Pre-2010 DRM-protected ACC audio files do not play in Tahoe

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Level 1

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Pre-2010 DRM-protected ACC audio files do not play in Tahoe

DRM "protected ACC" audio files no longer play in Tahoe.

So far it appears to be, not the authorization, not the number of computers authorized, the same songs play on other computers with older OS versions. Only the protected ACC files (songs downloaded prior to 2010) DRM protected files will not play in Tahoe. Everything else does. They play in Catalina, they play in Sequoia.

Has anyone else run into this? I've tried clearing the music cache and restarting the computer but it did nothing.

Yes I know I can use Music match - and pay the Apple Music fee - to fix them, but my music database gets moved to the cloud, I want it on my laptop.

Is the only solution for this - making playlists, burning discs, and importing them back into Music? Not feasible for me, I have too many songs to do that.

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 15.7

Posted on Jun 18, 2026 12:42 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

WheelieNick

Level 9

64,284 points

Sep 5, 2026 1:14 PM in response to Luca_Brasi

Yes, other users upgrading to macOS Tahoe have encountered this exact issue with legacy, pre-2010 DRM-protected AAC files (.m4p / "Protected AAC audio files") refusing to play locally. Apple's modern security and media frameworks in Tahoe have dropped or broken compatibility with these ancient QuickTime-era FairPlay container authorizations, even when the computer remains properly authorized on your Apple Account.

Try this

iTunes Match (Without Apple Music): You mentioned not wanting a streaming subscription that messes with your cloud library. Note that iTunes Match is a separate, standalone annual service ($24.99/year) rather than full Apple Music. It scans your local database and allows you to download clean, DRM-free 256kbps iTunes Plus versions of matched tracks. Your core library stays local on your laptop, but you can upgrade the files in-place without moving everything to a streaming ecosystem. Once upgraded, you can cancel the service after a year and keep the DRM-free files.

Re-downloading from Purchased History: For some users, going to the iTunes Store section within the Music app, navigating to Purchased, deleting the local broken file, and re-downloading pulls down a modern un-protected variant though success varies if the label still enforces legacy constraints on that specific track.

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Answer 2

MrHoffman

Level 10

163,273 points

Sep 6, 2026 8:54 AM in response to Luca_Brasi

I’d make a complaint directly to Apple Support and maybe to Apple Corporate about this, as you paid for this, and it should work.

Whether they give you new downloads, or an iTunes Match subscription, or a fixed framework, Apple gets to fix this.

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Answer 3

Luca_Brasi Author

Level 1

4 points

Sep 6, 2026 9:02 AM in response to MrHoffman

I talked to Apple support for sometime, the rep was courteous, but basically "too bad for you" was what I got. This is over $1,000 in songs purchased.

Can't burn them to disc and re add them to the database either, because Apple has blocked all meta data to every song. So the song is there, but has no information about it. Requiring everything to be re added manually. For more than 1,000 songs? I don't think so.

I going to try to import the songs with another program, it looks like the data is present, iTunes/Music is ignoring it.

I appreciate the suggestion, if you think of something else that might work, let me know. Thanks

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Answer 4

Luca_Brasi Author

Level 1

4 points

Sep 6, 2026 8:57 AM in response to WheelieNick

Apple removed my response which I'm not going to retype (I guess they dislike criticism). Let's just say I paid Apple for that music and now no longer have access to it, thanks to Apple.

I won't go into detail, different email address was used to purchase most of them which I no longer have access to so paying Apple again for Music Match isn't going to work.

I haven't found a work around yet, but I'm still working on it.

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Answer 5

MrHoffman

Level 10

163,273 points

Sep 6, 2026 9:01 AM in response to Luca_Brasi

Luca_Brasi wrote:

Apple removed my response which I'm not going to retype (I guess they dislike criticism). Let's just say I paid Apple for that music and now no longer have access to it, thanks to Apple.

I won't go into detail, different email address was used to purchase most of them which I no longer have access to so paying Apple again for Music Match isn't going to work.

I haven't found a work around yet, but I'm still working on it.

Ah, and that’s a detail left out if the original post. Purchased music is available for the buyer (as determined by Apple Account), and swapping it around to other accounts was and remains questionable at best.

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Answer 6

Luca_Brasi Author

Level 1

4 points

Sep 6, 2026 9:07 AM in response to MrHoffman

It was purchased by me, I just had a different email address back then 20+ years ago, associated with an ISP that I no longer use. Apple says they can't combine email addresses used to purchase music, even if there's proof the addresses are yours. That part is unfortunate, but if thats policy, so be it. Denying access to purchases made is a different story.

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Answer 7

Luca_Brasi Author

Level 1

4 points

Sep 11, 2026 11:57 AM in response to MrHoffman

It appears the community has not found a work around, or isn't sharing one. But I can now say that I have a successful work around that will successfully add the songs back to Tahoe with all meta data and they play as expected. It involves no additional money spent, and I've not lost access to the 1,000 songs that I paid Apple for. Thank you for the earlier responses.

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Answer 8

Sep 11, 2026 3:50 PM in response to Luca_Brasi

Luca_Brasi wrote:

Can't burn them to disc and re add them to the database either, because Apple has blocked all meta data to every song. So the song is there, but has no information about it. Requiring everything to be re added manually. For more than 1,000 songs? I don't think so.

I could be mistaken, but I don't believe that the origina CD-Audio format has provisions for metadata.

There is an extension called CD-Text that some car CD players (like mine) support. I don't know if iTunes/Music take advantage of anything other than the album and track TITLE field, because disc and song titles are all that I've ever seen my car's CD player display.

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