Update Apple has posted Band Aid 20's single, Do They Know it's Christmas? on its UK iTunes Music Store (ITMS).

But it has managed to secure the track at its standard price of 79p, and not the £1.49 that the song's owner, charity the Band Aid Trust, wanted the company to sell it for - and the price at which all the online music store's competitors are charging.

It's actually something of a coup for Apple. Not only does it get to offer the song for rather less than its rivals, undercutting them by a significant margin, but it gets the added kudos of being able to claim it's donating 70p to the charity for every copy of the song it sells.

 

It's almost certainly buying the track at the standard unit price but discounting the song on behalf of its customers.

At the time of writing, Sony Connect, Tesco and Woolworths were still selling the song for £1.49.

Napster, for one, said it would continue to offer the single for £1.49. "The retail price of £1.49 was requested by Band Aid and accepted by everyone involved – from the labels through to the shops and online music services," a spokesman told The Register. "Napster is honouring that commitment."

ITMS UK is also offering the single's b-side, the original version of the song from 20 years back, for the same price, or you can by the two together for £1.58.

Of course, purchasing the song online leaves you without the opportunity of destroying the physical product - worthy cause, dire record, worse cover 'art' - as one website is calling on all music fans to do. The CD version of the song went on sale in the UK on Monday. ®

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