The argument is a cop-out (Score 2, Insightful)

"Label executives have made multiple arguments for flexible pricing. They argue, for instance, that almost all retail businesses have different price points for different products."

The problem with this argument is that it equates different artists' music with quality. If you have three electronic radios, they will be more expensive depending on quality and features. Music, however, is perceived differently by everyone. I might enjoy a song priced at 50c a lot more than you enjoy a song you download for $1.50. To set the pricing this way attempts to enforce the idea that the music of one artist is "better" than the music of another artist.

On the bright side, this could encourage more downloads of songs that less people would have listened to previously and boost listeners for that artist. More likely though, it will simply chip into the profits of those still trying to make a name for themselves, and have no effect on the success of those artists more people are already listening to.