Though Paul McCartney has previously released one studio album, Memory Almost Full, with California-based indie label Concord Music Group, the majority of his post-Beatles output, including his first two self-titled solo albums, Ram, and the entire Wings catalog, was partially owned by the Fab Four’s former label, EMI. Well, that deal has since expired, and McCartney is now set to reissue most (if not all) of those classic records via Concord.

ABC News reports that about two dozen albums have been handed over to McCartney’s new indie label, including Wings’ classic triple platinum record, 1973’s Band on the Run, which is already set to be remastered and reissued this August, complete with — according to CMG — “enhanced packaging and rare bonus content.”

No wonder “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” soundtracked a scene in Noah Baumbach’s new indie-centric film, Greenberg.

Though a contract between record label EMI and iconic rock band Pink Floyd was negotiated over ten years ago to prepare both parties for the impending digital age of music sales, iTunes was still over 5 years out from launching in the UK and their agreement didn’t allegedly account for the sale of individual tracks. Now that contract will be put under the microscope in a London court, as Pink Floyd is suing EMI over online royalty payments and the sale of single tracks, BusinessWeek reports.

“It’s a matter of fact that the defendant has been permitting individual tracks to be downloaded online and that therefore they have been allowing albums not to be sold in their original configuration,” said Pink Floyd’s attorney, Robert Howe, adding later:

“Pink Floyd is well-known for performing seamless pieces. Many of the songs blend into each other.”

Plans to release Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse’s star-studded project Dark Night Of The Soul were halted last year due to mysterious (to the public, at least) “ongoing [legal] dispute with EMI,” but that didn’t stop Danger Mouse, aka Brian Burton, and company from getting the music out to the masses. The record, which features the likes of David Lynch, Iggy Pop, Julian Casablancas, Pixies’ Frank Black, the Flaming Lips, and many more, was leaked to the internet, and a book of photographs accompanied by a blank CD-R was released instead (get it?).

Well, EMI, Burton, Sparklehorse, and company have finally cleared the album for an official release, reports BBC 6Music. “The problems of last year are last year, so hopefully it will be out soon in June or something like that,” Danger Mouse said.

But that isn’t all Danger Mouse has in store for this year:

It certainly isn’t news that EMI, one of the so-called “Big Four” major record labels (owned by private equity firm Terra Firma) is in dire need of cash, but are they really going to such lengths as to sell the most famous recording studio of all time? According to Financial Times, they are…

The Beatles recorded almost their entire oeuvre at the Westminster, London townhouse/music landmark, of course, and damn if that’s not worth a pretty penny: According to “[F]ive people familiar with the situation,” EMI have “been courting bidders for the property,” as the sale “could raise tens of millions of pounds.”

EMI, which is rumored to be in merger talks with Warner Music Group, is “worth more than the building,” said a media lawyer consulted by FT, “anybody who wants the studios will want the brand.”

A story like this could incite what we’ll call “easy outrage,” but if a price is being put on a priceless place like Abbey Road by its very owners since 1929, Godspeed, I say. Surely one of its past inhabitants (Paul McCartney?) has the dough to preserve it. Did we mention that Radiohead, Elliott Smith, and Pink Floyd also crafted masterpieces there?

“This belongs in a museum!” - Young Indiana Jones

A war is brewing between Google and Hulu, the TV/movie site owned by News Corp and NBC Universal, over which company can negotiate a deal with all four major labels to become the next preeminent music video service online. Google struck first, earlier this month, with an announcement that they are partnering with Universal Music Group to create Vevo, a more label-friendly version of YouTube. They said that deals with EMI, Sony and Warner were in the works, but Bloomberg reported today that Hulu is also now in talks with the three remaining majors.

Google’s big selling point for Vevo is rumored to be an offer for record companies to have a stake in the site, while Hulu is said to be negotiating a split ad revenue model.

For more information, check out this article on Bloomberg.com.

After less than a year with the major label EMI, Douglas Merrill is leaving his post as president of digital music. When Merrill left Google as their CIO last April, it was a bit shocking to tech bloggers because he was blowing off a hugely successful company for an industry trying to take on the daunting task of adapting to the murky new world of digital music technology. It seemed, until today, that Merrill, a fan of digital music groundbreaking band Nine Inch Nails, was up for the task.

Reuters reports: “London-based EMI said digital music sales now make up more than a fifth of all its revenues and the company is completing the integration of all digital functions into its business operations and will no longer run a stand-alone digital unit. Merrill had previously overseen the digital unit.”

EMI is basically claiming that Merrill left because his department has been combined with their “main operations.” Meanwhile, Cory Ondrejka, the co-founder of Second Life, was promoted to executive vice president of digital marketing.

Perhaps if Merrill were able to get EMI’s Beatles catalog released digitally, his run would’ve been more successful, not to mention Radiohead had already jumped ship before he got there.