Apple Music Why don't Apple offer CD-quality / Lossless music purchases on iTunes Store?

[interbear]

I subscribe to Apple One Premier family plan. As part of that the entire family enjoy using Apple Music streaming amongst it's other services.

However, I'm keen to own music that I particularly like, rather than only rent it via streaming. I've concluded that in the era of CD-quality lossless and high-res music, that reverting to CDs is not the answer. It's old tech and I no longer have anything decent to play CDs on (the X Box does it but not particularly well). So, I'd like to start buying high quality music albums digitally.

As I started to research this I've now realised that all music purchases on iTunes Store are still in lossy MP3/AAC format. Not the same CD-quality lossless or high-res that Apple Music offers via the streaming sub. This is frustrating. Why don't Apple offer high quality downloads via the iTunes Store? I assume it's to keep people locked into the subscription model forever, but they could achieve that by making high quality download purchases only available to subscribers. Seems to me that they are failing their customers here.

Does anyone think that Apple will ever offer this? Or will I be forced to build a separate library of purchased music via Qobuz, HD Tracks or similar providers?

Any other Apple Music users in the same boat, I'd be really interested to hear your experience and recommendations.

 

[Lihp8270]

The only reason they don’t do it is because they can make more money from subscriptions.

 

[interbear]

The only reason they don’t do it is because they can make more money from subscriptions.

Yes I get that but if they only made CD / high-res purchases available to Apple Music subscribers they would get both sources of revenue. Seems a sensible model to me - I'm happy to pay for a streaming sub to discover music and access everything, but I want to buy albums for artists I really like or want to support. I can't do all of that within the Apple Music world is disappointing.

 

[anshuvorty]

Yes I get that but if they only made CD / high-res purchases available to Apple Music subscribers they would get both sources of revenue.

They looked at their revenue and saw that adding this feature would do little to add to their revenue.

There are just not enough people who think or act like you.

Hence, why this feature doesn’t exist in the music app.

 

[Lihp8270]

Yes I get that but if they only made CD / high-res purchases available to Apple Music subscribers they would get both sources of revenue. Seems a sensible model to me - I'm happy to pay for a streaming sub to discover music and access everything, but I want to buy albums for artists I really like or want to support. I can't do all of that within the Apple Music world is disappointing.

Unfortunately purchasing media no longer really supports artists as they get such a tiny percentage.

If you really want to support artists. Go see then live. Recordings these days are just marketing items for live shows

 

[BrianBaughn]

Unfortunately purchasing media no longer really supports artists as they get such a tiny percentage.

If you really want to support artists. Go see then live. Recordings these days are just marketing items for live shows

The vast majority of recording artists available on streaming are deceased.

 

[interbear]

Unfortunately purchasing media no longer really supports artists as they get such a tiny percentage.

If you really want to support artists. Go see then live. Recordings these days are just marketing items for live shows

Agree that live shows are a primary revenue source for artists. I do support live shows.

But I'd like to also buy their music at a decent quality level and I'd prefer to do so via Apple and have a single music library. Seems that's not an option.

 

[pup]

To the original question: if Apple Music is a buggy, featureless mess with a horrid UI and industry trailing content, why would you expect the long forgotten iTunes to receive anything other than the absolute minimum of life support? The answer has nothing to do with money and everything to do with Apple habitually moving their interest and talent to whatever is their product do jour. The reason you can’t buy what you want is simply because there isn’t anyone available to code it.

 

[interbear]

To the original question: if Apple Music is a buggy, featureless mess with a horrid UI and industry trailing content, why would you expect the long forgotten iTunes to receive anything other than the absolute minimum of life support? The answer has nothing to do with money and everything to do with Apple habitually moving their interest and talent to whatever is their product do jour. The reason you can’t buy what you want is simply because there isn’t anyone available to code it.

I was under the impression that Apple Music was a key Apple product / service.

 

[SpaceCrystal]

Well, that's not exactly true. There are songs & albums that features Hi-Res Lossless, Dolby Atmos, or both on iTunes. They just won't tell you. You'll have to buy them & check the albums &/or songs through the Apple Music app.

 

[1885507]

Personally, I don't see buying music, lossy or otherwise, unless it's something I couldn't get through streaming; I don't think Apple does either.

Frankly, we live in a pretty disposable society so streaming music as opposed to investing in a catalog really does cater to that culture.

 

[dewalt23]

It is frustrating. Just add-on to the album price for lossless/spatial etc.

You can buy CD's and import them using iTunes, but it requires a computer.

Would have been interesting if one could hook up a cd-reader to the lightning plug/usb-c and import from iPhone/iPad. Is that doable?

 

[1885507]

You can buy CD's and import them using iTunes, but it requires a computer.

Apples to oranges, not all lossless tracks are created equal.

Red book CDs are only 16-bit/44.1 khz while studio tracks are encoded all the way up to 24-bit/48 kHz; Hi-Res lossless tops out hit 24-bit/192 kHz.

 

[DaPhox]

Probably beacause there is no audible difference to AAC256 files?

 

[Bento.Box]

I usually just buy the CDs and import them into iTunes. Works quite well.
I never bought anything in the itunes store.

