New York - Billboard reports that Paul McCartney, who is releasing his latest record to digital and mobile retailers, says that a deal to make the Beatles' lucrative catalog available for purchase from digital retailers is "virtually settled."

"I don't want to pre-empt anything, but we're well on the way to something happening there, which is very exciting," McCartney told Billboard.

The Beatles are one of the last remaining digital holdouts across the entire music industry, due in part to a long-running dispute between their record label, Apple Corps, and Apple Computer over trademarks -- which was settled in February.

McCartney's solo effort "Memory Almost Full" is set for release June 5 on Starbucks' Hear Music label.

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/2tuh95 (Billboard)