Word came earlier this week that NBC was developing a miniseries on the Beatles, but the owners of the Fab Four’s music is saying “not so fast.”
Sony/ATV Publishing holds the rights to all but six of the Lennon/McCartney songs and, according to their chairman and CEO, the network has not gotten the rights to use any of the songs. As a matter of fact, Marty Bandier says that Sony/ATV was already working with a competing studio on a similar project.
Bandier told Billboard “About six months ago, we were working with Sony Pictures TV on a show centreed around the journey of the Beatles, and at one point we were talking about working with Baz Luhrmann. We hadn’t taken the next step, which is to reach out to the Beatles. The proposal is still on the table.”
Bandier added “NBC couldn’t produce a show without the songs, and we can’t produce a show without approaching the Beatles for their likeness rights.”
Word is that NBC’s announcement was premature.
More from
VVN Music