Beatles Set For $1.6 Billion Pay Day

The surviving BEATLES stars are set for a bumper $1.6 billion pay day, following a slew of re-released records and a new Fab Four-inspired video game.

Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr teamed up with John Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, to approve the use of the band’s music in new game Beatles: Rock Band, which goes on sale later this year (09).

Beatles fans will also be able to get their hands on remastered versions of 13 of the Fab Four’s albums as a $272 (£170) boxset, as well as digital tracks which will soon be available to download through iTunes.

The new projects are set to make 2009 the group’s highest-earning year ever, with experts predicting a massive $1.6 billion profit.

Brand expert Jonathan Gabay tells British newspaper the Daily Record, “In one masterstroke, they address falling sales of CDs as well as grab a new generation of Beatlemaniacs.”