# Explain Apple iTunes Match **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 8, 2011, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-apple-itunes-match/584732 "2011-06-08T13:08:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chris\_Luongo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Chris\_Luongo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chris_Luongo)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-apple-itunes-match/584732/1 "2011-06-08T13:08:56Z")
I’m not sure if I’m misunderstanding Apple’s new [iTunes Match](http://www.fastcompany.com/1758202/music-executives-itunes-match-is-an-important-stepping-stone-toward-our-collective-subscript) feature. It seems too good to be true, at only $25 per year. 1. I can somehow upload the music on my personal collection of CDs, and then listen to the same music on any other Apple devices I might own? (I currently only have an older iPod, though.) 2. It says I can do the same thing with music not originally downloaded from iTunes? I know that this message board doesn’t allow discussions of how to commit illegal acts, including music piracy…but am I understanding correctly that one could simply upload pre-existing MP3 files from dubious sources, and as long as iTunes has the same song for sale, it’ll work? 3. What would prevent someone from borrowing CDs from friends and putting them into the system as in #1? 4. Again, I hope the moderators don’t think I’m asking for tips on how to listen to pirated music. I’m just saying that it’s how I’m reading the news article, and it seems too good to be true. Maybe I’m not understanding it correctly. The token amount of $25/year doesn’t seem to be anywhere near enough for artists to get paid for their work, yet it seems like you could just throw all your old Limewire downloads onto the service and get to listen to them legally? Doesn’t make sense. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-apple-itunes-match/584732/2 "2011-06-08T15:23:41Z")
A1. My understanding is that the only music files which get uploaded are those that you did not purchase / is not available from iTunes. A2. See A1, and yes. A3. Honesty - and a limit of 20,000 songs. A4. I think you understand it. $25 a year is more they got from Limewire (at least for the labels, the poor artists are still probably screwed). A related thread [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=611527). ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-apple-itunes-match/584732/3 "2011-06-08T15:28:51Z")
It amounts to them giving away the iTunes version of anything you already have (by fair means or foul, apparently). As they’re giving it away, I wonder if they’re even going to compensate the artists. There’s no technical solution (with the exception of CD-based DRM systems like Son’y much maligned attempt) that would prevent you borrowing CDs and ripping them, but that’s the same as it is right now - if you want to spread a bunch of ripped-borrowed content across all your devices, you can already do it, it’s just more laborious than it looks like it will be in future, if you subscribe to Match. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-apple-itunes-match/584732/4 "2011-06-08T16:13:21Z")
As I understand it, Apple is actually paying music publishers hundreds of millions for the convenience of putting everyone’s music in the ‘cloud’. The $25 is a token amount and will likely fall to zero in a year or two. Apple sees a market advantage in making music more easily available to customers and sees Amazon and Google making strong moves into the space. I take the bulk of this information from the below article in Slate: > **[Apple iCloud: Does Steve Jobs finally get the Web?](https://slate.com/technology/2011/06/apple-icloud-does-steve-jobs-finally-get-the-web.html)** > > Apple has never quite embraced the Internet. Sure, it runs the world's largest digital store, selling more music and apps than anyone else. But if you... ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-apple-itunes-match/584732/5 "2011-06-08T17:08:25Z")
The record labels have agreed to this (Apple is obviously compensating them in some way, but we don’t know the fine details of that). ---
**Author:** ![MobiusStripes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@MobiusStripes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MobiusStripes)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-apple-itunes-match/584732/6 "2011-06-08T17:31:01Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > It amounts to them giving away the iTunes version of anything you already have (by fair means or foul, apparently). As they’re giving it away, I wonder if they’re even going to compensate the artists. Devil’s Advocate: if you already paid for the music, Apple isn’t giving it away. The artist got compensated when you bought the CD. This seems like a form of format shifting. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-apple-itunes-match/584732/7 "2011-06-08T17:41:20Z")
Here is another good [article](http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2011/06/what-you-need-to-know-about-itunes-match-your-questions-answered.ars) to add to the one in Slate. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-apple-itunes-match/584732/8 "2011-06-08T18:17:30Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > It amounts to them giving away the iTunes version of anything you already have (by fair means or foul, apparently). As they’re giving it away, I wonder if they’re even going to compensate the artists. They are not GIVING away anything. You don’t get to download an Apple version of your ill-gained MP3. You can STREAM it to any device. As soon as you stop paying the yearly charge, your ability to hear that song is gone (well, you can still listen to your ill-gained MP3). ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-apple-itunes-match/584732/9 "2011-06-08T18:36:14Z")
