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PyMusique delivers iTMS access, DRM-free songs

updated 11:45 am EST, Fri March 18, 2005

PyMusique for iTMS

Three developers have released PyMusique, a music utility that claims to let users download music from Apple's iTunes store without any plackback restrictions. The songs bought with PyMusique, which claims to be " The fair interface to the iTunes Music Store," are not protected Apple's FairPlay DRM technology, allowing users to playback the songs on any number of computers and bypassing the 5-computer limit imposed by FairPlay. Based on the Python scripting language, the application is a clearl violation of Apple's Terms of Service, which prohibits access to the iTunes Music Store from any other application other than the iTunes application. PyMusique allows users to preview songs, sign up for an iTunes account, buy new songs, and redownload previously purchased songs, a feature not available for users of iTunes.

by MacNN Staff

(26)

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industry, digital music/video

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Ganesha
Senior User

Joined: Jul 2002

0

03/18, 12:09pm | report spam | close Reply |
I wonder...

Funny how they release it under GPL. I wonder what they would think if someone violated the GPL on their code. After all, if the GPL is TOO restrictive on MY RIGHTS, I should be allowed to break it right?

horvatic
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Apr 2002

0

03/18, 12:14pm | report spam | close Reply |
NO

I predict he will be getting a call from Apple's lawyers very soon and his software will be gone.

Clive
Mac Enthusiast

Joined: Jan 2001

0

03/18, 12:21pm | report spam | close Reply |
Funny

Is Apple really stupid enough to put the DRM wrapping process on the client side, or is there some other explanation!?

sunrunnerfire
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Aug 2002

0

03/18, 01:22pm | report spam | close Reply |
mhm

I predict these guys will have their nads nailed to the wall in short order. Im sure we will also see a mandatory iTunes patch in the next few days

chas_m
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Aug 2001

0

03/18, 01:47pm | report spam | close Reply |
Soooo sued

These guys are.

cmoney
Mac Enthusiast

Joined: Sep 2000

0

03/18, 02:05pm | report spam | close Reply |
Re: GPL

Good point. Someone should do it to them just to prove a point! Violate that GPL to show them how rediculous their argument is.

resuna
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jan 2005

0

03/18, 02:07pm | report spam | close Reply |
How would you do that?

How would you violate the GPL on a program written in a scripting language? Not ship the source? Uh... that's how it runs...

jrome
Junior Member

Joined: May 1999

0

03/18, 02:12pm | report spam | close Reply |
Why defend Apple?

Do you prefer buying from iTMS with Digital Restrictions Management features? I'd rather the tunes I buy not be so encumbered, which is why Apple won't be selling me any more iTunes as long as they are DRM-crippled.

As far as nailing these guys, how do you propose Apple does that? They've designed software that interfaces with iTMS. Unless they have signed a contract prohibiting them from accessing the iTMS servers, I can't see a problem. This is like Apple reverse-engineering the document format for Word or PowerPoint. Should MS be able to sue Apple for that?

cmoney
Mac Enthusiast

Joined: Sep 2000

0

03/18, 02:21pm | report spam | close Reply |
Re: How would you do that

Point isn't how to do it, it's why would the release it with license restrictions when the point of it is to break someone else's license restrictions? What makes their license more valid than the iTMS license?

JoshFofer
Junior Member

Joined: Nov 1999

0

03/18, 02:42pm | report spam | close Reply |
DRM

Clive asked: "Is Apple really stupid enough to put the DRM wrapping process on the client side, or is there some other explanation!?"

No the files have DRM on the server, I'm thinking PyMusique just strips it off after the download is complete ... much in the same way Hymn (and it's Java offshoot jHymn) does.

ibugv4
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jun 2003

0

03/18, 02:53pm | report spam | close Reply |
DRM and all that stuff

I have no problem with iTMS, I use music on an iPod and 4 Macs... i do not understand why people seem to think that Apple's DRM is ":crippling" .... I can easily use iMovie to make an AIFF of the file, then add that AIFF into anything I want to, even recompress to MP3. The iTunes-to-CD-to-MP3 also works for me and well, everyone else that needs to send a bought file to someone else without sharing their authorization to another computer.

JoshFofer
Junior Member

Joined: Nov 1999

0

03/18, 03:11pm | report spam | close Reply |
Clarification

Just read more about PyMusique at Engadget.com. I guess the DRM *is* placed on the file, on the client side!

"Seems that our good friend discovered that when you buy something from the iTMS, the DRM is only added to the tracks after you�ve purchased and downloaded them, which sort of makes sense since they do need to be tagged to your account. You�ll still have to actually pay for the music, but PyMusique conveniently neglects to wrap the file with any copy protection, which means you�re free to do what you want with the unrestricted file, including copying it to multiple machines or sharing it over P2P."

adamschneider
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Dec 1999

0

03/18, 03:30pm | report spam | close Reply |
busy lawyers

Maybe these guys figured Apple's legal department was too busy with the "Super shuffle" and the "IPOD mini" at the moment?

porieux
Baninated

Joined: Mar 2001

0

03/18, 03:31pm | report spam | close Reply |
DRM is not Apple's fault

Blame the record labels.

legacyb4
Mac Elite

Joined: May 2001

0

03/18, 03:53pm | report spam | close Reply |
Catch 22

The problem is though, the harder that guys like this make it for Apple to sell music with fairly lax DRM schemes, the worse off the average consumer is as the labels lean harder on Apple to 'fix things' according to their standards...

bigpoppa206
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jun 2003

0

03/18, 04:31pm | report spam | close Reply |
Re: Why defend Apple?

