While the iTunes Store has long been known as the place that you can buy any song for US$0.99, with the advent of iTunes Plus, that changed. And, with iTunes Plus coming to the entire store – and DRM leaving – the pricing of music at iTunes changed substantially.
The new pricing structure, called variable pricing, gives record companies – not Apple – control over the price of music at the Store. In exchange, users get DRM-free music that sounds better (iTunes Plus is encoded at 256kbps, a higher rate than earlier music) – and a deal on upgrades.
Standard iTunes Plus Prices
As of April 2009, songs sold at the iTunes Store will have a three-tiered price structure:
- $0.69 - for back catalog songs
- $0.99 – for standard songs
- $1.29 – for new releases and popular tracks.
The price given to a song will be set by the record company that owns the song.
iTunes Plus Upgrade Fees
For users who want to upgrade their old iTunes Store-purchased music, the songs can be upgraded to DRM-free iTunes Plus for:
No word yet if these prices are for a limited time or if they’ll good in perpetuity.
