iTunes Plus DRM-free music price drop, still can’t upgrade individual songs

Less than a year ago iTunes announced iTunes Plus, higher quality songs for $1.29 instead of the regular $0.99. I loved the idea of better sounding music, but I was ticked off that I couldn’t upgrade individual songs for the incremental cost ($0.30 per song). Instead I’d have to upgrade my entire library at once: not an inexpensive proposition.

Now iTunes is selling those iTunes Plus songs at the same price as regular songs. It’s great: I’d much rather buy DRM-free songs, and I’d certainly rather not pay a premium to do so. Now, there’s no reason not to buy a DRM-free song if it’s available, and one less reason to search Amazon’s MP3 store for a song (although Amazon does still sell many songs for $0.89 each, also DRM-free).

Alas, I still can’t upgrade individual songs to DRM-free versions. I don’t mind paying something for the benefit of owning a DRM-free copy, but the additional $0.30 isn’t an understandable price. Before, it was the incremental cost: a regular song cost $0.99, the DRM-free version cost $1.29, you pay the difference.

Now there is no difference, yet I still have to pay $0.30 per song, and I have to do it on all of my songs. I might really like Here I Am (Come and Take Me) by UB40, but not enough to pay a third of the price again.

iTunes, please let me upgrade individual songs to DRM-free!