iTunes Plus: Everything You Need to Know

By Nate Lanxon
Source from http://crave.cnet.co.uk/

Apple’s iTunes Store is almost completely DRM-free, and will be entirely DRM-free from spring. This means files downloaded from iTunes work on heaps of devices that aren’t from Apple. What better way to celebrate the final bullet to the living corpse of copy protection than by reading everything you need to know about iTunes Plus? There isn’t one. And anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar, and not your friend.

Be warned: your account information is stored in every file
Although iTunes Plus files feature no copy protection, files downloaded still contain the email address you have registered with iTunes. So although files can physically be shared with, and played by, friends and family, any of your purchases that end up on file-sharing networks, for example, can be traced back to you.

If you’re interested in an easy way to check your own files, find an iTunes Plus file on your computer. Then choose to open it with a text editor (Windows Notepad works fine). It’ll take a while to open and will appear to be full of nonsense text, but if you choose the ‘Find’ option and type in the email address you have registered with the iTunes Store, you’ll find that your DRM-free music is not personal information-free.

iTunes Plus files aren’t MP3s
iTunes uses a format called AAC, which is a more modern alternative to MP3, with the file extension ‘.m4a’. Many players support this format, however, and you can create MP3 versions of the files within iTunes if you want to, so don’t worry — it’s like petrol versus diesel in the car world, except your player’s engine won’t break if you put the wrong format in.

Players that support iTunes Plus
Unlike the old downloads from iTunes, the new files are supported on a range of devices. Devices that support AAC include the Creative Zen and Zen X-Fi, the Sony A series, S series and E series, the Archos 605 WiFi and Archos 5 (with optional plug-in), the Sony PSP and PlayStation 3, the Nintendo Wii, Sony Ericsson’s Walkman phones and Nokia’s XpressMusic handsets, the Logitech Squeezebox systems and the Sonos streamers.

Upgrading your library to iTunes Plus
As all your previous iTunes downloads are now available in DRM-free format (or will be within the next few weeks), Apple lets you upgrade them — at a cost. It’ll cost you 20p per song, or 25 per cent of the cost of the album, which is usually £2 a pop.

CNET UK’s editor Jason Jenkins had a smashing moan about this the other day. But not just about the cost: Apple doesn’t let you choose which songs you upgrade — you either upgrade it all, or not at all.

If you do upgrade, however, your new DRM-free songs have twice the audio quality of the originals, and replace the originals within your library. Any playlists they appear in, or any ratings you’ve given them, remain unchanged. Whatever you think about the cost issue, you can’t argue with the simplicity.

The final word
Eighty per cent of music in the iTunes catalogue is DRM-free already, and you’ll probably find that very little of what you search for remains in the old DRMed format. At the time of writing, 90 out of the top 100 songs on iTunes are in iTunes Plus format.

You can tell which songs are in iTunes Plus by looking for a little plus symbol next to each song in search listings. Or look above the ‘Buy Album’ button at the top of an album’s page for the words ‘iTunes Plus’.

Convert Your iTunes Purchases to MP3s

By Rick Broida, PC World
Source from http://www.thestandard.com/news/2009/01/07/convert-your-itunes-purchases-mp3s

As you’ve probably heard by now, Apple just announced plans to ditch DRM for good. That means all songs you purchase from iTunes will arrive on your PC without the usual copy-protection shackles.

However, this doesn’t give you carte blanche. Many music players and mobile phones will still not be able to play songs in the format Apple is using, because the company will continue to use its proprietary “AAC” files, rather than changing to the more universal MP3 format.

Fortunately, it’s fairly easy to convert iTunes Plus purchases (i.e. the DRM-free versions of songs) to the universally compatible MP3 format. Here’s how:

In iTunes, go to “Edit”, “Preferences”, “General”. Click the “Import Settings” button. Change the “Import Using” option to “MP3 Encoder”. In the “Setting” field, choose “Custom”, and then set “Stereo Bit Rate” to your desired setting (I recommend 256 kbps or 320 kbps). Click “OK” three times to exit the various windows.

