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The report claims that the details of the deal have yet to be finalised, but Apple's iTunes Store will be the sole source of Beatles downloads for a limited period, to the undoubted chagrin of other music store operators.

'Other music stores, such as Microsoft's and [Real's] Rhapsody, have courted the Beatles over the years to no avail, but it appears Apple is close to getting first dibs on the band's hits,' the report says.

If the report is accurate, the deal will cap a remarkable turn around in the relationship between Apple and its namesake, Apple Corps, the company that represents The Beatles' interests. Just six months ago the two companies were at legal loggerheads over the right to use the Apple name in connection with the music business.