Skip to main content

Paul McCartney releases five classic post-Beatles records as feature-filled apps

mccartney beck tyler hawkins turned away from grammy after party paul points
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Legendary songwriter Paul McCartney has re-released five seminal albums, including both solo work and Wings material, as iPad apps. The former Beatle joins a small but growing camp of musicians who’ve opted to release their records as apps crammed with goodies, including interviews, rare photos, artwork, liner notes and, of course, the digital versions of the tracks themselves. Each app is available for about $10 via the iTunes Store, significantly less than the $14-plus price set for each of the digitized, remastered albums available individually through iTunes.

Starting today, McCartney fans can head to the iTunes store to buy and download app versions of Band on the RunMcCartneyMcCartney IIRAM, and Wings Over America.

The apps include making-of/behind-the-scenes photos of recording sessions and album artwork photo shoots (some by Linda McCartney and Clive Arrowsmith). Also included are rare videos, historic background for each record, interviews with various band members and McCartney himself, and original artwork for each of the releases (full-lengths and singles). Upon downloading, the app is essentially empty – all the related music and video content are downloaded via the “download content” button within the app. Clicking a track or video (before you’ve downloaded it) will bring up a prompt to begin the download.

The album-as-app phenomenon was kicked off in part with Björk’s release of Biophilia for free via the iTunes App Store in 2011. In the app, songs are accompanied by a cosmic interface with a variety of options including lyrics, animation, and karaoke-like features to name a few. Since then, others have tried their hand at the artform, including Jay-Z with the release of his Magna Carter Holy Grail app.

While the phenomenon has generated its fair share of hate and doubt, we can’t help but see the burgeoning format as a possible new frontier for the release of music, one in which the benefits of holding a physical record in your hands meet the undeniable convenience of digitization. Even if the album-as-app never catches fire, for die-hard fans of legends like Paul McCartney, an easy way to get closer to the music is an enticing concept.

Editors' Recommendations

Alex Tretbar
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Alex Tretbar, audio/video intern, is a writer, editor, musician, gamer and sci-fi nerd raised on EverQuest and Magic: The…
Best Cyber Monday Deals 2022: Laptops, TVs, AirPods, and more
Best Cyber Monday Deals 2022

Cyber Week is here! With some truly epic deals out there, this is the best time of year to buy a new tech gadget. If you slept through the Black Friday sales, then the Cyber Monday sales, you better grab what you need during this week of slowly diminishing deals. From tablets to air fryers, laptops to smartwatches, we've rounded up the best Cyber Monday deals across a range of categories, and you'll find them all below.
Cyber Monday sales: Quick links

Amazon: Huge discounts on laptops, Echo devices, and tablets
Best Buy: Your destination for sales on super-sized TVs
Dell: Unbeatable discounts on gaming laptops, monitors, and more
Gamestop: Cheap video games, console accessories and monitors
HP: Gaming PCs, laptops, monitors, and printers from $129
Kohl's: Home decor, clothing and kitchen appliance steals
Lowe’s: Up to 60% off appliances like refrigerators and decor
Staples: Save big on laptops, home office hardware and supplies
Target: Tons of cheap kitchen appliances and stocking-fillers
Walmart: Great for laptops, and is restocking PS5 and Xbox Series X

Read more
What is hi-res audio, and how can you experience it right now?
Dlyan Wireless Headphones

High-resolution audio, hi-res audio, or even HD audio -- whatever you decide to call it (for the record, the industry prefers "hi-res audio"), it's a catch-all term that describes digital audio that goes above and beyond the level of sound quality you can expect from a garden-variety MP3 file and even CDs. It was once strictly the domain of audiophiles, but now that major streaming music services like Apple Music, Amazon Music, Tidal, Deezer, and Qobuz have embraced it, almost everyone can take advantage of what hi-res has to offer.

But what exactly is hi-res audio? What equipment do you need to listen to it? Where can you download or stream it? And does it actually sound better? We've got the answers.
What does the term 'hi-res audio' mean?

Read more
How to download music from Spotify for offline listening
How to download music and podcasts from Spotify: The downloads folder.

If you're a Spotify Premium user paying that premium Spotify fee, chances are you've taken at least some time curating playlists, liking songs, and using the platform's easy-to-use (and recently revamped) user interface to discover new and old music.

But sometimes all that music or your favorite podcasts aren't available if you find yourself without an internet connection to stream them from — like on a long plane ride or weekend camping trip in the sticks. That's where Spotify's offline listening feature comes in handy, allowing you to download playlists, albums, and podcasts through its desktop and mobile apps so you can still rock out while you're off the grid.

Read more