iTunes Match Rejects Big Music Collections Bought Elsewhere
Yesterday, we reported that iTunes Match finally launched alongside Apple’s iCloud service. We also reported that it allows the uploading of up to 25,000 songs purchased from iTunes and non-iTunes outlets.
Well it appears that if your library contains more than 25,000 songs not purchased from iTunes, you cannot use iTunes Match. Period. The details:
iTunes purchased tracks do not count against this limit so either you have fewer than 25,000 non-iTunes tracks, or you’re simply out of luck. There’s not even an option to upload portions of your library, or even some of your favorite playlists. You just get shown the door. The only way around it appears to be having to feed iTunes Match an entirely new library.
This does not fair well in the case of some music lovers who’ve ripped 1000s of CDs over the years, and cannot store their music in the Apple cloud. What about music purchased from Amazon, Bandcamp, or even direct from the artist’s website?
This may lead Apple users to resent the service altogether, and take their libraries – and their business – elsewhere.
This post is by regular Hypebot contributor, musician, and independent music business professional - Hisham Dahud (@HishamDahud)
where’s the point?
Even if you bought MORE than 25k songs from iTunes you CAN’T upload them all.
It’s not a question of non-iTunes track. It’s a problem of number of songs.
Braccinocorto, I believe you are mistaken. It appears that you can have access to an unlimited number of songs that were purchased through the iTunes store. However, you cannot get access to more than 25,000 songs that were NOT purchased from the iTunes store. So if you have 50,000 songs that were bought from the iTunes store and 5,000 songs from elsewhere, you should be fine.
Also, Apple is probably doing this to encourage users to buy more music from their iTunes store, which I have to admit, is good thinking on their part as a way to increase revenue. Now just because it’s a good idea on paper, doesn’t mean it will be well received.
We should also keep in mind that it may be their one and only line of defence against music piracy. Users can access music from regardless of whether they acquired it legally or not, so what if someone has 25K+ of illegally downloaded music? At least they are limiting that user’s access to their stolen music.
Just some food for thought, y’all.
Is the cap simply 25,000 songs not purchased through iTunes, or does the cap of 25,000 only apply to songs that need to be uploaded which are not available for purchase through iTunes (because they are out of print, etc.)? That was never clear to me.
Also, does anyone know if downloaded podcasts can be saved to the cloud via iTunes Match?
There’s a trick around it to get at least some of your songs matched/uploaded:
http://www.macrumors.com/2011/11/14/how-to-use-itunes-match-with-very-large-itunes-libraries/
Basically, you create a new library, and put in it what you want in iTunes Match.
25,000 songs is a big number! What percentage of your library do you actually listen to?
We have moved on from 10 years ago, when we downloaded music just because we could to a time when we no longer need to download it. So there is no need to have 10,000+ songs on your library that you have listened to once or less.
I have a lot less music then that in my library (17K) but still find that I listen to about 10% regularly and about 20% I have never listened to or have no intention of ever listening to again. It’s on there because I use to have all my friends and family’s iPods connected to my computer and with that came different tastes. I also deleted about 3,000+ songs recently and if I had time would do so again.
So a small number of people will repel the service due to this restriction, but they can go to MOG or Spotify and and the vast majority of iCloud users will never even notice.
So either delete all the music you’re never gonna listen to or find a different service, but don’t complain that you can’t match 25,000+ songs that would take you 75days to listen to!
How many of a 25, 000 song library do you reckon people paid for? At nominally 2500 albums not too many I guess. Stop moaning that you haven’t got enough room to stash your illegal goods on a service.
I have been buying music since I remember buying first LP in 1976 and at one time had 1000s of CDs. I have since ripped them, but I bought the music. I also have quite a bit of music that I have purchased directly from bands.
It is my library that I paid for so I do have a right to moan if I want. Regardless of if I listen to all of it, I want access to all of what I paid for. I should not have to delete what I purchased.
Sure I am not the average iTunes user, but I am a hardcore fan of music, who has built up a great library of music I love. I know I am not the only person like this.
I guess because I spent too much money on music with other people than Apple I am out of luck.
I must be about as old as Michaelsb above. If one buys 3 albums per week for 20-30-40 years, well, you do the math.
But, the music business has an important message: “You listen to TOO MUCH MUSIC!!”
Actually, the music business is saying, “We don’t care that you purchased the same music from us possibly multiple times on multiple formats, we want you to do it yet again and again in another 10 or so years.”.
Man there’s going to be a lot of people not using this service…
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That’s actually inaccurate. As long as the songs are in the iTunes store there is no limit. You could essentially have the entire iTunes store on icloud.