How to recognize if my iTunes m4a files are genuine?

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Level 1

4 points

How to recognize if my iTunes m4a files are genuine?

There are a lot of sources of AAC m4a music out there on the internet, so many people choose to download these for free, instead of purchasing a legal copy of a song/an album on the iTunes Store. I would like to know how to distinguish a purchased m4a file from m4a that was ripped or converted from mp3s. I'm a bit confused, as you can find both genuine and "artificial" AAC m4a's. Does anyone know any differences between these? Do the genuine Apple iTunes have something about them that cannot be generated by any conversion program?

Posted on Jul 2, 2015 1:33 AM

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Answer 1

ed2345

Level 9

62,492 points

Jul 2, 2015 4:13 AM in response to Yancy96

Yancy,

Find the track in your library, right-click, Get Info, and look at the File tab. If you see "Purchased By" and 'Purchase Date" fields, you can assume it came from the iTunes Store.

These fields are embedded into the file when it is sold by the iTunes Store. Although they may be possible to counterfeit, it cannot be done with normal tag editing tools, so are a pretty reliable indication of the source.

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