iTunes and mp3

I've been hearing a lot about iTunes recently so I decided to check it out. I have an mp3 player (not an iPod) so it was important to me to be able to download the music I buy in mp3 format. The iTunes download page had this statement:

“iTunes encodes high-quality MP3s as well as pristine AAC, all in a free application.“

Based on this I decided to give it a go. So I downloaded iTunes and purchased one song then I discovered that while iTunes player supports mp3, you cannot save songs you buy from iTunes.com as mp3 (I'm guessing because they have no way to enforce the usage license). I really like the iTune player's UI but the inability to save to mp3 is a showstopper for me. I do however understand that music vendors do need some format with digital rights management capabilities (e.g. WMA) so looks like mp3-only players are headed for obsolescence. Time to find out whether my mp3 player supports WMA then go buy music from some other online retailer.

Comments

• Anonymous
  November 24, 2003
  You can burn your iTunes.com music to CD, then import them in MP3 format with iTunes. Kind of a work around, but when you have more than 3 machines like I do, it's nice to play the music where ever you want and it should work for your MP3 player.
• Anonymous
  November 24, 2003
  I like some of the rights that come with iTunes, like the unlimited burning... but... I would hate having to do a workaround like that just so I could use them on my tiny portable. Don't get me wrong, I love iPods, but I won't cough up $500 to get one so I can pay a grand total of $10500 to fill it with legal music. I can't even find 10 songs I like anymore.
• Anonymous
  November 24, 2003
  The comment has been removed
• Anonymous
  November 25, 2003
  The comment has been removed
• Anonymous
  December 03, 2003
  I use the Nomad - supports MP3 and WMA. I have the 30GB version they go up to 60GB. I have 51 of my own CDs ripped on it, plus downloads from places like buymusic.com. I am very happy with it, and no proprietary formats!
• Anonymous
  December 13, 2003
  They do the MP3 thing to appease the record labels. It's not gonna fly with record execs without a little DRM. I'm actually surprised Apple got away with what they've done.
• Anonymous
  December 30, 2003
  So I go and buy all this music from Apple, works great on desktop, but then I buy my wife a Rio Chiba and I can't transfer the music I bought from Apple to the Rio? What a rip off. And, on my OSX, the protected files stay proitected files even when I burn a disk, and try to import them back in as MP3s. They stay AAC. Do I return my computer or the Rio?
• Anonymous
  March 02, 2004
  If you drink lots & lots of Pepsi products that have the 1 in 3 chance of getting a free iTune you might be able to fill up 40GB.
  
  But I am sure theres a medical side effect(s) to that much, pop, soda of whatever.
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  April 10, 2004
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  May 10, 2004
  play it
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  May 28, 2004
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  June 08, 2009
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