You can also buy the flacs from an independent store and convert them to apple lossless.

I guess music isn't making that much money for apple and the storage of lossless tracks costs them money.

 

[WebHead]

The only reason they don’t do it is because they can make more money from subscriptions.

I wouldn't be surprised if there's a technical issue and it will be made possible one day. But yes, for now they're focused on the recurring-revenue model.

 

[JamesMay82]

I subscribe to Apple One Premier family plan. As part of that the entire family enjoy using Apple Music streaming amongst it's other services.

However, I'm keen to own music that I particularly like, rather than only rent it via streaming. I've concluded that in the era of CD-quality lossless and high-res music, that reverting to CDs is not the answer. It's old tech and I no longer have anything decent to play CDs on (the X Box does it but not particularly well). So, I'd like to start buying high quality music albums digitally.

As I started to research this I've now realised that all music purchases on iTunes Store are still in lossy MP3/AAC format. Not the same CD-quality lossless or high-res that Apple Music offers via the streaming sub. This is frustrating. Why don't Apple offer high quality downloads via the iTunes Store? I assume it's to keep people locked into the subscription model forever, but they could achieve that by making high quality download purchases only available to subscribers. Seems to me that they are failing their customers here.

Does anyone think that Apple will ever offer this? Or will I be forced to build a separate library of purchased music via Qobuz, HD Tracks or similar providers?

Any other Apple Music users in the same boat, I'd be really interested to hear your experience and recommendations.

I’m in the same boat and I’m gutted they don’t sell lossless for downloading. I have a fairly large music library which I’ve built over the last 30 + years and it’s all been ripped into iTunes. I abandoned this the other year and went with Apple music which I think is a shame and a waste So I’ve just cancelled Apple Music last week and am going back to my old collection And manually syncing to my phone.

the only problem is I’ve just realised home pods won’t play your itunes and it only works with Apple music 🤷‍♂️

im 40 now so I might just settle on The fact that i Can’t take my music with me so what’s the point of buying it in the first place! I might as well just rent it?

 

[pup]

Due to file system issues, I just had to delete all my downloaded music and now I’m redownloading it all. Interestingly I’m noticing that quite a few of my purchased songs are being downloaded as HLS media. Many more are changing their file kind from Purchased to Protected - no idea what that means for playback or quality. Guess I’ll see when it’s done. Anyway, it does seem like Apple is quietly replacing the content in the store to atmos and lossless.

I’d say 90% of my matched music is being downloaded as HLS.

 

[pup]

So, out of about 2,000 of my old purchased tracks, roughly 400 were downloaded in lossless format. Not great, but it's something I suppose.

But since Apple can't give without taking away, 650 of the tracks downloaded with 128 bit rate. WTF, Apple? Why do those even exist on your servers?

 

[JamesMay82]

So, out of about 2,000 of my old purchased tracks, roughly 400 were downloaded in lossless format. Not great, but it's something I suppose.

But since Apple can't give without taking away, 650 of the tracks downloaded with 128 bit rate. WTF, Apple? Why do those even exist on your servers?

Could the lossless ones maybe be from when you uploaded them to iCloud match at some point?

 

[pup]

Could the lossless ones maybe be from when you uploaded them to iCloud match at some point?

I don’t think I ever ripped anything in lossless back then - disk space was a premium in those days. Plus these are HLS format, which didn’t exist.

 

[JamesMay82]

I don’t think I ever ripped anything in lossless back then - disk space was a premium in those days. Plus these are HLS format, which didn’t exist.

Very odd then. Maybe it’s a sign they are moving to lossless for purchase as well

 

[JamesMay82]

Just to add to this post I've recently just started buying my lossless tracks from that HD tracks website and ititss very good but very expensive. its twice the price of the CD but technically its at a higher RIP than I could do on iTunes as they do 24 bit.

what Mac software can rip CD at 24 bit?

and also I still don't get why apple don't sell the lossless music. it won't affect their streaming business and would most likely add to their bottom line albeit a few million is peanuts in their world now!

 

[cateye]

a few million is peanuts in their world now!

There's your answer. You might ask yourself why almost no one sells high res audio files. Because the market is only big enough to support a handful of small operators who have to charge significantly higher prices selling a product that, for most of the population, is indistinguishable from the more broadly available versions.

Not every variation on a product deserves to be sold. Corollary: just because you want something doesn't mean anyone else wants it. And if that's the case, then there's no money to be made. The end.

 

[Sertrand Berlet]

Just to add to this post I've recently just started buying my lossless tracks from that HD tracks website and ititss very good but very expensive. its twice the price of the CD but technically its at a higher RIP than I could do on iTunes as they do 24 bit.

what Mac software can rip CD at 24 bit?

and also I still don't get why apple don't sell the lossless music. it won't affect their streaming business and would most likely add to their bottom line albeit a few million is peanuts in their world now!

You can't rip a CD at 24 bit. CD audio is 16 bit, 44.1 kHz. What you can do, but shouldn't, is convert a CD rip to a 24 bit file, but it's completely useless. The only thing you're digitally adding are zeroes.