Apple Changes iTunes Prices

It's going to cost you more to download certain songs on iTunes thanks to the Apple music program's new tiered pricing system.

Apple officially changed the prices of its songs on Tuesday, instituting new levels of 69 cents, 99 cents and $1.29 per song. You now have to pay the highest price to download some of iTunes' most popular songs, including Britney Spears' "If U Seek Amy," Ciara's "Love Sex Magic" and Nickelback's "If Today Was Your Last Day."

Apple announced the end of its fixed price system of 99 cents per single and $9.99 per album in January. Record labels must now decide what an album will cost.

Apple also no longer uses digital rights management copy protection technology, so any songs you buy through iTunes can be copied to an unlimited number of CDs, be played on more than one computer and be transferred to a device other than an iPod (as long as it supports an AAC listening format).

The music industry has been desperately fighting for this tiered pricing system for ages. There's also been a concerted effort to create a legitimate competitor to Apple's iTunes store through discounted pricing. For example, most songs on Amazon's new downloading service retail for between 79 and 89 cents, while Wal-Mart's download service also uses tiered pricing of 64 cents, 94 cents and $1.24.