‘Beatles Channel’ Coming to SiriusXM
Following in the footsteps of the Grateful Dead, Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen, the Beatles are getting their own SiriusXM channel.
The station, appropriately called "The Beatles Channel," will make its debut on May 18, and the satellite-radio giant claims it's the first of its kind to be devoted to "all-things-Beatles, 24/7."
According to Rolling Stone, the new channel will feature programming ranging from daily guest DJs to weekly live recordings. The Beatles station will also include song quizzes and a call-in number so fans can share personal stories about the group, in addition to all the Fab music you're sure to hear.
The two surviving Beatles issued statements regarding the station. "I still remember the thrill of when we first heard our music on the radio, but I don't think any of us would have imagined that we'd have our very own Beatles radio channel more than 50 years later," said Paul McCartney. "The SiriusXM channel will have it all, '8 Days a Week.'"
"Now you can listen to the Beatles, 'Any Time at All,'" Ringo Starr noted, not to be outdone by his former bandmate's song pun.
"We are so proud to announce the most popular band in history has joined us for their own SiriusXM channel," said Scott Greenstein, SiriusXM's president and chief content officer. "We’ve worked with the Beatles and Apple Corps Ltd. to create a channel that is as vital today as when the band's music was first recorded."
The timing couldn't be better. The Beatles will release an expanded reissue of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on May 26. So, fans can expect to hear plenty of songs from that six-disc set -- which includes outtakes, demos and more from the LP's sessions -- when it arrives to celebrate the album's 50th anniversary.
And even if you don't subscribe to SiriusXM, the Beatles Channel will be available for free to everyone through the end of May.
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