What is iTunes Match?

Hi,

The information that you have been provided regarding separate storage is not correct.

Apple states that “iTunes Match uploads your music library from the Apple Music app on your Mac or iTunes for Windows on your PC. Then you can access your music library on all of your devices that have Sync Library turned on.”

However, this is not the case. The bulk of your library will be matched with equivalent versions that Apple has on their servers. Your matched library contents will not be uploaded - only music that has not been matched will be uploaded. To highlight this point, mp3 are matched as AAC and will be streamed as such on your other devices. Also if you opt to remove download then re-download you will get the matched version. Not : Mismatches sometimes occur.

The positives in using iTunes Match is that you can upgrade lower bit rate tracks and have the added protection that you can re-download your library as Matched AAC plus the uploaded music should you need to. You can only do this if you have an active subscription. This does not replace the importance of have a separate backup.

As Apple Music also provides this facility, there is no need for iTunes Match.

Jim

iTunes Match is a music library syncing tool that allows you to sync a single iCloud Music Library across multiple computers and devices. Metadata changes, play counts, playlists, etc. should all update automatically on any library or device that is signed in. Only you know if the service has value for you. Note that Apple Music provides the same tools but also lets you add content from the Apple Music catalog on a rental basis while you have an active subscription. You don't need both services. Apple Music works better with HomePods should you have one of those.

tt2

I now have what I believe is the most definitive answer to this iTunes Match question, that it will be possible to get. I called Apple support and spoke with someone there for about a half hour, she went and pestered numerous other people including some engineers. Here's the bottom line:

All feature functionality of iTunes Match, is indeed now included in Apple Music. So everything iTunes Match does, Apple Music does.

What is NOT included, is the storage involved with iTunes Match. If you use iTunes Match then when you upload your music, it goes into its own bucket of cloud storage. If you cancel your Apple Music subscription, you would still have full access to anything and everything you uploaded to iTunes Match. Your CD rips, SoundCloud downloads, personally generated music - everything.

Here's the rub: If you have a bunch of personal music that you've uploaded but do NOT have iTunes Match, then when you cancel your Apple Music subscription, you can kiss ALL of that music goodbye. Forever. If you didn't have another backup of it somewhere, then it's gone. Oh and it is also entirely possible (she didn't sound 100% certain on this one) that your uploaded music, even your own personally-generated songs, will have Apple DRM on them once uploaded to Apple Music. Not sure that this happens with iTunes Match, I don't think it does but have no way I can confidently prove/disprove it.

So basically iTunes Match is a cloud storage option. Personally I don't think I'll ever drop Apple Music so I plan to drop iTunes Match at long last.

Hope this helps someone out!

When Apple Music first launched if you used it to copy your non-Apple Music content (CD rips or non-Apple downloads) to a new computer then those would arrive with DRM, making them unplayable when the subscription was terminated. At some point the iTunes Match feature that allowed you to redownload the uploaded or matched copies without DRM was folded into Apple Music. I believe there was also an edge case where iTunes Match was supported on Apple TV 2, but Apple Music wasn't, but that's not really my area. The bottom line is that you can cancel iTunes Match and nothing should change, provided you don't have legacy downloads from back in the day when Apple Music would attach DRM to downloads of your matched or uploaded tracks, in which case you should remove the existing downloads and then download fresh ones. Turn off lossless downloads before doing this.

Enable the iCloud Status and Kind columns in the Songs view of your library and review the contents. Refresh any content that may currently have DRM when you don't think it should. Backup your library. Cancel your iTunes Match subscription.

tt2

Here's the rub: If you have a bunch of personal music that you've uploaded but do NOT have iTunes Match, then when you cancel your Apple Music subscription, you can kiss ALL of that music goodbye. Forever. If you didn't have another backup of it somewhere, then it's gone. Oh and it is also entirely possible (she didn't sound 100% certain on this one) that your uploaded music, even your own personally-generated songs, will have Apple DRM on them once uploaded to Apple Music. Not sure that this happens with iTunes Match, I don't think it does but have no way I can confidently prove/disprove it.

So basically iTunes Match is a cloud storage option. Personally I don't think I'll ever drop Apple Music so I plan to drop iTunes Match at long last.

Hope this helps someone out!

Hi,

Apple has not advertised iTunes Match as a cloud storage option. See Subscribe to iTunes Match – Apple Support (UK). Quote : “iTunes Match isn't a backup service, so make sure you always have a backup of your music collection before you make any changes.” The matching function in Apple Music is the same as iTunes Match.

You need iTunes Match or Apple Music to upload music that has not been matched to iCloud Music library. The music is uploaded as is except for ALAC or AIFF which is transcribed to 256 Kbps- DRM is not applied to such music. If you opt to remove downloads and choose to stream your music, you will only have access to your music as long as you have an active.

In practice, you should opt to keep your physical copies on your computer and keep a separate backup. Whilst it is possible to re-download music, this can only be done if you have an active subscription.

Jim

Hi,

Apple Music and iTunes Match are NOT back up services. Both subscriptions allows you play your music on multiple devices via the iCloud Music library. Provided that you keep you music on your computer, you should not lose access to your music. In any event, you should keep a backup on a separate external drive.

