This just ain't Apples week.

[Mike Anderson]

What no one is addressing here is that we're being asked to pay $1 a song for a lower quality format.

I agree with this, and it's the primary reason I don't by music from the iTunes store (in addition to the DRM, which isn't a problem for me yet).

The real danger is that this could become the only available source for music in the near future just because it is more convenient (and more profitable for them).

This I doubt. In time, market forces and technological influences will drive the prices down and the quality up. You can already by better quality music for the same price at other sites.