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Sir Paul McCartney is to make his solo back catalogue available for digital download. The announcement raises hopes that the Beatles' music will soon follow.
The deal with Parlophone records, a subsidiary of EMI, begins with the star's first solo album, McCartney. It spans his Wings output, including 1974 classic Band On The Run, and runs up to his last studio album, Chaos And Creation In The Backyard.
EMI is said to be negotiating the release of the Beatles' back catalogue as downloads. Industry experts predict the rush to download them will be so great the top 10 chart will be entirely made up of Beatles hits.