Now you’re all set to convert any iTunes Plus download to the MP3 format. To do that, right-click the song and choose “Create MP3 Version”. Wait a minute or so and presto: iTunes plops an MP3 copy of the song into your library.

Note that you’ll have now both versions of the song in your library, so you’ll have to do a little housekeeping.

The bigger downside is that converting from AAC to MP3 necessarily involves some loss of audio fidelity. Not much, but if you’re a purist, you may want to skip iTunes altogether and buy MP3s outright from a store like AmazonMP3.

Note: If you want to upgrade your previously purchased tracks to DRM free, you need to pay 30 cents per song. And you can’t pick and choose which tracks to upgrade. Start by going to the iTunes Store home page, and clicking on “Upgrade My Library” under the “Quick Links” heading. Once there, you’ll see a list of all the songs and albums that are available for upgrading, with a price next to each. But the important number to look at is the price next to the buy button, since that’s how much it’ll cost to upgrade your library.

So, if you have a big collection of iTunes music tracks ready to upgraded to DRM free, you will have to pay not a small sum of money. And in order to listen to them with your MP3 player or mobile phone music player, you still need a further step – convert the AAC music to MP3 one by one. It is really a money-consuming and time-consuming process. My suggestion is that you follow this tutorial about how to convert iTunes M4P music to MP3 with the burn-and-rip method or using TuneClone Audio Converter.

How to preserve ID3 tags using TuneClone

In most of my previous posts, I talked about how to use TuneClone’s virtual CD drive to burn DRM protected music, including iTunes music, Windows Media Player music, RealPlayer music, WinAMP music, Napster Music and Rhapsody music. Some of these media players like iTunes, RealPlayer and Napster support burning music with CD text, while others don’t. Therefore, in this post, I am going to show how to preserve the music metadata about title, artist, album, etc. while burning music with TuneClone Audio Converter.

For iTunes, RealPlayer and Napster

It is very easy to keep ID3 tags when you burn iTunes, RealPlayer or Napster music.

When you make the burning settings, make sure you tick the “Include CD Text” (in iTunes 8), “Write CD text to my audio CD” (in RealPlayer) or “Burn CD Text” (in Napster) option. The information will be well preserved after the burning and encoding process. Take a look at the screenshots below:

For Windows Media Player, WinAMP and Rhapsody

However, since Windows Media Player, WinAMP and Rhapsody don’t provide such an option, you will get the output files formatted as 01-1.mp3, 01-2.mp3, etc. This is very annoying since all the metadata information is missing.

Tuneclone Audio Converter comes to the rescue! You just need an additional step after the burning and encoding process:

Click the output songs in the manager screen and drag the counterpart original songs in Windows Media Player, WinAMP or Rhapsody to the “Track Info” panel of TuneClone one by one. The information about the artist, album, title, etc. will be automatically changed accordingly.

It would be a time-consuming process if you are burning a big collection of music. However, since Windows Media Player, WinAMP and Rhapsody don’t support CD-text burning, this seems to be the only way to get the information back.

If only TuneClone would consider adding the support for batch changing the information rather than dragging one by one!

Look forward to the improvement!

How to transfer WMAs and iTunes 8 library from Windows to Mac

“My laptop HDD recently failed, so I replaced it with an iMac. Fortunately, my iTunes library was on an external HDD, so I have copied it across to the iMac. However, the songs that I have purchased from iTunes do not seem to be available. They have copied across, but are ‘greyed out’. I have authorised my new computer to play purchases. Is there anything else I am forgetting?”

It is relatively painless to switch over from Windows to Mac as Mac has support for a lot of commonly used files like Microsoft Word documents, Powerpoint slideshows and Adobe PDF files. So, compatibility is hardly an issue. What you do have to take note of however while switching over to Mac are your iTunes library and WMAs. Note: This tutorial was written under the assumption that you are running the latest version of iTunes ( iTunes 8 ) on both your Windows and Mac.

