Apple's iTunes Music Store is taking digital music back to the old-school, offering two-song packages as "Digital 45s." Just like the old records, Digital 45s have an A-side and a B-side. That means that for $1.50-$2.00, you're buying a hit by a major artist, along with a lesser-known track you might not already have.

The first crop of 40 or so D45s includes major artists like Michael Jackson, R.E.M. and Coldplay. A lot of them have vinyl-themed album artwork, some come with PDF booklets, and many have songs I couldn't find anywhere else on the iTunes store. If you're going to pay $1.29 for the major hits anyway, you might as well chuck in that extra 30 to 70 cents for the D45s and check out the B-side. That's what Apple's hoping you'll do, anyway.

[via TUAW]