Negotiations on a long-awaited deal to bring the Beatles' back catalogue to iTunes have broken down.

Sir Paul McCartney revealed yesterday that talks between iTunes and the Fab Four had been taking place, but he said they had now fallen apart.

"The last word I got back was it's stalled at the moment, the whole process," Sir Paul said. "I really hope it will happen because I think it should."

The news will come as a disappointment to many frustrated fans who have not been able to download Beatles music from iTunes because of the long stand-off.

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McCartney, who was speaking at the launch of his new album, Electric Arguments, added: "It's between EMI and the Beatles, I think."

The Beatles' holding company, Apple Corps, has declined to allow the band's music on any internet music service, including iTunes, because of concerns over piracy. The situation has been exacerbated by a long-running trademark dispute between Apple Corps and Apple Inc., the computer company that owns iTunes — a dispute that was resolved last year.

There was hope that a deal with iTunes would be forthcoming after MTV Games announced that it would be making a Beatles-themed version of Rock Band next year. The game will be the Beatles' first foray into digital music, and many industry insiders believed that a deal with iTunes would be next.

EMI, which owns the Beatles recordings but needs Apple Corps' permission to release the music in new formats, said it was still trying to resolve the matter.

An EMI spokeswoman said: "We have been working hard to secure agreement with Apple Corps to make the Beatles' legendary recording catalogue available to fans in digital form. Unfortunately, the various parties involved have been unable to reach agreement, but we really hope everyone can make progress soon."

A spokesman for iTunes was not immediately available for comment.

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