Jim

The storage used to enable iCloud Music Library (e.g. for uploaded tracks) is separate from any used by iCloud Drive, which might be what was meant by "separate cloud storage". It works the same for Apple Music or iTunes Match. All matched or uploaded content should be downloaded to local storage before you cancel the service, or yes, it will be lost. None of your own uploads/matches should gain DRM, but that was an issue in the early days of Apple Music before iTunes Match was fully integrated into it. Again having your own backups of all of your own content before you start using the service, and certainly before you end it, is recommended.

tt2

Hi,

One of the main features of iTunes Match was the facility to upgrade lower bit rate tracks to 256 Kbps AAC. Apple stated that you would keep such upgraded tracks even after your subscription expired but an important provision was that such tracks needed to be downloaded to your computer or other devices. You lost the use of iCloud music library and the ability stream or re-download your music. (This does not affect access to music purchased from iTunes Store). Therefore, you will still be able you play the music in iTunes or Music app on your devices without the need for subscription.

Apple Music also includes this feature-you can still upgrade lower bit Rate tracks like iTunes Match. Apple Music offers additional features such as access to their music library. Matched music is often available to stream or download lossless or hi-res. You can opt to replace your existing music with the lossless version but they are only available if you have an active Apple Music subscription. You can revert back to the 256 Kbps if you need to.

At the end of the day you should not lose your music provided you manage a satisfactory backup regime.

Deckland wrote:

I got the Apple Music app and now it wants me to subscribe at $12.99/month to do anything with it...

I'm pretty sure you can use the Apple Music app with local content and your iTunes Match iCloud Music Library, but honestly iTunes is still a much better product on Windows. Uninstall Apple Music/TV/Devices then install iTunes from this link:

• https://www.apple.com/itunes/download/win64

tt2

I literally just Googled "Apple phone tech support". =)

1 (800) 275-2273

I've been a subscriber of both Apple Music and iTunes Match for many, many, many years now. I have never been able to get any concrete, first-hand information on whether or not iTunes Match is actually required for some specific, perhaps obscure, feature of the Apple music ecosystem. In addition to discovering music via Apple Music, I have a lot of self-produced music, as well as a lot of stuff ripped from my old CD collection and also lots of music from online producers that will not exist in Apple Music. But nobody has been able to absolutely, definitively, prove to me that by cancelling iTunes Match, I will lose absolutely nothing.

I can't help but wonder why Apple would be continuing to charge people for a service if that service has in fact truly been fully rolled into another service, that those people are ALSO paying for. I mean sure, duh, free money. I get that. But if it is true that EVERYTHING in iTunes Match is a part of Apple Music now, then frankly it feels downright fraudulent of Apple to continue billing someone for iTunes Match when they are also an Apple Music subscriber.

I would really like to stop paying for iTunes Match, but until I can get definitive proof that it is 100% redundant, I'm too wary of losing some aspect of access to my music library, that would infuriate me (or possibly lead to permanent loss of something - the worst case scenario!)

Oh **** is that ever an important detail to be aware of. I've had the service so long that if it was adding DRM to stuff at some point, there's no way I'd have not run into that. I'll go through my library and check, but frankly I'm gonna be really ****** & screwed if it added DRM to any of my self-produced songs as I wouldn't have the ability to re-create those masters anymore. Although there are 3rd party tools to rip the DRM out, so I'd likely just resort to that if it came down to it. But wow that's messed up. Appreciate the input!

EDIT: Wow Apple censoring even the mildest words... good golly Miss Molly!

I used to have multiple CDs ripped into my iTunes. One day I decided to join Apple Music and it asked me if I wanted to store my music in the cloud, I said yes. Then, I canceled my subscription and all of my music disappeared! I love Apple but I don't think you had the right to take away my music. I mean, who keeps CDs anymore!!! Now I joined iTunes Match to enjoy my music in different devices. From what I read, the minute I cancel my subscription, you will again steal my music, which I had purchased!

Now, please provide explanation in layman's terms. How do I "enable iCloud Status and Kind columns" (what is Kind?) Review the contents then refresh them? OK, back up is easy. I don't want to lose the music I was able to recuperate. Thnx!

iCloud Status and Kind, are columns in the Apple Music app. Select "Songs" to view your library of music, then right click any column header such as Title. Then you can enable whatever columns you want to see, including iCloud Status and Kind. Then you can sort by for example iCloud Status, to see which tracks are in the cloud, and which are not, etc.

That's odd, I had replied to this before explaining how to enable the kind and status columns, but it's gone now. Weird.

Anyway, in the Music app in macos, select Songs in the sidebar, then right click on any column header. You'll see a whole list of things you can enable/disable. Enable iCloud Status, and Kind, Then you can sort by them, and see what's what.

I'm still nervously on the fence about ditching it. This is one of those things that, if it goes really wrong, can't be undone or fixed. And if it goes mildly wrong, it can be fixed with a great deal of headache. Ugh... such a great depiction of the love/hate relationship with Apple.