had removed from the Web, FairTunes does not require an iPod and is packaged as a simple Cocoa application that converts the song into an uncompressed WAV of AIFF file, which can then be encoded or burned as the user desires. FairTunes is free.
Comments
If it converts it to a WAV or AIFF, it doesn't "strip the copy protection" any more than burning a CD through iTunes. Re-encoding it will result in a loss of quality. The reason PlayFair was so much of a big deal was that it decrypted the iTMS file directly into unprotected AAC, with no loss of quality in the resulting AAC file.
This program would let you use iTMS music on more than the three computers Apple deigns to let you use at one time, but other then that, there's nothing to see here...
Once they get the transfer of meta data (such as album, track, and artist info into a mp3 file it will be used. In its current form it is just to complicatied. Who would want to convert 200-400 files into AIFF then convert and then get the info back.
This program is quite lame. It does nothing better than you can already do by recording a protected song to a CD and re-ripping it as an AIFF or WAV. You will still loose quality by re-encoding as AAC or MP3.
I find all these efforts to get by Apple's DRM tiresome. If people have legitmate reasons for wanting the music in other formats, such as a different MP3 player then they should opt to buy the music from another source. If they want to listen to the music on more than three machines they should petition Apple to allow additional machines to be used, say for an additional fee per device for example.
If people want unemcumbered music they can buy (or borrow) the CD and rip it themselves, or download via the non-legal P2P boards.
Also, I have several albums on LP that I wanted on MP3 and just downloaded them via LimeWire. I own the original and didn't want to pay for them again. Sadly, the iTMS has yet to reach the UK, so I don't have the option of buying anything from it yet.
At the end of the day, you have a choice. You don't have to buy your music from Apple. So you don't have to b**** about the restrictions they put in place. If you do buy music from Apple you have agreed to abide by the licence. I find it hard to understand how many linux users and open source activists who defend the PlayFair program as 'freedom of speech' etc, cry blue murder when any company breaks 'their licence' the GPL, but actively encourage people to break DRM - because "it's bad".
When is Bill Gates going to stop programming Mac software?
this just occurred to me last week, bought my first Audio Book. They sell it in two sections: 1 just over 2 houts, the other under one hour....I cannot burn the one over 2 hours to cd....I thought iTunes would handle breaking it down over 2 or more cde's as necessary, but it just laughed at me and said "sorry...."
This actually ticked me off that I couldn't use the song/book I paid for in my car cd player, after all, aren't we supposed to be able to burn songs we buy an unlimited # of times and the same playlist 10x...I guess audible's material is different...maybe there was fine print I didn't see, but if they want tot change the rules they should be posted....
I'm going to try this and see iif I can get "fair use" of what I paid for darnit.
You can burn over 2 hours of audio from audio books. Insert your blank CD click/highlight the file in iTunes playlist and then click Burn. iTunes will tell you the file is too big and do you want to split the track into multable disc. Click yes and iTunes will split the track burn Disc 1 then spit it out and tell you to inseret Disc 2 for burning. All by its self. Its smart that why.
RETRACTION:
misinformation post 6 immediately above, didn't have burning set to "Audio CD" it does automatically break up over multiple audio cds...good.
and, I just found someone who's post suggests you can dictate the cutoffs...
sorry, all my bad vibe for nothing, and now can't imagine why I'd need this software now... my "fair rights" as I understood them when I purchased it are there thru iTunes after all.
I don't think MacNN should be posting this...shouldn't this kind of software remain unseen by the general public? MacNN is hurting Apple by announcing the existence of such products.
This program makes it simple for Final Cut users to use iTMs music in their projects. Before it was a hassle to either burn a cd and reimport as AIFF or import the music into iMovie and export it back out.
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Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Apr 2002
Format
Why is the output AIFF or WAV? Why not AAC - as the original?
Via AIFF & Reencoding there will be a loss of quality. This is stupid. Just remove the DRM from an AAC and leave the encoding as is.