Apple Slashes Music Prices

Apple is removing the copy protection on all its music, and cutting prices of some tracks to just 59p. We take a closer look at exactly what this means, and how Apple compares to its rivals...

The iPod is the apple of many music lovers' eyes, so when the latest shake-up of iTunes was unveiled by Apple this week, it was sure to make fans happy.

Apple is removing the restrictions which have prevented users from transferring music onto devices other than iPods and is also introducing a new, tiered pricing system for all its music tracks.

The old iTunes model meant digital rights management (more commonly known as DRM), which forms part of a music file, protected all music downloads from being transferred onto MP3 players other than the iPod.

For me, this was always one of the most annoying things about buying music from iTunes. After all, you'd think forking out your hard earned cash would mean you'd have the freedom to play your music on a device of your choosing.

In fairness, Apple wasn't really to blame for the delay and the group's chief executive, Steve Jobs had called for the move as early as 2007.

iTunes first shifted towards DRM-free music last May, when it launched iTunes Plus, a premium service offering DRM-free songs from EMI's music catalogue at the higher price of 99p per track.

Apple has now struck a deal with the remaining three music giants: Universal Music, Sony BMG and Warner Music. On Wednesday, 80% of the iTunes library was made DRM-free, with 100% - that's all 10 million tracks, to follow by April.

Although you won't be charged anything extra under the new deal, existing songs in your library are not included. This means if you want to convert them to the DRM-free format, you'll have to fork out 20p per track, or 25% of the album price.

One price doesn't fit all

The shake-up in pricing is also significant. Currently, tracks on iTunes sell for a flat rate of 79p, with albums selling around the £7.99 mark.

From April, this will be abolished in favour of a tiered system, where songs will sell for 59p, 79p and 99p, depending on how much the music labels charge.

Apple insists there will be more songs at the lower price point than the higher one, with most albums staying at the current price of £7.99.

The move also brings it in line with many competitors already offering DRM-free music tracks, but with competition increasing by the minute, how does it compare?

Record road rest

Here's what it costs to download the current top selling single, Alexandra Burke's `Hallelujah', Take That's latest album, `The Circus', as well as the biggest-selling album of all time, Michael Jackson's `Thriller'.

As you can see, prices vary between different providers, even on the most current releases. In most cases, Apple also lags behind its rivals in terms of price, though consumers loyal to the iconic brand should get a better deal come April.

Online giant Amazon launched its MP3 download service last December, and is already undercutting the prices of its rivals. With singles starting from as little as 59p, and albums costing as little as £2.98, it definitely gives Apple a run for its money. Play.com offers a similar service, with singles from 65p, and albums from just £2.95.

Supermarket Tesco launched its bid last spring, with singles available from just 57p. However, it's worth noting that many of the tracks are only available as WMA (Windows Media Audio) files, which will not play on an iPod - so bear this in mind before you click that download button.

Wired for sound

If you're a really avid music listener, you could also opt for a subscription service, which allows unlimited downloads for a fixed fee each month.

The most well-known of these services perhaps is Napster. Membership costs £8.95 per month if you commit to a six month term (£9.95 per month for a one month rolling contract), and gives you access to Napster's entire catalogue on your PC.

For a more flexible package, Napster To Go costs £14.95 per month, and gives you the option of transferring the songs you download onto a compatible MP3 player (although, again iPod owners need not apply).

In addition, if you commit to a six month contract on Napster To Go, they will give you a free MP3 player, which you can use to house all those downloads.

You must also remember that the tracks are only available so long as you remain a Napster member. So unless you fork out 79p per track, cancelling your membership will mean your songs will disappear with it.

With over 4 million tracks available, eMusic.com is another value alternative. Subscriptions start from £10.99 a month for 30 downloads (yours to keep) - which works out at around 35p per song.

However, eMusic's catalogue consists entirely of tracks from independent labels and artists, so if you fancy booty shaking to a bit of Beyoncé, or rockin' with the Kings of Leon, you may be left disappointed.

It does offer a free trial of 35 downloads, which are yours to keep regardless of whether you sign up or not. If in doubt, you can browse eMusic's catalogue here.

Apple's move is surely a sign that music downloads are getting both cheaper and more adaptable. Apple's hardcore fans will no doubt stick with iTunes, but it's important to consider the alternatives when downloading music, as shopping around will keep both your wallet and iPod happy.

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