Apple officially cuts DRM-free track prices to $.99

In a move which can only be described as unsurprising, Apple has officially announced plans to lower the price of its iTunes Plus offerings (AKA iTunes sans-DRM) to $.99, instead of the higher-priced premium of $1.29. Old Jobsy claims that the decision was made due to the popularity of the unlocked, higher quality tracks with customers, saying, "It's been very popular with our customers, and we're making it even more affordable." Of course, it also seems likely that iTunes and Apple are feeling the burn from the new wave of DRM-free music providers, like Amazon, and the persistent rumors / news of former playmate Universal amassing an "anti-iTunes" which could seriously compete with the Cupertino monolith's business. Sure, it's the third-largest retailer of music in the US, but there's always someone creeping up from behind -- just ask Irv Gotti.

Update: Apple press release makes it really, really, super duper official.

[D.L. @ Oct 16th 2007 5:55PM]

Competition is good.

[Anthony @ Oct 16th 2007 6:19PM]

No kidding. I used to say itunes was it because the interface was so slick. However, with Amazon you get itunes for the management program & albums for 7.99. Can't beat it. Coupled with emusic for indies & it is much easier to be disc free & not feel like you're bound to the ipod.

[D.L. @ Oct 16th 2007 9:20PM]

Also you can make $$ from Amazon referrals.

[Bistro88 @ Oct 17th 2007 4:10AM]

Well one of the great things will be that i can now use other players than just iPods, even if converting its still better than using things like limewire. I've been having my eye on a lot of these players, with the price drop, it doesn't make any difference if i use iPods or these:

http://www.mp4nation.com/products/index.php?PID=mp4

[Fatima @ Oct 16th 2007 5:58PM]

Will all the people who bought the songs before today, bitch about losing .30c?
Or will jobs offer .15c store credit?

[Trevor @ Oct 16th 2007 6:07PM]

We'll have to wait to see how many people complain, but I am betting on a $0.15/song store credit.

[NG @ Oct 16th 2007 6:19PM]

I am going to write an angry letter to steve tomorrow.. haha

[fernando @ Oct 16th 2007 6:20PM]

What if you bought 2,000 songs at 1.29?
You'd be the first in line to bitch and moan.

[Trevor @ Oct 16th 2007 6:36PM]

If you thought they were worth the $1.29 and paid for them, you have no right to bitch and moan.

[fernando @ Oct 16th 2007 7:38PM]

So I buy an IPhone the first day. Pay $600. I think it's worth it. It drops $200 60something days later. Don't you think it's a little effed up?

Thinking it's worth it isn't the issue here.

[halfeatenfish @ Oct 16th 2007 7:52PM]

I bought at least eighteen $1.29 Plus tracks. I'm freakin suing!! What's the number to that iphone lawyer???

[Deluxe @ Oct 16th 2007 9:10PM]

If you paid $1.29, you got EXACTLY what you paid for.
You have no right to complain or demand money back.

"Damn that Amiga I bought 15 years ago for $2,000 is worth more as a boat anchor here in 2007! I should get that $1,999 back!"

[Trevor @ Oct 16th 2007 10:17PM]

"So I buy an IPhone the first day. Pay $600. I think it's worth it. It drops $200 60something days later. Don't you think it's a little effed up?

Thinking it's worth it isn't the issue here. "

Electronic items depreciate in value. I have no sympathy for those who had to go out and have it in the first days. Most people speculated that there would be a price drop. That's your own damn fault.

Similarly, what about people who pay thousands of dollars to get a game console at launch. Then a month or two later the stores have a stock pile.

[rzlmlchm009 @ Oct 16th 2007 5:58PM]

So does that mean that everyone who bought DRM free songs off of iTunes before the price drop gets a store credit? :)

[Bloobie @ Oct 16th 2007 9:13PM]

Let the frivolous class-action lawsuit begin!

[rzlmlchm009 @ Oct 16th 2007 6:01PM]

Now there isn't any reason to choose DRM packed music over the DRM free version. If things keep headed this direction, goodbye DRM!

