iTunes Plus has bee around for awhile. It's a handy feature in the iTunes Store, but it didn't do much for the masses. iTunes Plus charged a slightly higher fee for DRM-free music, but only featured a small range of artists from specific labels. Apple and the record labels have finally made some changes and started trusting customers: the entire iTunes catalog is going DRM-free!
By the end of the month, the store will have over 10 million DRM-free songs. According to Apple, the DRM-free songs will be of a higher quality than DRM tracks. No word on the actual specs yet.
The price point has changed for the songs as well. There is a two tier price point now: some songs are $0.69, and others are $1.29.
$1.29 per song is a little steep if you ask me, but I'm pretty sure that's the only way Apple could get some of the larger record labels to consent to going DRM-free.
The iTunes store also works on the 3G network now, which means iPhone users can purchase music while connected to the 3G network, and not just WiFi.
iTunes is now also available over 3G networks, with the same selection and prices available to iPhone users. This feature is available starting today. The music you purchase on your iPhone also syncs back to your computer. Which, you know, is a logical feature, but you never know with Apple since iPods don't sync both ways.
iTunes Plus will prompt you to upgrade your already purchased tracks for a small fee: $0.30 per song, $0.60 per music video, and 30% of the current album price. A small price to pay for finally having freedom with your own data.
I guess I don't have an excuse to not purchase music from the iTunes store now...