Apple cuts iTunes pricing, eases copy protection

[Nikon1]

Song download pricing now 69 cents, 99 cents and $1.29

SAN FRANCISCO - Apple is cutting the price of some songs in its market-leading iTunes online music store to 69 cents and plans to begin selling all tracks without copy protection.

At the Macworld Expo trade show Tuesday, Apple's top marketing executive, Phil Schiller, said iTunes songs would come in three pricing tiers: 69 cents, 99 cents and $1.29, depending on the recording company they come from.

Until now, pricing has been 99 cents per song. The new pricing begins in April, and "with many more songs priced at 69 cents than $1.29,” said Apple CEO Steve Jobs in a press release. Jobs was not at yesterday's event, as had been expected.

Apple offered the record labels that flexibility on pricing as it got them to agree to sell all songs free of "digital rights management" (DRM) technology that limits people's ability to copy songs or move them to multiple computers. By the end of this quarter, Apple said, all 10 million songs in its library will be available without DRM.

While iTunes is the most popular digital music store, others have been faster to offer songs without copy protection. Amazon.com started selling DRM-free music in 2007 and swayed all the major labels to sign on in less than a year.

In addition, starting today, iPhone users are now able to directly download music from the iTunes Store to the phone's iPod, using the phone's data network. Until now, iPhone users could only get to the iTunes Store using the phone's Wi-Fi access, but not AT&T's 3G network. AT&T is the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in the United States.

The iTunes updates marked the highlights of Schiller's stand-in for Jobs, who used to make Macworld the site for some of Apple's biggest product unveilings, such as the iPhone.

But Apple said last month that Jobs would not address the throngs this time because the company plans to pull out of Macworld next year.

Apple cuts iTunes pricing, eases copy protection - Tech and gadgets- msnbc.com

[Ska]

Well that's cool. Not like I buy off itunes anyway, but at least they're finally getting with the program. Sort of.

[MC Teg]

About time they get rid of DRM. Does that mean the songs I bought off itunes can be downloaded to other computers through my account?

[dkrift]

Apple caved in to the recording companies by going to a multi tiered pricing. That's the only reason why they were DRM for so long.

[TireMeltingRSX]

Awesome! now I can continue to not pay for my music

[CaliMike]

Are they still going to be gay ass .m4p files?