iTunes nets John Lennon's solo oeuvre

John Lennon's post-Beatles solo catalogue is heading online to Apple's iTunes music store, the company and Lennon's widow Yoko Ono said in a statement Tuesday.

"John would have loved the fact that his music will now be available in a format suited to a new generation of listeners," Ono said in a statement.

The iTunes website will offer tracks from Lennon's 16 solo EMI albums, including Working Class Hero: The Definitive Lennonand John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.

Songs from the albums Lennon Legend and Acoustic will also being offered exclusively on iTunes, Apple said.

The site will sell both regular music files as well as higher-quality versions without copy-protection restrictions (offered at a slightly higher price per track).

The deal is Apple's second featuring the music of a former Beatle, after having struck a similar agreement in May to sell the solo material of Paul McCartney.

The iconic band has been one of the most high-profile acts to withhold its music from online music sales.

However, the technology company's recent copyright settlement with the Beatles's managementfirm Apple Corps was seen as sign that the music of the Fab Four would soon be headed online.

Industry watchers are also anticipating that iTunes will announce similar deals to release the solo work of Ringo Starr and the late George Harrison.

An agreement to release the complete Beatles catalogue to online distribution has also been expected since the Apple Inc.-Apple Corps settlement in February.