What is iTunes Match for?

[applefan289]

What is the point of it if I can just leave automatic downloads on, so anything I purchase from one device is on the others.

The only value I see to this service is the fact that all music is "in the cloud", but again, I see no value in this unless your device is full to capacity and can't store the music. With automatic downloads (and syncing if you're near your computer), I see no reason for iTunes Match.

This is not a rant, but rather a call for help for someone to explain to me the benefits of it.

 

[Mal]

If you purchase all your music from the iTunes Store, there's no advantage to iTunes Match. It's aimed at people who buy or have bought music elsewhere, which may have been imported at lower quality and at the very least is not then available over-the-air when not near your computer, if you don't have space on your device to store it.

jW

 

[applefan289]

If you purchase all your music from the iTunes Store, there's no advantage to iTunes Match. It's aimed at people who buy or have bought music elsewhere, which may have been imported at lower quality and at the very least is not then available over-the-air when not near your computer, if you don't have space on your device to store it.

jW

The criteria to make iTunes Match worth it seems pretty limited.

I guess the main benefit is being able to listen to you ripped music at good quality from anywhere if you don't have it stored on your device from an iTunes sync.

I still don't understand how music from the iTunes store would be better quality than music uploaded from an authentic CD. Unless its like Limewire or something.

 

[ReggaeFire]

I still don't understand how music from the iTunes store would be better quality than music uploaded from an authentic CD. Unless its like Limewire or something.

It's not, and no one claimed it would be. The advantage would be if you bought music from say, eMusic, way in the past when it was all 128 bit mp3 or if you ripped CDs as say 192 bit AAC years ago and don't want to rip them again at a higher bit rate.

For me personally, I have my CDs saved losslessly, but I literally have many thousands of tracks purchased from eMusic, AmieStreet, and Wippit which are at a lower bit rate than what iTunes is offering. For me $25 to upgrade all those albums is a great deal.

 

[BornAgainMac]

It looks like legalized piracy to me.

 

[neil1980]

It looks like legalized piracy to me.

Not at all (although I doubt I will use match)

I have boat loads of CD's that I've bought over the last 20 years or so... all of them painstakingly ripped and on my NAS (got through several drives a few years back when doing it...thanking before I went mac)

My iPhone only has 32GB and I don't want all of that taken up with music as I have apps, books, videos etc. Theres been a fair few times I've wanted to listen to something that I legally own on CD that is on my NAS and I can't.