"Do you prefer buying from iTMS with Digital Restrictions Management features? I'd rather the tunes I buy not be so encumbered, which is why Apple won't be selling me any more iTunes as long as they are DRM-crippled."

Then don't buy from iTunes! Look, Apple had to make agreements and place restrictions as per those agreements with the music industry in order to license the tracks available.

jimothy
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Sep 2000

0

03/18, 04:57pm | report spam | close Reply |
re: Why defend Apple?

"Apple won't be selling me any more iTunes as long as they are DRM-crippled."

Oh, Steve Jobs just called. He said he really doesn't give a sh*t.

In all honestly, why do people say c*** like this? Aside from the fact that for every crybaby who says they won't buy from a company again, there's a million more that are happy to, there's the fact that Apple won't miss you as a customer if you're so intent on ripping them and the music industry off.

BestBuy may have given themselves a temporary black eye when it was revealed that they characterize customers as "good" and "bad" (based on likelihood to spend, buy only sale items, and return purchases and the resulting profit they contribute to the copnay), but the truth is every business has "good customers" and "bad customers." In this vein, you're what Apple would consider a "bad customer" and Apple is happy to see you leave.

I'm honestly not trying to be demeaning; just brutally honest. Just as God is too busy to listen to your prayer for Kentucky to win the NCAA tourney, Apple is too busy making money to hear you whine about not being able to "share" music with your one billion anonymous friends.

MisterWizard
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jun 2004

0

03/18, 05:15pm | report spam | close Reply |
No Difference

"Apple won't be selling me any more iTunes as long as they are DRM-crippled." Why do you think that this DRM is crippled? If I go out and buy a CD I have a CD. If I buy from Apple I get the songs instantly, burn a CD and now I have a CD... Wow BIG difference... Oh wait... I didn't even have to leave my house...

Jonathan-Tanya
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Oct 2004

0

03/18, 07:11pm | report spam | close Reply |
I agree, drm is ok

Even though yesterday I talked about allofmp3.com being only about 12 cents per song (estimated, its actually purchased on a per MB basis)...and being completely drm free, being a legit service its not seeded with garbage files, and has about 200k songs to choose from...

I was really just jabbing at apple because they sue their own fan sites.

as far as itunes drm goes, I've personally never run into an issue with it...I have a couple computers and an ipod now, and I move my songs around and occasionally burn them to CD... it's not frustrating and most of all, no one is trying to grab extra money to do something that should be simple...it is simple.

Miniryu
Mac Elite

Joined: Oct 1999

0

03/18, 09:06pm | report spam | close Reply |
Apple still makes money

I honestly don't think Apple will jump at PyMusique unless the record companies pressure them to. From what I understand, the user still needs to purchase the songs and Apple will still get their money. If anything, it will raise their sales because people who didn't like their DMR will now buy music. The record companies will eventually complain, and it won't be until that happens that PyMusique will get shut down.

jrome
Junior Member

Joined: May 1999

0

03/18, 11:31pm | report spam | close Reply |
Jimothy invents facts

Jimothy, you're so wrong on so many levels, I've got to put you back in your place. You may be able to support your argument with invented facts, but allow me to point out all the things you said that are patently false.

You wrote, "Oh, Steve Jobs just called. He said he really doesn't give a sh*t." Obviously that's a joke, but he didn't call, and I bet he does care about how much Apple's customers like using iTMS, although he won't lose sleep over my decision.

You wrote, "Aside from the fact that for every crybaby who says they won't buy from a company again, there's a million more that are happy to, there's the fact that Apple won't miss you as a customer if you're so intent on ripping them and the music industry off." You think there are a million iTMS customers for every one who skips the store b/c of the DRM? I personally know *3* people who won't buy for that reason. I'll guess Apple has 5-10 million iTMS customers. You think there are only 2 others with my point of view? I bet for every guy who "says that," Apple has approximately one customer. Think they'd like to double their sales? And I don't download tunes from Kazaa, et.al.; but just last month I bough 11 DRM-free CDs for about $80 (used CDs from Amazon, mostly).

You wrote: "BestBuy may have given themselves a temporary black eye when it was revealed that they characterize customers as "good" and "bad" (based on likelihood to spend, buy only sale items, and return purchases and the resulting profit they contribute to the copnay), but the truth is every business has "good customers" and "bad customers." In this vein, you're what Apple would consider a "bad customer" and Apple is happy to see you leave." Why would Apple consider me a bad customer? I've bought 2 new desktops & 2 new laptops in the last 5+ years. Subscribed to .Mac for 3. Bought 6 OS upgrades. Bought QT Pro probably 5 times. And an iPod. And an iSight. And an AirportExpress. And even a couple of songs from iTMS when it was first announced.

