Originally promised to launch on April 1, iTunes’ new tiered pricing plan—with popular songs running $US1.29, and not-so-popular songs fetching as little as 69 US cents—will go live on April 7.
Though we’re glad iTunes went DRM-free, we were pissed you had to upgrade your entire collection to DRM-less, 256kbps bliss. But now you can upgrade individual tracks (30 cents each) or albums (prices vary). [iLounge]
Apple’s Macworld announcement that the entire iTunes catalogue is ditching the God-awful DRM that has kept it back is fantastic news for music lovers worldwide. After all, now you can purchase music that you can listen to on whatever device you want, however many times you want, all for the same price (until their new pricing structure kicks in, I guess). But what about the tunes you’ve already purchased, laced with hidden DRM and holding your music collection back?
Well, despite the fact that you can purchase the same tracks for the same price without DRM, if you’ve already purchased a DRM-encoded version, you’ll need to pay Apple 50 cents per track to remove the restrictions, or $1.00 per track for music videos. More »
iTunes is going DRM free and breaking their single-price rule with three points: 69 US cents, 99 US cents, and $US1.29. Not surprised, given the pressure from other music stores. The iPhone will allow 3G downloads too.
