What has Apple Music done with my ALAC files

Question

What has Apple Music done with my ALAC files

All my CD collection was held in iTunes in lossless format. Since starting my Apple Music trial, which I almost certainly won't renew, I noticed that all of my Apple Lossless files had been changed to 256kbs AAC files. What will happen when I quit the subscription service? I'm gritting my teeth for the probability that they are gone. I do have a backup of the music library but it's a couple of months out of date and missing quite a few CDs.

Thanks in advance.

iMac, OS X Yosemite (10.10.2), iPhone 6 ; ATV2; MBP(2014)

Posted on Sep 4, 2015 1:09 AM

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Answer 1

swandy

Level 4

2,581 points

Sep 5, 2015 3:42 AM in response to Martin Crawley1

After setting up and matching your iTunes Library did you by any chance delete (or at least backup and remove) the original files from the Mac? Because Apple Music (and more exactly iCloud Music Library) does not "in theory" actually remove and replace your original files from your computer. It might play a bit of havoc with your metadata, but not the original files.

Or are you referring to files that you have "matched" and then downloaded to one of your other devices? If you are referring to downloaded files, that is the way the Apple Music/iCloud Music Library is intended to work. The system "matches" what you have to what Apple Music has in their library and it is that version - the one in the Apple Music Library - that will be streamed or downloaded to your other devices. (Assuming that it was matched correctly in the first place.)

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Answer 2

Drew Reece

Level 6

10,684 points

Sep 5, 2015 3:45 AM in response to Martin Crawley1

See this for an explanation.

http://www.imore.com/no-apple-not-adding-drm-songs-your-mac-you-already-own

Apple's iCloud music library is not intended to replace your original files (unless they are not available locally) but there were bugs for some users early on & iOS syncing can cause some files to be converted to DRM based files.

I'm afraid your suspicions are correct, once you stop paying for the Music subscription these files will be unplayable. You will need to recover or re-rip files to address that.

See the related explanation for the methods to find the protected files…

http://www.imore.com/how-check-if-your-macs-songs-are-uploaded-matched-purchased -or-apple-music-drm-laden

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Answer 3

Sep 5, 2015 4:02 AM in response to Drew Reece

Thanks to Drew & Swandy,

I still have virtually all of my ALAC files backed up - I copied my iTunes library to an external drive before trial-subscribing to Apple Music. I'm annoyed that it messed up my existing library so comprehensively. I feel for people in a similar position who didn't makes a back-up. And I still don't understand why, when I use Finder to look in my iTunes library at say, This Town from Ice on Fire by Elton John, I can see a file of 27MB and yet looking at the 'same' file inside iTunes itself shows me a matched AAC file of 7.9MB. When I play from my iMac, where my iTunes library sits, which version am I playing? And why does Fleet Foxes appear in Finder window in my lib. but I cannot see it in My Music in iTunes? Very confusing and very unsatisfactory.

I want now to end my subscription early and not wait for the expiry of the 3 month trial so I can safely reinstate my original library.

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