LOS ANGELES -- A judge says two Web sites that were selling music by The Beatles for 25 cents a song should remain shut down.

U.S. District Judge John F. Walter issued a preliminary injunction against BlueBeat.com and Basebeat.com on Wednesday, effectively halting them from streaming or selling music indefinitely.

A hearing in the case had been scheduled for Friday but has been canceled.

Music company EMI Group filed a federal lawsuit earlier this month to stop the sites from streaming tracks by The Beatles, Coldplay and other artists. The songs were also available for cheap download.

Site owner Henry Risan argued in court filings that he had re-recorded the music and inserted artistic touches. A phone message left Wednesday evening for Risan's attorney was not immediately returned.