iTunes Dilemma?

[triton]

Hi,

I want to buy some music on iTunes, however I am a bit concerned about one thing. If I download it on to my Hard Drive, is it true that the song can only be transferred on up to 5 computers? Does that mean that I can't copy the song to my powerbook and my computer at work without it already taking up three of my five total copying rights?

Is there a way around this? If I burn it to disc, can I transfer it to as many computers as I like? BTW, how many discs can you burn the song on. I am not interested in sharing my music with other people, but just would like to have some flexibility with the music I pay for.

Thank you!

 

[Applespider]

Your PB and your computer at work will take up two of your '5 computers' but if you stop using them (ie they get upgraded/lost), you can deauthorise those computers and use another 2. If you're not planning on sharing, having the songs on 3 computers at a time should be enough.

You can burn them and re-import them but you might lose some sound quality doing that - i guess it depends how much of an audiophile you are.

 

[mkrishnan]

If you burn it to disc as an AUDIO track, on an AUDIO cd, then yes, you can re-rip it as a non-protected file, and do whatever you want with it. I think the number of discs you can burn is around 8 or 10, but the rules have changed a couple times and I lost track. Basically, unless you're burning and giving away discs, it shouldn't be an issue. FWIW you are legally allowed to do that, within the limits.

As for the number of authorized computers, it is five at a time, or whatever the number is, but you can de-auth a computer so that you can add a new one at any time. The de-auth'd computer will not be able to play protected tracks.

But, while I appreciate that everyone has the right to whine about something, what exactly were you expecting? I don't think any other legal d/l service is significantly more permissive than iTunes, and you're certainly welcome to buy CDs instead of online music....the legal rights you get explicitly with a song purchased online are more liberal than CDs ever were -- you don't have any truly entrenched right to give mix cd's to your friends if the songs were ripped from the physical cds you own....

 

[FlamDrag]

The last time I checked, you could burn a <b> playlist</b> up to 8 times, but there wasn't a restriction on how many times an individual song could be burned.

 

[triton]

So I can deauthorize a computer, thus meaning that the computer will no longer be able to play iTunes tracks? Then later add it to another computer and so on etc.

How does one deauthorize a computer so you can't play iTunes tracks. And I suppose then there is some sort of tracking device in the songs that keeps track of all of this?

Also, if I were to keep it on a firewire drive, could I plug it into as many computers as I like?

 

[Tuned MP5T]

I thought you can only authorize three computers?

 

[mkrishnan]

So I can deauthorize a computer, thus meaning that the computer will no longer be able to play iTunes tracks? Then later add it to another computer and so on etc.

How does one deauthorize a computer so you can't play iTunes tracks. And I suppose then there is some sort of tracking device in the songs that keeps track of all of this?

Also, if I were to keep it on a firewire drive, could I plug it into as many computers as I like?

IIRC the tracks will stay there but be unplayable. And yes, you can re-auth the computer later if you want to.

To deauthorize: click on Advanced -> Deauthorize Computer. There should be a similar command that says authorize on a computer that is not currently authorized. The item right below it, Check for Purchased Music, should be able to get you all your purchased files on the other computer. The auth system works via the internet, but you can listen to auth'd music when you're not connected. Since you have to de-auth a computer from that computer, except in special circumstances, I'm not sure what would happen if you de-auth'd a computer but tried to listen to music without ever connecting that computer to the net again....but probably not the greatest solution.

As for the FW drive, I doubt it would work. You could do it to avoid having multiple copies, I think, but I'm pretty sure it will not circumvent the authorization system.

Hope that helps!

 

[triton]

Ok, I think I get it.

Just a couple more questions. It says that you can only burn a playlist up to 7 times. However, what is the max you can burn a song onto cd? Let's say you don't have it on a playlist, or you remix the playlist more than 7 times. Is there a limit to how many times you can burn a single song?

Also, when you deathorize a computer, how to you get the songs you've purchased onto another computer?

And one last question. When you rip your own music onto iTunes, and then let's say back it up so you can transfer it to another computer, it doesn't follow the same rules as does the purchased music on iTunes does, does it?

IIRC the tracks will stay there but be unplayable. And yes, you can re-auth the computer later if you want to.

To deauthorize: click on Advanced -> Deauthorize Computer. There should be a similar command that says authorize on a computer that is not currently authorized. The item right below it, Check for Purchased Music, should be able to get you all your purchased files on the other computer. The auth system works via the internet, but you can listen to auth'd music when you're not connected. Since you have to de-auth a computer from that computer, except in special circumstances, I'm not sure what would happen if you de-auth'd a computer but tried to listen to music without ever connecting that computer to the net again....but probably not the greatest solution.

As for the FW drive, I doubt it would work. You could do it to avoid having multiple copies, I think, but I'm pretty sure it will not circumvent the authorization system.

Hope that helps!

 

[mcmav37]

Ok, I think I get it.

Just a couple more questions. It says that you can only burn a playlist up to 7 times. However, what is the max you can burn a song onto cd? Let's say you don't have it on a playlist, or you remix the playlist more than 7 times. Is there a limit to how many times you can burn a single song?

Also, when you deathorize a computer, how to you get the songs you've purchased onto another computer?

And one last question. When you rip your own music onto iTunes, and then let's say back it up so you can transfer it to another computer, it doesn't follow the same rules as does the purchased music on iTunes does, does it?