1. Add WMAs to iTunes on Windows

iTunes for Windows is built with Windows Media Audio (WMA) support – it is able to play and convert WMAs. However, because WMA is a proprietary codec, it isn’t available in iTunes for Mac. If you’re not careful, you’ll be left with a lot of WMAs which will be unplayable on your Mac.

The easiest way to dodge this problem is to convert all the WMAs you have while you’re still on your Windows machine. In your iTunes General preferences, under ‘Import settings’, make sure to have AAC or MP3 selected. Configure the bit rate if you like but because you will be converting from one lossy codec to another, there’s bound to be a profound loss in quality.

However, if the WMAs are DRM protected, it will be a little bit difficult. One method of dealing with the DRM protected WMAs is to get an audio converter. Make a simple Google search and you will get a lot of converters that can convert WMA to MP3. However, those that can convert DRM protected WMA to MP3 are rather limited. The one that attracts my attention is TuneClone Audio Converter (fow Windows only), which isn’t free but very well worth a shot if you have lots of DRM protected WMAs ready to be switched to Mac. TuneClone Audio Converter is capable of removing DRM protection from WMA files and convert WMA to iTunes (both Windows and Mac) compatible MP3 format by installing a virtual CD burner. Click here to read the guide.

Apart from that, TuneClone Audio Converter can also be used to convert iTunes M4P (protected AAC) to MP3 for non-Apple MP3 devices. Click here to read the guide.

After getting the protected WMAs converted to MP3, add to your iTunes library the MP3 files, which will be transferred to Mac along with all the music in iTunes library.

2. Backup iTunes library on Windows

In Windows, open iTunes. Consolidate your library from the ‘File -> Library’ menu.

This will move all the music files into the iTunes Music folder and sort them by artist and album.

Navigate to your My Music folder. It’s typically found at C:\Documents and Settings\~username~\My Documents\My Music.

Copy the iTunes folder to the Desktop of your new Mac. Depending on the size of your library and the method of transfer, this could take a while.

3. Organize iTunes on Mac

If you are running iTunes on your Mac for the first time, you’ll be prompted with the initial welcome setup procedure. When it asks to search your drive for music files, make sure to decline. At the end, you’ll be presented with a fresh, empty iTunes library. Now, quit iTunes. By default, it would have already set up its own iTunes Music folder located in ~/Music. Go over to this location and delete the iTunes folder then copy and paste your iTunes Music folder from the desktop into it (the one which you have just brought over from your Windows computer). After all this is done, launch iTunes and you’ll be rewarded with your old, personalized iTunes library.

iTunes Playlist to PS3?

I have searched but want to make this clear. Can I play iTunes (that I have stored on my computer) on my PS3. I know I can’t just hook up my iPod to it or stream from my PC. I read something about transferring music to USB and then put that flash drive in the PS3, will this work? I want to play my iTunes on my home theater but I have no other way than to play it through my PS3. I have a yamaha 5990 receiver and it is not iPod compatible. Any options here? Thanks in advance.

Well, I think the main problem here is that the iTunes music is DRM encrypted. I have already posted several tutorials to my blog, like transfer iTunes music to Zune, put iTunes playlist to PSP, import iTunes music to Windows Movie Maker project, etc. I believe the same is the principle: strip the DRM off and convert the protected iTunes music to some widely-accepted format like MP3.  All you need to know is how to transfer regular music to the mobile device or software.

Convert any music file to an audiobook using iTunes 8

Source from: http://lifehacker.com

iTunes 8 has added simple under-the-radar feature that allows you to quickly and easily tag any file in your iTunes library as an audiobook and move it into the Audiobooks section of iTunes and your iPod. The simple trick? Just right-click a track and select Get Info, head to the Options tab, and then select Audiobook from the Media Kind drop-down menu. The file will instantly leave your Music library and head straight for your Audiobook library. To mark multiple files at once, just select them all and go through the same process. The only remaining step is to tick the Remember Position checkbox if you haven’t already, and your tracks should now have easily found their way to your Audiobooks section, and even better, they should work like an audiobook. Finally. Thanks Brett!

