The LA Times is reporting that variable song pricing on the iTunes Store will start on April 7.

Apple announced the move in January at Macworld 2009 saying that as of April the iTunes Store would offer three song pricing tiers, $0.69 (£0.59), $0.99 (£0.79), and $1.29 (£0.99).

At the time of unveiling Apple didn’t reveal how the pricing would be determined now the LA Times is reporting that the pricing will be based on artist popularity.

True to supply-and-demand economics, the price of music downloads will be geared to the artist’s popularity. Releases from new artists would receive the lower pricing, while tracks from popular acts would get slapped with the higher rate. Even classics, such as Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA,” could retail for the higher price. Most of the 10 million songs in the iTunes catalog are expected to remain at 99 cents.