Paul Westerberg [ tickets ] today (7/21) issued a new album dubbed "49" via two web-commerce sites. The approximately two-dozen songs and snippets appear on a single track priced at 49 cents.

The album clocks in at 44 minutes, and is currently available only via amazonmp3.com and tunecore.com.

Westerberg's manager, Darren Hill, told Billboard.com that the ex-Replacement finished the album a week ago, and that the 49-cent pricetag was settled upon after Westerberg joked that he should charge "a penny a minute." Only Amazon "would play ball with me on the price point," Hill said.

Westerberg's album marks the first time music has been for sale directly at TuneCore, a flat-fee service that delivers music to iTunes, eMusic, Amazonmp3.com and other major download sites.

"We chose to use TuneCore because it was because my previous experience with TuneCore was so simple and easy," Hill said in a press release. "As always, we keep all our rights, get all the money. There is no better way for Paul, or anyone, to do this."