Is Apple nickel-and-diming you?

For awhile, it seemed like Steve Jobs would never cave.

Record company executives had asked Jobs to raise the prices for popular songs before. His response was basically, “Um, no, you’re stupid and greedy.”

Now, however, Apple is selling songs on a sliding scale. Instead of all songs priced at 99 cents, some are now 69 cents, and still others are $1.29.

While the percentages can make the change look huge — 30 percent price hike In THIS economy? — it is admittedly just 30 cents. One nickel and one quarter. Three dimes. Suck it up people.

The vast majority of music is still 99 cents, and apparently Jobs intends to price more songs at 69 cents than at $1.29.

The thing that bugs me is harder to define. It was nice knowing every song cost 99 cents. The price structure had appeal beyond the low cost. It was as sleek and simple as an iPod.

Now, the prices feel muddy and Zune-ish. While popularity definitely helps determine the new fees, it’s hard to tease out a precise logic to the overall price structure.

For instance, all songs on Nickelback’s most recent album cost $1.29 apiece. Fair enough; they’re a popular band. However, all the songs on Taylor Swift’s new album — which came out at virtually the same time and has a much higher chart position on iTunes — still cost 99 cents. Weird.

Love or hate the change, it has at least sparked some competition. Seattle-based Amazon.com dropped the price on top songs in response.