This service does not seem all that useful and it is getting less and less useful as time goes on. As flash gets cheaper currently 16 gig mirco SD cards are about $30 and 32 gig cards are around $70. The need to stream you music to your phone gets less and less useful. Streaming a huge library like pandora or similar services are great but streaming your own library seems not all that useful in a era of cheap flash. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-apple-itunes-match/584732/10 "2011-06-08T18:42:03Z")
> [@gazpacho](#): > > not all that useful in a era of cheap flash. iDevices do not contain removable flash memory. This frees up an iPhone’s existing memory in order to dedicate it to video, pictures, etc. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-apple-itunes-match/584732/11 "2011-06-08T19:04:19Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > iDevices do not contain removable flash memory. This frees up an iPhone’s existing memory in order to dedicate it to video, pictures, etc. The argument is not really about removable flash memory it is that flash memory is cheap and getting cheaper. There will always be places where streaming does not work well that are ideal for listening to you ipod. Airplanes and the subway, long road trips etc. So you will need to have local copies of the songs. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-apple-itunes-match/584732/12 "2011-06-08T20:25:10Z")
> [@](#): > > The token amount of $25/year doesn’t seem to be anywhere near enough for artists to get paid for their work, yet it seems like you could just throw all your old Limewire downloads onto the service and get to listen to them legally? Doesn’t make sense. As a rule of thumb, artists don’t get paid for anything you listen to at home, or on an iPod, or on the radio, no matter how you purchased the media. Artists release CDs for the sake of publicity. Those few who make any money worth mentioning at all from their art, do so from tours and other live performances (and even there, it’s mostly from the sale of things like T-shirts). ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-apple-itunes-match/584732/13 "2011-06-08T21:15:20Z")
> [@gazpacho](#): > > This service does not seem all that useful and it is getting less and less useful as time goes on. As flash gets cheaper currently 16 gig mirco SD cards are about $30 and 32 gig cards are around $70. The need to stream you music to your phone gets less and less useful. Streaming a huge library like pandora or similar services are great but streaming your own library seems not all that useful in a era of cheap flash. I have 200GB of music in my home iTunes library. This service makes it possible for me to listen to any of my songs at work, without needing a local copy. I think that’s pretty useful. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-apple-itunes-match/584732/14 "2011-06-08T21:48:14Z")
More info here: [What you need to know about iTunes Match: your questions answered | Ars Technica](http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2011/06/what-you-need-to-know-about-itunes-match-your-questions-answered.ars) Brian ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-apple-itunes-match/584732/15 "2011-06-08T21:58:07Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > I have 200GB of music in my home iTunes library. This service makes it possible for me to listen to any of my songs at work, without needing a local copy. I think that’s pretty useful. I would submit that the vast majority of people have far less music than that. To satisfy my curiosity I made a poll in cafe society about how much music you have. > **[How big is your music library?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=611683)** > > How big is your music library? I am curious because I don’t understand the usefulness of things like Apple’s new streaming service and similar offerings by Amazon and Google. For those of you unfamiliar with the the services a short explanation. You... ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-apple-itunes-match/584732/16 "2011-06-08T22:23:55Z")
