The Beatles let it stream – showing that the format is the future

It was never a question of whether the Beatles would stream their songs, only when – and at what price. Their presence is a boost for streaming services

In the late 1990s, a senior executive from EMI lugged a laptop to Friar Park, George Harrison’s sprawling neo-Gothic mansion in Henley-on-Thames, to guide him through mockups of his first official website. After showing him what the different pages of georgeharrison.com would offer the fan – news, photos, charity work, music – Harrison, legend has it, turned to the record label man with just one question. “That’s all well and good,” he said, jabbing the computer screen, “but where do they put the money in?”

That’s a question many more artists are today asking about the digital revolution and how streaming has moved consumers from ownership to access. It also goes some way to explaining why, years after almost everyone else, the Beatles have finally made their music available on Spotify and eight other streaming services.

Related: Here, there and everywhere: Beatles songs to be streamed for first time