Apple today has sent out an email update to members of its affiliate program about launching improvements to the iTunes Affiliate Resource pages and also a change to the commission rates.

Apple is lowering affiliate payouts from apps and their in-app purchases to less than half of the original commission rate. For many, this means a negative impact to yet another revenue stream.

Today’s change sees the 7% commission rate, drop down to 2.5%. This reduction will impact a lot of those on the affiliate program. Previously, the 2.5% commission rate only applied to the Japan store for apps and in-app purchases. This change brings the rate down to 2.5% across the globe. The lower rate only applies to apps and in-app purchases; content like music, movies, and books are unaffected and will remain at the 7% rate.

The other updates shared today further clarify commission rates for those on the program and more information on Affiliate Resources as a whole.

Source: 9to5mac