Steve Jobs is nearing the end of his long and winding pursuit of the Beatles catalog.

Apple Inc. is preparing to announce that its iTunes Store will soon start carrying music by the Beatles, according to people familiar with the situation, a move that would fill in a glaring gap in the collection of the world's largest music retailer.

The deal resulted from talks that were taking place as recently as last week among executives of Apple, representatives of the Beatles and their record label, EMI Group Ltd,, according to these people. These people cautioned that Apple could change plans at the last minute.

Spokesmen for Apple, EMI and Paul McCartney declined to comment.

Apple on Monday posted a notice on the home page of its iTunes Store that it would make 'an exciting announcement' Tuesday morning.

The agreement would represent a watershed in a fraught, decades-long relationship between two of the biggest icons in their respective fields.

The two sides have traded lawsuits since 1978, when the Beatles alleged that the computer maker, then known as Apple Computer, infringed on the band's trademark. That's because the Beatles in 1968 created a wholly owned entity called Apple Corps Ltd., that acted as an arts-promotion company and owned Apple Records. Though EMI retained ownership of the Beatles recordings, the Apple logo was printed on their albums.

Terms of the deal that brought the Beatles music to iTunes could not be learned. EMI has been under financialstrain following an ill-timed leveraged buyout by Terra Firma Capital Partners LP in 2007. If the deal generates significant sales, it could delay breaches in the company's loan covenants.

Ethan Smith