You may also have interest in:

How to put iTunes M4B audiobooks to MP3

Switch iTunes and WMAs from Windows to Mac

Source from www.makeuseof.com  by Jackson Chung

Switching over from Windows to Mac is relatively painless because Mac has support for a lot of commonly used files like Microsoft Word documents, Powerpoint slideshows and Adobe PDF files. So, compatibility is hardly an issue. One thing which you do have to take note of however while switching over to Mac is your iTunes library.

iTunes for Windows is built with Windows Media Audio (WMA) support – it is able to play and convert WMAs. However, because WMA is a proprietary codec, it isn’t available in iTunes for Mac. If you’re not careful, you’ll be left with a lot of WMAs which will be unplayable on your Mac.

Before we start, I would like to mention that this tutorial was written under the assumption that you are running the latest version of iTunes ( iTunes 8 ) on both your Windows and Mac. Please update before proceeding to avoid any complications which may arise.

The easiest way to dodge this problem is to convert all the WMAs you have while you’re still on your Windows machine. In your iTunes General preferences, under ‘Import settings’, make sure to have AAC or MP3 selected. Configure the bit rate if you like but because you will be converting from one lossy codec to another, there’s bound to be a profound loss in quality.

While you’re still in Preferences, go over to ‘Advanced settings’ and check “Keep iTunes Music folder organized”.

Now you’re ready to convert all of your WMAs into the codec you’ve just selected. To do this, control-select your WMAs, right-click on one and choose “Convert Selection to xxx” (Where xxx is either AAC or MP3). After the conversion is complete, you may choose to delete the WMA copies if you like. Then, consolidate your library from the ‘File>Library’ menu. This will ensure that all the songs in your library are copied and organized into the iTunes Music folder. Normally, it’s located in “My Documents/Music”.

Now, you’re ready to bring that iTunes Music folder over to your Mac. Place it on your Mac desktop.

If you haven’t already, run iTunes on your Mac for the first time. You’ll be prompted with the initial welcome setup procedure. When it asks to search your drive for music files, make sure to decline. At the end, you’ll be presented with a fresh, empty iTunes library. Now, quit iTunes. By default, it would have already set up its own iTunes Music folder located in ~/Music. Go over to this location and delete the iTunes folder then copy and paste your iTunes Music folder from the desktop into it (the one which you have just brought over from your Windows computer). After all this is done, launch iTunes and you’ll be rewarded with your old, personalized iTunes library.

Another method of dealing with the whole WMA malarky is to get an audio converter. The first one which comes to mind is EasyWMA which isn’t free but very popular. A little hidden gem is Switch for Mac. It is capable of converting WMA to many other audio formats compatible with iTunes.

Switch is also available for Windows so you’ll have the convenience of converting your songs before making the switch over to Mac, if you prefer.

And here, I would also recommend using TuneClone Audio Converter, which can be used to either convert M4P(protected AAC), M4B and M4A music songs to MP3, WAV, unprotected WMA or convert both protected and unprotected WMAs to MP3. Not free, but well worth a shot if you have lots of WMAs ready to be switched to Mac.

How to convert iTunes 8 protected AAC(M4P) music to MP3 with TuneClone

More than two months ago, I wrote a tutorial entitled How to convert DRM protected iTunes M4P music songs to MP3. In that post, I introduced two ways to convert iTunes M4P (protected AAC) music to MP3. With the release of Apple iTunes 8, the second method of converting iTunes M4P music to MP3 with TuneClone isn’t applicable. So, I’d like to post the step by step tutorial about how to convert iTunes 8 protected AAC or say M4P music to MP3 with TuneClone here:

1. Download TuneClone from http://www.tuneclone.com and install it.

TuneClone is fully compatible with Windows XP and Windows Vista. A virtual CD drive will be installed. This virtual CD-RW will be used to convert music files.

2. Make settings in TuneClone

Click the “Settings” button at TuneClone. In the pop-up window, you can specify the “output folder”, “output filenames”, “output format”, etc. for the output files.

