iTunes store replacement
 

Hello,

is there any such iTunes store software for Linux? I know there're tons of iTunes look alike players, but I would need to playback music from the store. I have bought several tracks at the iTunes store and would like to use them in Ubuntu, too.

Bye
nJ

I've never gotten into the whole iPod/iTunes thing so I'm afraid I can't try this for myself but I happened to stumble across a site on friday that at least sounds like it might be of use to you.

http://thedarkmaster.wordpress.com/2...ps-and-tricks/

It details the process of moving from iTunes to amaroK (in Gnome on ubuntu).

Hope it helps some.

Unfortunately, that's not quite what I was looking for. I could import the iTunes library into Banshee for instance with no problem at all. *That* kind of compatibility is given.
The problem is, how do I play back and possibly burn tracks I have bought at the iTunes store, that have the DRM on it?

Thanks anyway
nJ

Quick fix
 

You can burn your tracks to CD, it removes the DRM. Then you rip them back and transfer them. It's dirty, but it works. To get a real fix we need to convince Apple that Linux is worth supporting...or that Linux can support itself if Apple cooperates. I posted in Apple's forums, maybe if enough people voice their opinion Apple will listen...maybe.

http://discussions.apple.com/thread....9261&tstart=30

Z Hespelt

Yes, I thought of that... as the very last possibility (got quite some tracks bought there).
I do not understand why Apple doesn't support iTunes on Linux: after all, they run on Mac OS X and I don't think there're technical reasons behind this decision.
iTunes on Wine or Codeweavers is not really an option, since Apple frequently updates iTunes and I don't want to go after that all the time. In another Linux forum, someone suggested to go back and buy the good old CD from the store and rip it for the portable players; but I find that silly and not up-to-date: Good CDs are rare and so I do prefer buying single artists tracks rather than entire CDs (and, yes, those one I buy at the store for sure).
Why is Apple so stubborn at this?

Leave you wondering o_O
nJ

This is a terrible hack and a little embarrassing to propose but... as an alternative to burning all your music to cds and then (re)ripping. You could just create the images and then mount the isos to 'rip' your music. Save a bit of time and a good few CDs... maybe the very 'second-' last possibility?? :) I've given it a go and works in theory.

As I said, a terrible hack but marginally better than your current last possibility...

As yet another alternative, I'm trying to get nero in my windows boot to see a partition as writable/burnable. If it works, you could at least transfer your music in bigger batches... If I get anywhere I'll get back to you.

DRM free, itunes on Linux anyone?
 

Is there any word/plans for a linux client like the old sharpmusique, now that Itunes is going DRM free?

I really can't be faffed with yet another customized/patched copy of wine to get a half functioning version of ITunes store working.

A native Itunes store clinet would really tap into the DRM freeness avaliable, and probably get less jip from Apple since they dont have to try and stop the DRM cracking from happening.

Anyone knows anything, scream.
-Jet

That's not really a hack, it's just a short-cut. There's no difference between a disk image and a disk itself except for the lack of a physical medium. You still have to decode the files into pcm, burn them to the "disk", and re-rip them. It's just makes it a little more convenient because the disk you create exists only on the hard disk and can be more easily disposed of when you're finished with it.

The real problem with the drm>>cd>>nodrm technique is that you're re-encoding from one lossy format to another, which will always result in some degradation of the sound. If only itunes would supply the originals in a lossless format then it wouldn't be a problem. Heck, if they did that and provided some easy way to use it on Linux I might even consider buying something from them.


(For the record, I have interest in giving any money to itunes or most of the other online sellers as long as they follow their current business models, and for three reasons: 1. They use DRM, or at least have until recently, 2. They nearly always distribute only in lossy formats, and ones that I don't want to use at that, and 3. they're seriously overpriced. Your average $12 CD with 65 minutes of music comes out to about 18.5 cents/minute, or less than 75 cents per (4-minute average-length) track. At full lossless quality. With liner notes and sometimes other bonus stuff included. And all on a durable physical medium that can be used directly, loaned to others, or stored away for backup after ripping to hard disk. I would expect even a lossless quality digital file to cost less. I wouldn't pay even a third of that amount for a middling-quality lossy mp3 or aac file. And you couldn't pay me to acccept a DRM-encumbered file.)

