Re-download all songs from Apple Music

See Identify cloud status icons in your music library on your Mac or PC - Apple Support. Anything marked as matched will be delivered back to you in 256K ACC format if you remove the current download, and stream or download. The same is probably true for uploaded content that started out in a higher bitrate. You should be able to remove download and/or redownload in batches of selected tracks.

tt2

I haven't been in your situation and I'm surprised but not shocked to hear you can't just opt to download higher quality tracks over the top of existing ones. That's a huge fail on Apple's part and not consistent with the original intent of iTunes Match, which Apple Music was supposed to replace. (On a side note, I just cancelled my iTunes Match, which I had along side Apple Music for three years. Not sure if that was the right move now that I'm reading your issue.)

So, you can't just remove the download and have it re-download the higher quality. Major bummer. I can see with 3000 songs how you're in a pinch.

At this point I would try creating a playlist of all the tracks you want to replace, then export that playlist. Make sure it's in a safe location and then go back in and delete all the songs/albums. That will probably make the playlist disappear or appear empty. Re-import the playlist you exported, and hopefully it'll then allow you to download all those tracks from Apple Music at high quality.

You should probably test this whole procedure on a few albums first to make sure it'll work.

Yes, I'm sure.

Uploaded track before removing download:

Same track after Remove Download > Download:

Matched before removing download:

Same track after Remove Download > Download

Note the format change for the matched track as opposed to the uploaded track. I haven't moved the fresh downloads to my custom folder layout. This library is in a folder called iTunes Match, but I killed the sub a year ago. Haven't felt the need to rename it as Apple Music yet. All of my content is also in a larger library separate from the cloud and backed up to boot. Whether it is Apple Music or iTunes Match you should always keep a backup of you own media files just in case you're not happy with whatever might download from the cloud, or you accidentally delete from the cloud and then don't have a physical copy to add back to the library.

Observation #1: The uploaded file has changed from ID3v2.3 to ID3v2.2 through the round trip.

Observation #2: The download matched AAC audio file reports its kind as MPEG audio file. It plays normally in a third party audio app. I now have a better quality copy than the one I supplied for matching.

tt2

Apple Music doesn't give you DRM-free tracks, even if your original rips/purchases were DRM-free. I think that's the only reason Match is still around. Or at least the only reason a person might want to pay for both.

There are workarounds though, but we aren't allowed to discuss them here. A simple google search will point you in the right direction.

Looks like OP tried the remove download method and got the same versions back again. I think he needs to delete from library and then re-download from Apple Music.

Yes, you can still get iTunes Match, though in principle Apple Music is a superset of the features and you don't need to pay for both. There is an obscure use case with Apple TV 2 I think, and I don't know for certain if Apple Music lets you swap pre-2010 128k DRM purchases for 256k DRM-free versions which is possible with iTunes Match, but otherwise the treatment of your own content should be the same.

tt2

From Subscribe to iTunes Match - Apple Support:

If you have an Apple Music membership, you get all of the benefits of iTunes Match, plus access to the entire Apple Music catalog. You can also get a Family Membership to share the catalog with your family members. Learn more about joining Apple Music.

Not sure where else in Apple's documents this is mentioned but certainly when Apple Music first came out users could find their own matched or uploaded media could arrive with DRM if removed and redownloaded.

tt2

That process will give your the matched or uploaded copies of what was originally in your library. Whether or not the redownloads are exactly the same as the original content in your library can depend on a number of factors such as initial format and bitrate. You'd need to take careful note of the details before and after to see if you're getting back your original or a modified file.

tt2

robogobo wrote:

Apple Music doesn't give you DRM-free tracks, even if your original rips/purchases were DRM-free.

I believe that was the case when Apple Music first launched, but that isn't so any longer. I dropped my iTunes Match subscription after switching to Apple Music and I can redownload my matched/uploaded tracks free of DRM.

tt2

Are you sure about that? All the info I can find on Apple Music on Apple’s website says otherwise. And here’s the response I got last week from Apple when I requested they cancel my Match subscription:

Hi Robert,

Thanks for contacting us. I understand that you’d like to cancel your iTunes Match subscription and get the purchase refunded. I’m happy to help you with this today.

When I cancel your iTunes Match subscription, you won’t have access to matched or uploaded songs in iCloud. Be sure to download this content before I cancel your subscription so you'll still have access to it.

If you'd still like to cancel, just reply to this email and let me know. I'll cancel your subscription and email you the refund amount. Since iTunes Match is a yearly subscription, the refund amount may be prorated.

iCloud Music Library is included with both Apple Music and iTunes Match. If you keep your Apple Music membership active when we cancel your iTunes Match subscription, you will still have access to your songs in the iCloud Music Library in a 256 Kbps DRM AAC format.

While your Match subscription is active, songs are made available to your other computers or devices in high quality 256 Kbps DRM-free AAC, and any of these songs that you save offline can continue to play in that format, even after we cancel your iTunes Match subscription. If you would like for your songs to remain DRM free, I suggest that you download your matched songs before we cancel your iTunes Match subscription

.

I hope you have a great rest of your day. If you have more questions, just reply to this email. I’m happy to help.

Thanks,

Jevon

Apple

Interesting. That means the info the Apple rep gave me, as well as Apple's own documentation, is false and misleading. Indeed, there's no need for Match if you have an Apple Music sub.

I wonder why the OP can't get the 256k versions of his songs after removing the download.

Doing that will provide DRM laden versions however, which might not be desirable.

tt2