Bending to the record labels, iTunes initiated its new pricing model April 7, listing the most popular tracks at $1.29 per download, lesser-known songs for 69 cents, and leaving almost everything else up for grabs at 99 cents a song. The new prices arrived about six weeks after Apple introduced another new way to purchase music from iTunes – the iTunes “Pass.”
The change in pricing represents Apple’s capitulation to the recording industry, which once praised iTunes as a legitimate online channel for music but lately has been critical of the service’s original 99 cents-per-track pricing for all songs in the online music purveyor’s inventory.
Seems iTunes has been a blessing and a curse for the recording industry. While it encourages people to legally download songs, the labels also credit the online service for being partly responsible for the decline of the album, as many iTunes customers pick and choose individual songs instead of purchasing entire CDs.
However, along with a new pricing structure, Apple has also added an interesting new feature for iTunes shoppers.
The iTunes “Pass” is a subscription-like package wrapped around a band or artist offering fans exclusive material such as previously unreleased tracks for one price. The latest iTunes Pass is for The Fray, costs $16.99 and includes the group’s Live At Soho session plus video clips and audio recordings of live performances.
Purchasing The Pass means, after you’ve coughed up the bucks, downloading a widget from iTunes enabling content to be sent directly to your computer as soon as iTunes adds it to the Pass package. ITunes Passes expire after a certain amount of time has passed. In The Fray’s case, the Pass ends August 26 of this year.
The Fray isn’t the first band to get an iTunes Pass. Earlier this year, Depeche Mode got its own Pass priced at $19. What did fans get for their money? More than 30 songs and videos, many of which had never before been released, plus the band’s new album, Sounds of the Universe.
The Wall Street Journal reports that neither EMI nor Apple has revealed how many people purchased the Depeche Mode Pass, but both parties said they were extremely happy with the results.
What’s more, it looks as if members of The Fray are happy with their own iTunes Pass.
“It’s like buying a ticket,” said lead singer Isaac Slade. “But it doesn’t go to the show, it goes to the backstage room where we’re showing each other YouTube videos. It’s a chance to let the fan in.”
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