There is not a limit on how many times you can burn a song, only a limit on how many times you can burn a specific playlist. So, yes, just mix up the order or create a new playlist with your favorite song and you'll be able to burn it.

Right now, you have to manually transfer the files to the other computer (over a network, via a flash drive, etc). This is one of the only limitations of iTunes that I see right now: you cannot simply log in to your iTMS account and have it download all the songs you have ever bought. This is why the software tells you to backup your songs. So, just transfer the song files to the new computer and when you try to play them for the first time, it will ask you to authorize that computer by signing into iTMS (just the first time, though).

All of the limitations/authorizing that are being discussed here apply only to iTMS songs. Your other music--ripped from CD or otherwise aquired--is free of any limitations.

All in all, it is a very fair system.

 

[MisterMe]

I thought you can only authorize three computers?

The limit was increased to five.

 

[BWhaler]

It's the music companies, not Apple, but it sucks. Apple set the bar for the best rights for consumers, but it still sucks.

But if this going to be a problem for you, google is your friend. Hymn.

 

[solvs]

All your questions shall be answered:

http://www.apple.com/itunes/

 

[triton]

What happends if for example I rip all my cd's onto iTunes. And then I download some songs, and of course mix these into a library with all of my ripped cd's. If I ever have to switch computers one day, I have to remember which songs I downloaded so as to back them up correctly before deauthorizing a computer.

 

[rdowns]

What happends if for example I rip all my cd's onto iTunes. And then I download some songs, and of course mix these into a library with all of my ripped cd's. If I ever have to switch computers one day, I have to remember which songs I downloaded so as to back them up correctly before deauthorizing a computer.

No problem, iTunes maintains a smart playlist called Purchased Music. All your iTMS purchases will be located there as well as any other playlist you desire.

 

[mkrishnan]

No problem, iTunes maintains a smart playlist called Purchased Music. All your iTMS purchases will be located there as well as any other playlist you desire.

Oops, I'm sorry, I thought that if you chose the search for purchased music option, it would download them. Guess I'm wrong. But yes, the playlist ought not be too hard to use. You should be able to just burn that playlist directly to a data or MP3 cd instead of an audio CD, and that way, unless you have more than 700 megs of purchased music, you just carry the CD over to your other computer and import it, I guess....

Can anyone confirm that, since I was wrong about the other thing? You choose the data/MP3 cd option in preferences, IIRC.

 

[mcmav37]

Oops, I'm sorry, I thought that if you chose the search for purchased music option, it would download them. Guess I'm wrong. But yes, the playlist ought not be too hard to use. You should be able to just burn that playlist directly to a data or MP3 cd instead of an audio CD, and that way, unless you have more than 700 megs of purchased music, you just carry the CD over to your other computer and import it, I guess....

Can anyone confirm that, since I was wrong about the other thing? You choose the data/MP3 cd option in preferences, IIRC.

The download purchased music option will allow you to download music you have already purchased, but have not downloaded yet. i.e. music that you tried to download but the transmission got interrupted (for whatever reason). It does not allow you to go to a newly authorized computer and download everything you have every paid for (yet... maybe that is coming?). That is why you need to back up your music and why you need to transfer your songs to a new computer and then authorize it when trying to play them for the first time there.

Yes, you can choose to burn an MP3/data CD in preferences and you could use this to move all of your music to a new computer--downloaded or ripped from CD's.

 

[triton]

In terms of transferring songs over to another computer:does that mean that I should keep my downloaded songs in one playlist, and the ripped cd's in another? Or should I just intermingle them in the same library, back them ALL up, transfer them onto the new computer, authorize it and then everything should be ok? Ripped songs and purchased songs?

 

[mkrishnan]

In terms of transferring songs over to another computer:does that mean that I should keep my downloaded songs in one playlist, and the ripped cd's in another? Or should I just intermingle them in the same library, back them ALL up, transfer them onto the new computer, authorize it and then everything should be ok? Ripped songs and purchased songs?

iTunes automatically has a playlist that just contains purchased songs. As for the ones you downloaded but didn't purchase, dunno. I guess what you can do is put something in the comments field or something like that, and then use it with the search bar to find them.

 

[mcmav37]

In terms of transferring songs over to another computer:does that mean that I should keep my downloaded songs in one playlist, and the ripped cd's in another? Or should I just intermingle them in the same library, back them ALL up, transfer them onto the new computer, authorize it and then everything should be ok? Ripped songs and purchased songs?

First of all, all of your songs, be definition, intermingle in your library. iTunes does create a separate playlist for all of your purchased music, but there is no reason to not create playlists that are a mixture of both.

The only reason I could see for not transferring all of your songs over the same way is if you, for some reason, wanted to re-rip your CD songs.

When I got my iMac, I did the transfer over firewire, so I didn't have to make a CD, but I just navigated through my iBook's folders and found all the song files I wanted and dropped them into iTunes on the iMac. Very simple... I didn't even pay attention to which were iTMS songs and which weren't. Try to play an iTMS song and you are prompted to authorize, but after that, it all works just like you would expect it to. (One caveat is that purchased music goes into the "Purchased Music" playlist only on the computer it was purchased from. So, the music I purchased while still on my iBook is not in my iMac's "Purchased Music" playlist, but that really doesn't make a difference. Just FYI)