# Do you listen to other users' Shared Music in iTunes?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-listen-to-other-users-shared-music-in-itunes/248126>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [June 1, 2004, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-listen-to-other-users-shared-music-in-itunes/248126 "2004-06-01T20:02:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2004, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-listen-to-other-users-shared-music-in-itunes/248126/1 "2004-06-01T20:02:12Z")

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When you use iTunes on a network, you can chose to share your music library (or part of it) with other users. While you have iTunes running, they can play the music, but not copy it onto their computers. And they can’t play stuff you’ve downloaded from the iTunes store unless you authorize their computer.

Does anyone else enjoy this feature as much as I do?

I love to have it at home because the hubby’s computer has much nicer speakers that my laptop, so I can play my music without having to load all of it onto his computer.

There are also about five people at work whose music is sometimes available. Some of them have lots of hot new music, some have lots of great classics, and others . . . uh . . . well, anyway . . . But it’s fun to surf their playlists for old favorites and to try new bands and albums.

So far, I have become obsessed with _Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots_ by the Flaming Lips. Listening to the entire album twice a day at work is not sufficient . . . I may have to buy a copy. Also, the person who is sharing this album sometimes _puts her computer to sleep_ or even _turns it off!_ And then I must listen to something else, and I am sad.

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**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2004, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-listen-to-other-users-shared-music-in-itunes/248126/2 "2004-06-01T23:01:59Z")

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At my office, we generally have 4-6 users (including me) sharing at any one time. And funnily enough, one album that appears in more libraries than any other is _Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots_.

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**Author:** ![IKinSpelGud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/46a35a/32.png) [@IKinSpelGud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IKinSpelGud)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2004, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-listen-to-other-users-shared-music-in-itunes/248126/3 "2004-06-01T23:27:45Z")

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My favorite thing about living on-campus at the University of Oregon (and every other college I’m sure)! Pretty much twenty-four hours a day there are a lot of people online and sharing; as of this moment there are no fewer than twenty-nine other libraries to listen to. Even though most of them suck. College kids don’t usually listen to good music.

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**Author:** ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2004, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-listen-to-other-users-shared-music-in-itunes/248126/4 "2004-06-02T04:09:16Z")

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The girls in my dorm this past year didn’t have music that I listened to–there was a lot of showtunes and Disney stuff. Next year I’m living in a more arty dorm, and I can’t wait for the better music.