[Apologies for the rant.]

Hi David,
Did you mean to say "I have no intererst in giving any money ...."?
Cheers,
jdk

Let sleeping dogs lye
 

I didn't mean to confuse. But I bumped this thread because it was relivant in the original post (I'd come to it from google). I suppose the direction the thread actually went isnt relivant, my bad.

The post you were ranting about is from a few months back.
I'm refering to this http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2007/04/02itunes.html (not specifically the EMI bit, but the DRM free bit)

If we have no DRM on iTunes, A linux client is a possibility, and again, has anyone heard about any rumblings or projects that might be trying it.

And yea, not much wrong with encode to ISO and rip back. But I could never be arsed, and hence left iTunes alone for years. I want to encourage DRM freeness and hence am making an effort to buy music thats free. ;)

Thanks

@David: You're right in all three assumptions - although the first one falls away since Apple sales DRM-less now (and more in the future).
I agree particularly on point 2, i.e. the quality. But from my point, I do like the fact that I can purchase single songs, where I'd need to buy entire CDs otherwise. I do buy them, but rarely, since good music is rare. The risk is I spend about 30 Euros for one CD, but I need only a few songs. So this is a tradeoff I can accept.
I'm still wondering why they do not realize a client for Linux: I presume they do not want to fuel another OS, while they're gaining market shares of the other one from Redmond. *This*, lately, is what I'm considering to be the reason I could burn everything, and leave iTunes store for good.

Do CDs really cost 30 Euros where you are? Depending on the CD, we can get them for 10 - 30 Canadian Dollars here.

I will be interested in the iTunes store option for Linux since I've converted to Linux and don't run Windows. I'm also likely to convert one of my clients to Linux, since he's having a lot of issues with Windows.

Thanks,

Unfortunately, they do where I live (I live in a small town, in the Italian Alps).

True, if I wait for "Nice Price" actions, I still need to spend 12 Euros (although the same CD costs between 5-10 Euros in adjacent but still distant countries).

There seems to be light at the end of the tunnel however: Amazon.com and most amazon.de are selling MP3 @ 256VBR, DRM-free. I've downloaded only the demo file (a complete song however) and quality is good. The decision to use MP3 is well taken after all, since it is the least common format devices can read. Unfortunately, amazon still needs to settle copyright agreements to sell elsewhere than in Germany (for amazon.de) and US/Canada (for amazon.com), so that me, living in Italy, I have to wait that amazon.de allows purchasing.

Amazon offers a client to buy and download music, it is available for several platforms, Gnu/Linux included. See here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/dmusic/help...ef=sv_dmusic_3
My Kudos for such foresight!

So, you really don't need iTunes to buy music. In Linux, I don't run iTunes to play it, so I can nuke it after all. I am glad amazon made this step. I hope they quickly fill their store library and unlock sales to Europe, instead of sole Germany. As soon as they do, iTunes is history (for me).

Your quite right. A friend put me onto Amazon shortly after i posted here. I live in the UK so have the fortune of being able to purchase from them fully DRM free.
I was never a fan of MP3 even in the beginning, but the encoding is clean at at 256 bitrate its good quality. Their software installed well on Fedora 10 and ubuntu Feisty and integrates nicely with the browsers.

While there is no software based browsing with their app (it's purely a download manager) Amazons site itself, previews and general glue holding it together are good. After accidentally buying a remix instead of an original album i now preview all tracks before i buy, having removed the 1 click buy option to avoid stupidity, i've actually quite enjoyed getting music there. While not quite as encouraging as Magnatunes way (where if i play an album streamed more than 3 times i tend to buy it) it works well enough.

All in all it's what i was asking for. Maybe not iTunes store style interface in Amarok, but it lets me browse, buy and play free music on a free os on all my PC's at work and home.

-Jet