iTunes going DRM Free - Forums at CNET UK

Pokeh
[Deep Thought]
Joined: 13 Aug 2008
Posts: 2,086

7 January 2009, 01:12 pm

So yesterday I read that iTunes is going DRM Free, to which I thought: Finally!

I have a question though. How do I know what music is DRM free and what isn't? Is it all under iTunes Plus like before, or have Apple decided to keep it all under the "standard" iTunes section?

Hopefully that makes sense, because I can't actually find the iTunes Plus link now.

Edited by Pokeh (Member) on 7 January 2009 at 01:13 pm

DavidRGilson
[Moderator]
Joined: 7 Dec 2007
Posts: 3,354

7 January 2009, 01:18 pm

What about the music you've already bought from them with DRM? Will they let you download a DRM free version of that so that you are completely free, or are they going to say "too bad" to the unfortunates who already bought infected music from them?

Pokeh
[Deep Thought]
Joined: 13 Aug 2008
Posts: 2,086

7 January 2009, 01:23 pm

DavidRGilson says:
What about the music you've already bought from them with DRM? Will they let you download a DRM free version of that so that you are completely free, or are they going to say "too bad" to the unfortunates who already bought infected music from them?

You can upgrade, but at a cost.

I'm thankful i've bought all of my music (Well, it's only one album, I mainly use Spotify nowadays) from 7digital.

DavidRGilson
[Moderator]
Joined: 7 Dec 2007
Posts: 3,354

7 January 2009, 02:01 pm

Excellent post from Mr. Jenkins, I am sooo going to blog about this!

Ellis
[Calculator]
Joined: 8 Jun 2008
Posts: 132

7 January 2009, 02:06 pm

Yeh I don't understand the cost I think it should be free now I'm paying 99p for upgraded songs when before it was completely free.

I also hope the british store will follow the US store because there songs are now alot cheaper that can be chose through tiers of some sort now I think music companies have a choice of $0.99 or $0.69 (lolz 69) which should be brought over here to compete with 7 and amazon

Nate Lanxon
[Administrator]
Joined: 20 Jul 2007
Posts: 2,122

7 January 2009, 02:09 pm

Pokeh, you'll know a song is DRM-free when it says 'iTunes Plus' above the BUY ALBUM button at the top of an album's page. Or by noticing the little grey plus symbol next to songs in search listings and other lists of available songs.

David, you can upgrade your library at a cost of 20p per song. New versions will be downloaded without DRM, replacing the DRMed instances in your library, maintaining play counts, ratings, playlist appearances and so on.

Pokeh
[Deep Thought]
Joined: 13 Aug 2008
Posts: 2,086

7 January 2009, 02:12 pm

Nate Lanxon says:
Pokeh, you'll know a song is DRM-free when it says 'iTunes Plus' above the BUY ALBUM button at the top of an album's page. Or by noticing the little grey plus symbol next to songs in search listings and other lists of available songs.

Okay, thanks for clearing that up. smile

DavidRGilson
[Moderator]
Joined: 7 Dec 2007
Posts: 3,354

7 January 2009, 02:22 pm

Nate Lanxon says:
David, you can upgrade your library at a cost of 20p per song. New versions will be downloaded without DRM, replacing the DRMed instances in your library, maintaining play counts, ratings, playlist appearances and so on.

Indeed. Makes me very pleased I am not an iTunes customer.

Pokeh
[Deep Thought]
Joined: 13 Aug 2008
Posts: 2,086

7 January 2009, 02:35 pm

I'm still debating with myself if I should switch to iTunes for music downloads in the future or if I should stick with 7digital.

On the one hand, happy days, .aac is higher quality than .mp3, but I don't have a good idea of how many applications and how many other devices like mp3 players and phones support the format. It's not a problem for me now, but if it becomes a problem in the future i'll be quite miffed.

DavidRGilson
[Moderator]
Joined: 7 Dec 2007
Posts: 3,354

7 January 2009, 03:17 pm

As long as you know how to drag and drop files, I see no compelling reason to become an iTunes customer.

iTunes has the convenience of being an all in one solution. Although to me at least, I see the freedom of being able to choose the best download prices (i.e. shop around) and which hardware you want to use as an even bigger convenience.

I think Apple have shot themselves in the foot by not allowing the iPod Touch to have a mass storage device mode. They should see that their hold over the music download market is going to slip away, in which case, they could still sell their hardware to people who don't buy music from them. Although in typical Apple style, they instead punish people who don't do things their way.

Edited by DavidRGilson (Moderator) on 7 January 2009 at 03:18 pm