ITunes shift hits right note with industry - The Boston Globe

Interesting times for music publishers

Although Apple Inc. has said some songs sold on iTunes would be available for 69 cents instead of the 99-cent tag Apple had insisted on for years, the change won't necessarily put more money into the pockets of music lovers.

In fact, record companies are the ones that plan to come out ahead. While some songs will be 30 cents cheaper, popular songs likely will be marked up to $1.29. That price breaks a psychological $1 barrier and prepares consumers for a new strategy by labels to bundle songs, videos, and other exclusive content together - all in the hopes of reversing years of falling music sales.

See the full article for more details. 

On a related note, from a BBC article this morning, titled Pirates win music download battle:

Ninety-five per cent of music downloaded online is illegal, a report by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) has said.

ITunes shift hits right note with industry - The Boston Globe