Converting iTunes Music
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By Dan Hope
The iTunes Music Store is one of the most popular MP3 download sites because it has an enormous selection of music and videos, and it also syncs seamlessly with the iTunes Music Player. What most people don’t know is that the iTunes Music Player is actually a powerful music converter as well.
The iTunes Music Player can be used to convert many different formats right in the main interface. The choice of output formats is fairly limited, converting files to MP3, WAV, AAC, AIFF and Apple Lossless. The last three music formats are almost exclusively used by Apple products, but MP3 and WAV formats are popular enough that they can be used in every kind of media player.
MP3 downloads and other CD music files can be imported into iTunes Music Player and converted in the process. Or music that is already in iTunes playlists can be converted quickly by right-clicking on the song and clicking on the Convert Selection option. Before doing this, click Edit in the menu bar and select Preferences. In the Preferences menu, select the Importing tab. This will allow you to change the file format and the configuration of files to be converted.
But even though you could theoretically convert your whole music library this way, there is one major problem: the iTunes Music Store Dilemma. This problem stems from the fact that the iTunes Music Player will not convert songs protected by DRM programs. DRM stands for Digital Rights Management and is used by record companies to prevent consumers from illegally copying songs. The iTunes Music Store sells all its songs in a protected AAC format and the DRM protection prevents iTunes users from converting the song tracks to MP3 or any other format. The same holds true for protected songs bought through other music download services.
Many people are frustrated by the iTunes Music Store Dilemma because their media players are not compatible with Apple’s protected AAC format so they cannot play music they have purchased. As a result many companies have begun producing MP3 converters that can convert AAC to MP3 or convert protected WMA to MP3. TopTenREVIEWS has reviewed several of these products, and you can see these reviews on the Audio Converter site.
TopTenREVIEWS also has several other articles about DRM protection for music and DRM removal that can help you learn more about how to convert the music you’ve purchased.
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