This is _not_ a streaming service. You pay $25 a year, and iTunes will analyze your music library for songs you have not bought through iTunes, and allow you to redownload that music through iTunes on other devices. The downloaded files are non-DRMd, 256 kbps AAC files. They’re yours to keep. You can already do this with music you’ve purchased through iTunes - buy it on a Mac/PC, iPod, iPhone, iPad and you can redownload it from any other device. With iTunes Match, you are paying $25 to Apple in order to use their servers to redownload music you have _not_ purchased from them. You are not paying Apple to give you access to music you don’t already have. You’re paying Apple to make it easier to have access to yourmusic from all your devices. It’s a music synchronization service, not a music access service. You can save the $25 by simply synchronizing this music to your iDevices in the standard way (using iTunes). Unless of course you have such a huge library of music that it won’t all fit, but you still want access to it from anywhere. Frankly it sounds rather pointless to me. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-apple-itunes-match/584732/17 "2011-06-08T22:32:05Z")
> [@Absolute](#): > > This is _not_ a streaming service. You pay $25 a year, and iTunes will analyze your music library for songs you have not bought through iTunes, and allow you to redownload that music through iTunes on other devices. > > The downloaded files are non-DRMd, 256 kbps AAC files. They’re yours to keep. > > You can already do this with music you’ve purchased through iTunes - buy it on a Mac/PC, iPod, iPhone, iPad and you can redownload it from any other device. With iTunes Match, you are paying $25 to Apple in order to use their servers to redownload music you have _not_ purchased from them. > > You are not paying Apple to give you access to music you don’t already have. You’re paying Apple to make it easier to have access to yourmusic from all your devices. It’s a music synchronization service, not a music access service. You can save the $25 by simply synchronizing this music to your iDevices in the standard way (using iTunes). Unless of course you have such a huge library of music that it won’t all fit, but you still want access to it from anywhere. > > Frankly it sounds rather pointless to me. It **IS** streaming: > [@](#): > > Though iCloud itself will be free, to fully take advantage of the service, users will need to pay $24.99 for a service called iTunes Match that will scan their iTunes library and make their songs available to be streamed on any Apple device ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-apple-itunes-match/584732/18 "2011-06-08T22:39:46Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > They are not GIVING away anything. You don’t get to download an Apple version of your ill-gained MP3. You can STREAM it to any device. > > As soon as you stop paying the yearly charge, your ability to hear that song is gone (well, you can still listen to your ill-gained MP3). Can you tell me where it says that? Admittedly, it’s sketchy on the details, but the official page doesn’t seem to draw any distinction between the way matched and itunes-purchased tracks will work (except for the obvious bits about the user’s reason for having them) ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-apple-itunes-match/584732/19 "2011-06-08T22:39:53Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > It **IS** streaming: I don’t know where you got that quote. In any case, it’s wrong. Lots of people are confused on this point, because it does seem rather boneheaded of Apple not to allow streaming, but Apple has made it very clear. iCloud allows you to redownload (not stream) purchased music to any Apple device. iTunes Match extends that ability to music you have not purchased from iTunes. That’s it - no streaming. > **[iCloud+](https://www.apple.com/icloud/)** > > iCloud+ provides additional storage and enhanced privacy protections to keep all your photos, files, notes, and more safe and available from anywhere. > **[Where's The iTunes Streaming? It Would Have Crushed the Carriers](https://www.macrumors.com/2011/06/07/wheres-the-itunes-streaming-it-would-have-crushed-the-carriers/)** > > Many readers were perplexed by the lack of an iTunes streaming music service at yesterday's WWDC keynote. Apple instead launched iTunes Match --... ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-apple-itunes-match/584732/20 "2011-06-08T22:46:07Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Can you tell me where it says that? Admittedly, it’s sketchy on the details, but the official page doesn’t seem to draw any distinction between the way matched and itunes-purchased tracks will work (except for the obvious bits about the user’s reason for having them) You are correct. $25 per year gets you the ability to download a 256 kbps, non-DRM AAC file of any music on your computer that Apple sells (and can successfully match). You will have the option to replace your existing, potentially lower-quality copy with the higher-quality copy if you wish. This article, written by a journalist who actually bothered to pay attention to what Apple said, provides more information. > **[What you need to know about iTunes Match: your questions answered](https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2011/06/what-you-need-to-know-about-itunes-match-your-questions-answered/)** > > Will iTunes Match identify you as a dirty pirate to the RIAA? Will your … [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-apple-itunes-match/584732.md?page=2)