Apple Announces Changes to iTunes Stores: DRM Free, Variable Pricing

Tuesday January 6, 2009 10:07 am PST by mudbug

At today's Macworld Expo keynote, Apple announced several changes to the iTunes store.

Starting today, 8 million of the iTunes Store's 10 million songs are now available DRM-free via iTunes Plus. All 10 million songs in the iTunes Store will be offered DRM-free by the end of March. Apple will also offer users a one-click solution to upgrade their entire library to iTunes Plus for 30 cents per song or 30% of album prices.

Additionally, the iTunes Wi-Fi music store is now compatible with 3G, allowing iPhone users to preview and download the entire iTunes music catalog over the 3G cellular network. Songs are available at the same price and quality as over Wi-Fi.

Finally, beginning in April, the iTunes Store will offer pricing in three tiers ($0.69, $0.99, and $1.29) based on the prices the music labels charge Apple.

Update: Several users have reported that iTunes Store downloads are also working over AT&T's slower EDGE network.

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