing for $99.99. Not many other details are known, but it will include an interactive light and smoke show.

If rocking on a fake plastic guitar still manages to satisfy your rock and roll dreams, just imagine how fancy smoke and lights will raise you to the next level of your somewhat less then Rock-God performances.

For those who have problems tuning their musical instruments, your troubles are a thing of the past. Now you can easily tune your instrument to the correct note with the eNote Digital Tuner from ELECA. just attach this little device to your guitar or other instrument and the display will show up green once the note is correct.

This little device will tune guitars, violins, banjos, dulcimers and other stringed instruments. You simply need to know what note corresponds to each string. Then no matter which key the instrument uses, the tuner will help you find the note for the string.

Allegro Rainbow’s Guitar video game has been rocking CES this week. Music Wizard Group’s Guitar Wizard video game is a step forward after their successful Piano Wizard title, but Guitar Wizard is not just another version of Guitar Hero. It’s actually an educational video game that’s designed to help kids of all ages to read and play music.

Guitar Wizard will be available on both PC and MAC platforms, and will come with an actual honest to God guitar from US Music Corp. and an Interface by SoundTech. Plus, the software is compatible with just about any MIDI guitar.

It used to be that to get portable stereo sound you had to use headphones, but Orbitsound has come up with something new in the T3 device, with air sound technology. It’s slightly larger than a BlackBerry and is best when worn around the neck. It sounds as if you are wearing a pair of headphones. It’s compatible with any iPod, MP3 players, CD players or notebooks as long as they support line-in jacks.

If you want to have some private listening, there is a 3.5mm headphone port on the T3 to suit your needs. This kind of portable stereo sound is made possible thanks to Orbitsound’s airSOUND single-point-stereo technology.

The Roland CD-2e personal SD/CD recorder would be useful for those who can not figure out the simple task of recording their voice or music onto CDs directly without needing to use a computer.

The CD-2e comes with a built-in mic. You can easily adjust pitch, key and tempo while you’re recording. It even has a metronome for improving timing and rhythm and stereo speakers. It can record directly to CD, but also provides an option to use SD if you want more capacity. For instance, using an 8 GB SDHC card will let you have up to 12 hours of recording time.

This is probably one of the most useful devices ever made if you love music. The i2i Stream Digital Music Broadcaster, from Aerielle. It allows users to listen to music wirelessly by streaming music content from any audio device.

The i2i Stream is already available for $70, with 2-packs priced at $130. It’s universally compatible with Apple’s iPod, as well as other MP3 and media players. Each i2i can broadcast or receive music, and features a compact lightweight design.

If you are looking for a stylish CD/MP3 clock radio that has quality German design, Sonoro Audio has three new cubos that are launching during CES 2008. These retro looking units are an all-in-one clock that contains a slot-in CD/MP3 player as well as an internal iPod docking station with remote control compatibility and recharge function. It also has that old archaic thing known as AM/FM radio reception.

If you happen to be a fan of radio, they will also be offering a internet/FM radio cubo. It certainly combines form with functionality and they paid attention to design detail. Each of the three cubos are encased in wood in order to provide high quality acoustics. The metal grill located on the top of the product enables upward resonance from its powerful full range speaker.

The news just keeps coming in from CES 2008 and it hasn’t even officially started yet. Kleer.com announced today that Sennheiser has introduced the industry’s first true wireless stereo earphones based on Kleer’s wireless audio technology. The MX W1 wireless earphones are said to deliver crystal-clear CD-quality stereo sound, as well as providing extremely high immunity to noise in the crowded 2.4 GHz band. Since all Kleer-based products are compatible, the MX W1 earphones can receive wireless audio from any Kleer-based PMP.

The earphones come with a carrying case that also acts as a charger, and you can recharge the transmitter and receiver simultaneously via a connecting cable, without removing the transmitter from the player. With Kleer’s Listen In technology, two or more people with
MX W1 earphones can listen to the same audio stream at the same time. The MX W1 will be available in May of 2008.