New iTunes steals your ability to turn Apple music into iPod-friendly MP3s

If you're thinking of downgrading to the new iTunes, stop! The new iTunes breaks the ability to convert the music you've bought -- even "DRM-free" songs sold at a 30 percent premium -- into MP3s that will play on your iPod.
While cumbersome, the "buy-burn-rip-to-MP3" workaround has been the primary way to start with a 99 cent iTunes download and end up with an unrestricted MP3 that will play on your Squeezebox, your non-iPod portables, or your MP3-enabled DVD player (it's not about "piracy" -- if that was your bag, you'd have started by downloading the song as an MP3 from the myriad P2P options).

So iTunes users who have an existing library of songs purchased from the iTunes Store may want to consider doing their conversions before they "upgrade" to iTunes 7.2. (Sure, you can "upgrade" some of your DRMd songs to the "DRM-free" higher-quality AAC format for 30 cents each, but remember that this is not currently an option for the vast majority of iTunes tracks.)

Link

Update: Playlist magazine has more on this: "After testing this further, it appears that this problem crops up only when you rip the CD with iTunes. I took the CD made up of protected tracks and ripped it with Amadeus Pro to MP3 format. I brought the resulting tracks into iTunes 7.2 and they transferred to the iPod without a problem."

Update 2: Some people have figured out how to get iTunes to load burned and ripped tracks by rebuilding their libraries. (Thanks, Mark!)

1 Comment

| Leave a comment

i am discusted with itunes..my pc crashed lost all my music, movies and tvshows that were not yet backed up to disc..and they dont care cause they already made money off me.
so a few weeks ago 'upgraded' to windows 7 then noticed itunes completely cleaned out my library.
cant plug in my ipod to itunes because i'm afraid it'll probably erase the uploaded music still on my ipod because its stuff uploaded from my crashed computer.
can anyone suggest a more flexible alternative to itunes? thanks!

Leave a comment

Anonymous

More items

100-word fiction competition — win an HP MediaSmart EX495

The prize is a $700 HP MediaSmart EX495 PC, set up as a Windows home server, with 1.5TB of storage and Mac/Time Machine support. The winner shall be chosen at arbitrary whim. Runners-up get something random from the gadget dungeon. The theme is "Found in Space." 100 words long. Go!... More.

New Catholic video game promises to brings family closer to heaven

A new video game called Mass: We Pray brings new family fun to those who can't wait until Sunday to go to church. It has a cross-shaped motion-sensing controller reminiscent of a Wiimote, and you can collect "grace points" in order to unlock holy mysteries. The release date is slated for Spring 20... More.

Ancient cold-blooded goat had tiny brain and eyes

A slow-moving, cold-blooded goat once lived on the island of Majorca. "They also saved energy by having a brain half the size of hoofed mammals its own size, and its eyes were only a third of the size." (Via Bruce Sterling) ... More.

Chumby One: handsome successor to the cutest computer ever

The Chumby One -- the successor to the incredibly innovative Chumby device -- is just about ready to ship, and is available for $99. Chumby is a cute, squeezable hand-held device that is wide open -- everything from the circuit board designs to the software is open-licensed and freely downloadable.... More.

Moose mounts an American bison statue

This moose gets an A for effort.... More.

Features

Reviews Videos
More Features