Apple said today it has renewed contracts with four major record labels to sell songs via iTunes for 99 cents each, reports The Financial Times. “The agreements came after months of bargaining, and were a defeat for music companies that had been pushing for a variable pricing model,” notes the story. “Some record executives had speculated that the big labels might sign short-term contracts with Apple and revisit the issue later. The companies were also discussing issues such as anti-piracy controls and the possibility of greater interoperability between iTunes and other download services.”