Apple Incorporated has reversed its previous decision to charge an extra 30 cents for DRM-free tracks and has levelled the playing field from $1.29 to match the price of 99 cents for copy-protected tracks. It is likely that the move is a reaction to the competition, although Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris denies such a notion: "It"s been very popular with our customers and we"re now making it available at an even more affordable price." Rival Amazon.com Incorporated, which opened its online music store in September, sells tracks without DRM for 89 cents to 99 cents. Apple began selling some songs in May without copy-protection software. The main benefit for the consumer is that the tracks are not tied to Apple"s widely popular iPod line of mp3 players.