When we called the new iTunes tiered price scheme "Popular Songs Cost More Money" pricing, we had no idea how accurate that was: It's here, but I've yet to find a single $0.69 track. UPDATED.


Though it may have been naive, the general expectation was that the new $1.29 price point, which would cover new releases and perpetually popular songs, would be offset by $0.69 deals on, shall we say, less desirable music. For every $1.29 suburb-conquering chart topper by Ne-Yo, we had assumed there would be a $0.69 track from, oh, I don't know, Chumbawamba or something. Not so! In fact, I haven't yet found anything at the lower price point, and I have dredged the darkest depths. Yanni? $0.99. LFO? $0.99. The Bee Gees? $0.99. Vanilla Ice? $0.99 Men Without Hats songs that aren't The Safety Dance? $0.99. Stryper, that Christian hair metal band? $0.99.


I'm probably looking in the wrong place here, but wherever these cheaper tracks are, they're not anywhere where people are likely to download them. In other words, tiered pricing is really just selective price gouging. Oh well!

UPDATE: I FOUND ONE! But it's possible the worst thing to ever pass through a human ear hole: a Limp Bizkit/Bubba Sparx collaboration, remixed by Timbaland. My point stands. —Thanks, Caden!

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UPDATE 2: Apple is now promoting some collections of $0.69 songs in the iTunes store: Rock, and Classic R&B. So, they exist.