[rob @ Oct 17th 2007 11:42AM]

yes that is exactly right.....this is a dream come true

[ethana2 @ Oct 17th 2007 12:25AM]

Death to DRM. *fist in air*

[Great GooglyMoogly @ Oct 17th 2007 6:28AM]

Unless of course it isn't available as a DRM-free track yet.

[Trent @ Oct 16th 2007 6:12PM]

Are iTunes still higher than Amazon?

I wish iTunes would offer some type of subscription base plan of all you can eat music. I would no doubt pay $14.95 a month for such. Apple would make more money too because I read somewhere that the average number of songs bought per iPod was like 12 songs or $12.

[clevin @ Oct 16th 2007 6:51PM]

yes, amazon's tracks are 89c~99c, and i think all of its music are DRM free, while apple only have a fraction of its music being DRM free.

[Jim @ Oct 16th 2007 6:35PM]

I doubt Apple will ever go the subscription route. It's failed as a marketing model partly because of crappy services, but also because its essentially rental fee for something people instead prefer to collect. We don't talk about music rentals, but music collections. The music industry sees subscriptions as the last stand against DRM-free music which is their nightmare. Subscriptions might also be seen as anti-musician because its all about volume, not content or quality. The Amazon store and iTunes plus are signs that DRM is really losing momentum which is fantastic. We're back to where we were should have been if it wasn't for record companies pulling their own interests before buyers or artists. I hope the Radiohead experiment ($10 million in one day) becomes the norm. More power to the musicians! Recording companies are an anachronism in todays world.

[Jesse S @ Oct 16th 2007 6:02PM]

Disgusting low-bitrate lossy tracks. And I'm not even one of the crazies that thinks lossless is better than a well-encoded lossy file in regards to sound quality. But iTunes music sucks.

Just buy the CD and rip it using jiggafelz guide to EAC, to FLAC. Then encode it to whatever lossy format you want.

[rzlmlchm009 @ Oct 16th 2007 6:11PM]

Except that requires sometimes buying 10-12 other songs that you don't want. I'm not against lossless audio quality, but I prefer buy single songs that I like and not whole albums. It's nice to be able to spend around $5 and know that you got 5 songs that you want.

[Jesse S @ Oct 16th 2007 6:15PM]

Is it that hard to get to the library? I know my local libraries together (ie. in my town only) have thousands of CD's.

[rzlmlchm009 @ Oct 16th 2007 6:17PM]

Many public libraries don't loan audio CD's. Also, I pay for my music and movies.

[Ant @ Oct 16th 2007 6:30PM]

I agree. iTunes music store has never appealed to me either. I like something real for my money and imagine all the music I would have missed out on if I hadn't bought or borrowed albums and ripped them (I share my albums with friends they share there’s with me). Some of my favourite music comes from the middle of albums that I didn’t much care for first listen, by the 10th listen I get it and love it.

I love iTunes and iPod but not this music download idea, it’s just lazy sales for me, I like a little album booklet and stuff, yes, I know I pay for it but it’s real. Anyway it’s not that bad buying albums online. I agree that if there’s a track you just like or need download is the best option but not all your music. To be honest I hate this whole micro payment download thing, specially here in the UK where we pay $1.40 per track, that can seriously add up.

[Jesse S @ Oct 16th 2007 6:35PM]

Also, if you don't like the whole album, you obviously don't care about art. Unless the artist is some pop icon that is controlled by their record company (and would in-turn produce shit music anyway), they control what songs go on their albums. Meaning they chose those songs to fit together and create a meaning. If you don't care about music as an art, why are you listening to it? Wait, you're getting it off of iTunes, you obviously don't care about it.

[rawhead @ Oct 16th 2007 7:04PM]

Yeah, you stupid morans! If you really care about the music and the artist, stop supporting them through buying the music at iTunes! Go to the library and borrow the CD for free and rip it! Or, rip your friends' CDs for free!

[Jesse S @ Oct 16th 2007 7:40PM]

I would think an artist that cares genuinely about their art would rather give it away for free than sell it. I am not for stealing music, but going to a local library and taking out some books and some cd's is a good way to experience some art.

[Great GooglyMoogly @ Oct 17th 2007 6:29AM]

"I would think an artist that cares genuinely about their art would rather give it away for free than sell it."