Note: Apart from MP3, TuneClone also allows you to convert iTunes M4P to WAV and unprotected WMA.
Tip: You can get the output protection removed music folder by clicking the “Folder” button after the whole process.

3. Make settings in iTunes 8

Create a playlist, and then add the files you want to convert into the playlist.

After you have created the playlist ready to be burnt, click the “Burn Disc” in the bottom right of iTunes.

In the pop up window of “Burn Settings”, make the settings as highlighted below:

4. Start to burn

Click the “Burn” button to start burning.

After the burning gets started, TuneClone will automatically convert the music file to MP3, WMA or WAV. You can open the manager screen to show all the converted music files.

The most important step is to choose the CD burner. Then the software can convert the music files automatically. It is exceedingly easy when you want to batch convert lots of files.

You may also show interest in:

How to convert DRM protected iTunes M4P music songs to MP3
How to strip DRM off iTunes music on Windows and Mac
TuneClone V1.20 download

How to transfer iTunes M4P music playlist to Zune WMA MP3

You are considering buying a Zune as you broke your iPod or had your iPod stolen. And you bought a lot of songs from iTunes store because you had money left on your iTunes gift card. You still want to enjoy those purchased songs on your Zune music player. Or you own an iPod while your boyfriend/girlfriend has a Zune. And you hope to share the library of M4P (protected AAC) music purchased from iTunes store under your account with your boyfriend/girlfriend. Here comes the headache! The M4P music you bought from iTunes is DRM laden! You cannot transfer the protected iTunes music to the Zune software, not to mention playing the it on your Zune player. 

Yet, there seems to be a solution. You can burn the DRM-locked iTunes music playlist to CD-R or CD-RW disc to make an audio CD and then use some CD ripper software to convert the audio CD track back to Zune accepted MP3 or WMA format. And iTunes allows you to burn the protected iTunes music files to CD-R or CD-RW disc to make a standard audio CD.

Sounds a good idea! But it would be a time consuming process if you have a library of iTunes music ready to be converted to MP3 or WMA files for playback on Zune. Moreover, the information about the M4P music files like title, artist and album will be lost after they are burnt and ripped back to MP3 or unprotected WMA format. So this method is not recommended if you have a big collection of iTunes DRMed music to be transferred to your Zune.

I’ve made a Google search for programs that can convert iTunes music to Zune WMA MP3, and TuneClone Audio Converter attracted my attention. The edge of TuneClone Audio Converter over other similar programs lies in that it applys the virtual CD burning technology to simulates the burning and ripping process. You just need to burn the iTunes playlist to TuneClone virtual CD burner. Then TuneClone will directly convert the iTunes music list to WMA or MP3 for your Zune. It is very fast and the information about each music song will be preserved perfectly. Below are several key steps to convert iTunes M4P music playlist to Zune MP3 or WMA using TuneClone Audio Converter.

1. Make settings at TuneClone

Click the “Setting” button at TuneClone. In the pop-up window, you can specify the “output folder”, “output filenames”, “output format”, etc. for the output files.
Tip: You can get the converted music folder by clicking the “Folder” button after the whole process.

2. Make settings at iTunes

Click “Edit -> Preferences… -> Advanced -> Burning”. Select TuneClone’s virtual CD-RW drive as CD burner. In the “Disc Format” option, tick “Audio CD”.
Tip 1: In order to keep the information about the music, the “Include CD Text” option should be checked.
Tip 2: The most important step is to choose the cd burner. Then the software can convert the music files automatically.

3. Create a playlist

Create a playlist, and then add the iTunes M4P music files you want to convert to Zune WMA or MP3 into the playlist. After the conversion, the WMA or MP3 music folder should be located under the folder you specified at first. The name of the music folder should be the same as that of the iTunes playlist you created.
Tip: It is exceedingly easy and fast when you want to batch convert lots of files.

After you get the output folder, now you can transfer it to your Zune software so as to enjoy the iTunes music on your Zune music player.

So, has your headache been removed now?