iTunes Match + Apple Music DRM Free?

Question

iTunes Match + Apple Music DRM Free?

Dear Apple Community,

Music is my life, so it's more precious to me then anything else.

In the beginning half of my library was already purchased WAV files converted to Apple Lossless. The other half was poor quality MP3.

I have signed up for Apple Music and started to remove those poor quality mp3 songs and re adding them back from Apple Music, when I faced the issue that "Oh Dear, I cannot play this on my Audio System" because it was DRM protected. So I have signed up for iTunes Match hoping to get all my good quality new music in DRM free format.

Now all my music is labeled as Apple Music which is DRM protected. http://prntscr.com/awpl1f

Is there a trick how I could make this DRM free with iTunes Match?

I already tried to Remove Download and Re Downloading it again.

Best Wishes,
Thomas B.

MacBook Air, OS X El Capitan (10.11.4), null

Posted on Apr 25, 2016 10:13 AM

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Answer 1

Apr 25, 2016 10:43 AM in response to ThomasBereczky

HI,

If you had wanted to upgrade your mp3's, you should have subscribed to iTunes Match instead of Apple Music. Whilst you have been able to upgrade the tracks, the have DRM and you will only have access to them whilst you subscribe to Apple Music. You will not be able to use match to remove DRM.

Did you make a back up of your original tracks. If could use them with iTunes Match.

Jim

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Answer 2

Apr 25, 2016 10:48 AM in response to Jimzgoldfinch

I've got a backup of my old tracks but I'm afraid of wrong matches so I wanted to do it manually (Listening in to every track)

I have read it in here that if I have both Apple Music + iTunes Match everything should be DRM free.

"If you have both an iTunes Match subscription ($25 per year) and an Apple Music membership ($10 per month), then you get files without DRM."

http://www.macworld.com/article/2943703/how-itunes-match-and-apple-music-work-to gether.html

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Answer 3

Apr 25, 2016 11:25 AM in response to ThomasBereczky

"If you have both an iTunes Match subscription ($25 per year) and an Apple Music membership ($10 per month), then you get files without DRM."

http://www.macworld.com/article/2943703/how-itunes-match-and-apple-music-work-to gether.html

Yes, but the article also points out:

In addition, there seem to be bugs right now, causing many previous matched files to show as Apple Music files, and to contain DRM when downloaded, even for users with iTunes Match subscriptions.

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Answer 4

Apr 25, 2016 11:26 AM in response to Limnos

Great so it supposed to work, it's just buggy! So guys do you have any idea what I could do to fix this bug? 🙂

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Answer 5

Apr 25, 2016 11:39 AM in response to ThomasBereczky

I don't use either service or an iTunes version which can activate it. From the image in the article you link there seems to be a separate activation panel for each service. Maybe you can turn off Music while using Match to upgrade. You will need your old files.

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Answer 6

Apr 25, 2016 11:42 AM in response to Limnos

I'm gonna have to find them on CD I was hoping to just delete the files and redownload them from the cloud, if Apple could confirm it I would wait.

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Answer 7

ed2345

Level 9

63,718 points

Apr 25, 2016 4:41 PM in response to Limnos

Limnos - I have a related question. I would like to get the free trial of Apple Music, and download 40,000 tracks. Then I will subscribe to iTunes Match, upgrade all of them to non-DRM, and then cancel Match. Are there any pitfalls of this approach?

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Answer 8

Apr 25, 2016 11:09 PM in response to ThomasBereczky

Hi,

The matching process for Apple Music is different from iTunes Match. http://www.mcelhearn.com/apple-music-matches-files-with-metadata-only-not-acoust ic-fingerprinting/

I Have used iTunes Match for a number of years and have only had a few mismatches. Although I have both, I Cannot comment on Apple Music mismatches as my music matches with iTunes Store.

Jim

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Answer 9

Apr 25, 2016 11:24 PM in response to ed2345

ed2345 wrote:

Limnos - I have a related question. I would like to get the free trial of Apple Music, and download 40,000 tracks. Then I will subscribe to iTunes Match, upgrade all of them to non-DRM, and then cancel Match. Are there any pitfalls of this approach?

HI,

You cannot upgrade Apple Music tracks to non-DRM using iTunes Match.

I Have both iTunes Match and Apple Music. I subscribed to Apple Music after I had iTunes Match for a few years. Music downloaded from Apple Music has DRM and you can't convert them. Any new music from other sources, CD or mp3 Is either matched or uploaded.

If you have music in your library that you want to upgrade, e.g. Pre 2009 iTunes purchases or low bit rate tracks, I would suggest that you get match first and upgrade tracks to iTunes + then subscribe to apple Music. You will already have an iCloud music library so any music from apple Music will be added.

I Cannot comment on subscribing to Apple Music first. Maybe, someone else can comment on this.

Jim

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Answer 10

ed2345

Level 9

63,718 points

Apr 26, 2016 7:16 PM in response to Jimzgoldfinch

Jimzgoldfinch wrote:

ed2345 wrote:

Limnos - I have a related question. I would like to get the free trial of Apple Music, and download 40,000 tracks. Then I will subscribe to iTunes Match, upgrade all of them to non-DRM, and then cancel Match. Are there any pitfalls of this approach?

HI,

You cannot upgrade Apple Music tracks to non-DRM using iTunes Match.

I Have both iTunes Match and Apple Music. I subscribed to Apple Music after I had iTunes Match for a few years. Music downloaded from Apple Music has DRM and you can't convert them. Any new music from other sources, CD or mp3 Is either matched or uploaded.

If you have music in your library that you want to upgrade, e.g. Pre 2009 iTunes purchases or low bit rate tracks, I would suggest that you get match first and upgrade tracks to iTunes + then subscribe to apple Music. You will already have an iCloud music library so any music from apple Music will be added.

I Cannot comment on subscribing to Apple Music first. Maybe, someone else can comment on this.

Jim

Jim - Thx for the info. 😉

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