I agree! Eating is SO overated

[Jesse S @ Oct 17th 2007 9:44AM]

Before I realized stealing music is wrong, I was on a somewhat "famous" torrent site, and many a time the artist themselves would upload music.

[fernando @ Oct 16th 2007 6:05PM]

Leopard will be $69.99 after 75 days have passed for early adopters fee.

[Johnathon Zirkle @ Oct 16th 2007 6:11PM]

Yeah, but then we'll all get store credit!

[Jonathan Keim @ Oct 16th 2007 6:12PM]

I'd love to upgrade my music collection, but didn't feel that it was worth the money...

I wonder if the .30 per song upgrade price still applies.

[icepop4who @ Oct 16th 2007 6:25PM]

Huge point for apple to get DRM-free music. Now let's hope iTunes can get all its music collection DRM-free. I would also like to see that apple make the music available in mp3 format instead of not so friendly AAC format.

Again, nice going Apple. This is how you fight piracy!

[allaina @ Oct 16th 2007 6:25PM]

honestly, i'm happy to hear it, though all i can say is... apple, wtf took you so long?

[Mystic @ Oct 16th 2007 6:29PM]

I wonder what old Gatesie have has to say about it? God, so annoying Engadget.

[The Aggie CEO™ @ Oct 16th 2007 6:34PM]

Irv Gotti???

Really???

LMAO..........

DOWN WITH DRM AND Murder Inc.

[oneleggedchewbacca @ Oct 16th 2007 6:38PM]

I love how all of the on-line music retailers waited until the market was at least respectably saturated with DRM music, to start offering it DRM free. I wonder what percentage of their projected sales for DRM-free music do they think will come from people who are re-buying it, and will now have both a DRM copy and a non-DRM one.

And then they get the PR bump for their 'ostensibly' customer-focused offerings, to boot.

Unless I missed the part where previously purchased DRM music is now re-downloadable in a non-DRM form @ no extra charge?

[shaun @ Oct 16th 2007 6:45PM]

15c apple store credit for everyone that bought a song for $1.29

.....seriously though how about some UK reductions apple?

[Ant @ Oct 16th 2007 6:59PM]

I'm with you there. We get ripped off for everything here in the UK, everything. 99c what about $1.40 that we pay, what the hell is all that about. I have absolutely no problem copying CD's from friends and sharing mine with them. The only thieving pirates are the companies that sell us stuff at over inflated prices and then cry like babies when we distribute their work free, tuff shit you greedy tossers.

As you can see it rather gets my back up.

[shaun @ Oct 16th 2007 7:02PM]

Totally with you, and btw its actually like $1.60 we pay!

.....don't get me started on the TV Show prices

[rawhead @ Oct 16th 2007 7:09PM]

You guys are absolutely right. Why DOESN'T a respectable British company come out with a service on par with iTunes and offer songs for 50 pence a pop?

[primetime4 @ Oct 16th 2007 11:07PM]

That's what happens when the pound is overinflated against the dollar.

[Michael May @ Oct 17th 2007 10:53AM]

Actually, I've seen quite a few Plus tracks today for 79p :D

[Ant @ Oct 16th 2007 6:48PM]

I think the music industry just needs to make much, much less profit, the same as the movie industry, then they can slash prices down to a point where it really isn't worth piracy. Most of us just get by day to day financially, if we like music and we can get it for free or very cheap what are we going to do, get all moralistic about it, no, we are going to enjoy free or very cheap music. When you can download albums for $3 that's when piracy will subside and millions upon millions more people will join the party and profits will rocket.

[ark_v2 @ Oct 16th 2007 6:53PM]

It was time they realized the market trends are changing. Amazon is great, and finally has given apple some preassure to maintain it's public. Welcome to the lossy-audio war!

[spoony @ Oct 16th 2007 6:56PM]

allofmp3 / mp3sparks > itunes

[Stan Winstone @ Oct 16th 2007 6:56PM]

Wow Apple continues to drop the ball with bizarre course corrections... Or maybe we're just so used to a country that "stays the course" to its doom.