But you're also getting a higher quality file, not just getting them unprotected. You technically don't have to pay to get them unprotected, others have already told you how to do that if you wanted to. So, you're paying $.30 to get better sound quality and no file protection. And, actually, if you look at the sound quality that most songs on iTunes are: 192kbps and what you're getting for .30 cents more: 256kbps, you're getting about a 1/4 more kbps for 1/3 more than you originally paid for it, if that makes sense.
Of course, the improvement in kbps doesn't work that way at all, but if you have a decent pair of headphones (aka not the iPod buds), you will most definitely be able to tell the difference between those two sound qualities anyway. Is that worth the $.30 to you?
And please, Apple is a business just like any other company, of course they're going to charge for an upgrade in quality such as this one. It's pretty obvious that they're out to make money.
