A collection of often-bootlegged Beatles songs went on sale via iTunes early Tuesday, but the recordings were online only briefly in several countries.

The tracks - expected to be mostly recordings of BBC performances from 1963, along with demos and studio outtakes - appeared at midnight in Britain, only to be pulled down shortly afterward. The digital music giant's sites in Australia and New Zealand no longer featured the collection by Tuesday morning.

A spokesperson for Universal Music Group confirmed the release of "The Beatles Bootleg Recordings 1963" for Tuesday, but provided no additional information.