You wrote: "I'm honestly not trying to be demeaning; just brutally honest. Just as God is too busy to listen to your prayer for Kentucky to win the NCAA tourney, Apple is too busy making money to hear you whine about not being able to "share" music with your one billion anonymous friends." Did I whine? I won't address that. But let me assure, Apple's DRM does not prevent file-sharers from sharing the tunes; they'll just re-rip & post it for kicks. But it sure makes it harder to engage in fair use; I can't play the tunes on my Treo, or my TiVo because of the DRM-wrapper. I could re-rip everything, but why make us jump through that hoop? Dedicated infringers don't care about the hoops will infringe anyways; current DRM is not designed to combat that. Rather, they try to deter fair-use, so you'll have to buy your music all over again in 5 years.

All with 100 character

MacLives
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Feb 2004

0

03/19, 03:37am | report spam | close Reply |
how to run on a mac?

Anybody know how to run the s*cker on a Mac?

I need the information. ;-)

xianman
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Feb 2005

0

03/19, 05:42am | report spam | close Reply |
Who buys from iTMS?

I just want to back up jrome by saying I won't buy music from the iTMS either because of drm. I can go and buy a CD that has NO DRM for not much more, plus I get fancy pants artwork to go with it. Not to mention I can rip at any quality I want. I personally prefer 160kbs aac right now but one of these days I might want to go back and re-rip everything with a lossless compressor.

I hope the big record labels can find it in their hearts one of these days to chill out and put drm out to pasture.

So who else does/does not buy from the iTMS and why?

Kirke
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Oct 2004

0

03/19, 01:44pm | report spam | close Reply |
Great for singles

With the iTMS you can try a new artist for a few bucks without getting an entire album. Or just pick up the new songs on those greatest hits albums that include 1 or 2 new songs (since as a fan you have all their greatest hits already). Or get 5 gift cards for the price of 4 from Amazon (a deal they offered once and may repeat) and thereby get songs for 80 cents and albums for $8. And the convenience can't be beat. I still buy CDs and used CDs, but the iTMS give me more options.

One thing that definitely true, the iTMS has lead me to buy albums I never could have purchased before. This is mostly due to the free song of the week and the occasional free sampler albums. And the 30-second samples of course.

PBG4 User
Senior User

Joined: Feb 2001

0

03/20, 03:58pm | report spam | close Reply |
Re: Who buys from iTMS?

I've only downloaded the free songs from iTMS. I won't buy songs because I think the songs should be of lossless quality. I buy bands that make good albums, not just a good song or two so for me buying the actual CD then encoding at whatever rate works better for me. Besides, this way I get album art, liner notes & song lyrics as well as the music at CD quality.

alex627
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Oct 2004

0

03/21, 08:16pm | report spam | close Reply |
Some of you are

just retarded. Apple can't sue them. So please be quiet. I am an Apple shareholder but even I am saddened by how far some of you are up Apple's Arse. I am quite convinced that if Steve Jobs or Apple's board of directors came to your house and commandeered it under the name of Apple's Emminent Domain you would gladly give up all rights to your person and become the whores that you are!

You suck at the corporate teet.

I love Apple Computer. But believe me, as soon as you glad-asses stop jacking up the share price I am so out of here. :)

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PyMusique delivers iTMS access, DRM-free songs

updated 11:45 am EST, Fri March 18, 2005

PyMusique for iTMS

I wonder...

NO

Funny

mhm

Soooo sued

Re: GPL

How would you do that?

Why defend Apple?

Re: How would you do that

DRM

DRM and all that stuff

Clarification

busy lawyers

DRM is not Apple's fault

Catch 22

Re: Why defend Apple?

re: Why defend Apple?

No Difference

I agree, drm is ok

Apple still makes money

Jimothy invents facts

how to run on a mac?

Who buys from iTMS?

Great for singles

Re: Who buys from iTMS?

Some of you are

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PyMusique delivers iTMS access, DRM-free songs

updated 11:45 am EST, Fri March 18, 2005

PyMusique for iTMS

Related Articles

Recent Articles

I wonder...

NO

Funny

mhm

Soooo sued

Re: GPL

How would you do that?

Why defend Apple?

Re: How would you do that

DRM

DRM and all that stuff

Clarification

busy lawyers

DRM is not Apple's fault

Catch 22

Re: Why defend Apple?

re: Why defend Apple?

No Difference

I agree, drm is ok

Apple still makes money

Jimothy invents facts

how to run on a mac?

Who buys from iTMS?

Great for singles

Re: Who buys from iTMS?

Some of you are

Login Here

Register for our weekly email newsletter:

Connect tools:

Subscribe

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Follow us

on Twitter

10 Most Read

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