Digital station Absolute Classic Rock has been playing non-stop Beatles tracks all afternoon, following news of their music being available on iTunes for the first time.
Apple's announcement this afternoon was perhaps the worst-kept secret of the last 24 hours, so the station had plenty of time to plan the idea.
The Absolute Radio music team ripped up today’s schedule on Absolute Classic Rock to reflect this big announcement, key to the station’s music-loving fans. They started at 3pm playing Hey Jude on both Absolute Radio and Absolute Classic Rock. The song is already tipped to be the first track from the band's back catalogue to make it to iTunes' number one spot.
Absolute Classic Rock DJ Martyn Lee then took to the studio to start a marathon programme playing back-to-back Beatles featuring the band’s entire catalogue including classics like A Hard Day’s Night, Strawberry Fields Forever and Paperback Writer as well as lesser known tracks like Norwegian Wood, She’s a Woman and Fool on a Hill. Listeners were also being invited to influence the playlist, requesting their favourite Beatles tracks via the station’s Facebook and Twitter feeds.
Absolute's breakfast presenter Christian O'Connell told us: "The Beatles are the greatest rock band of all time and even if you listened to them round the clock you’d never bored – it certainly wouldn’t be a Hard Day’s Night! This is a historic moment in music which will is as important to a teenager’s education as their GCSEs. Being able to access these songs online will teach the pappy pop bands of today how to write a good tune. We’re rolling out some of the greatest songs ever written round the clock….you could call it A Day in the Life of The Beatles!”
Over on Absolute Radio, the station is playing a Beatles track every 20 minutes – that's three per hour as part of The No Repeat Guarantee.