[WTF] iTunes selling m4p again

[Hannes]

I just found that some of my newer iTunes purchases are m4p,
and therefor protected. i.e. not playable outside of iTunes.

Wtf?

I thought they stopped selling drm-protected tracks?

Funny thing is, you can easily convert them to m4a, but you have to find those tracks first.

[MusicMeister]

What track or tracks was it?

[Hannes]

single tracks from different albums,

e.g. "Lick it" - Kaskade & Skrillex (Addicted to Bass, Dubstep ....)

I did a quick google search, and appearantly iTunes is in some cases also actively replacing 256Kbps-m4a files with older 128kpbs-m4ps that were upgraded to iTunes plus.

something weird is going on

[MusicMeister]

I sent in a request to Apple for more information to see what they say.

With so many other places to get tracks that are DRM free it wouldn't make sense they'd protect music files again.

[MusicMeister]

They aren't supposed to be.

Need an official statement?
Here's what I sent them as a question through the ticket system:

I was just notified by a friend that they had just downloaded tracks and they were M4P - protected files that won't playback outside of iTunes.

Can you verify this?

The track in question was Lick it - Kaskade & Skrillex from the Addicted to Bass, Dubstep... album.

I was considering purchasing the track for myself, but as a DJ, my DJ software won't play the DRM enabled files and that's a major concern to buy a product I can't use.

Thanks,
Ed Spencer.

Here's the reply I got direct from Apple:

Dear Ed,

Thank you for contacting iTunes Store Customer Support. My name is <Name> and I am happy to assist you today.

I understand that you would like to know if the song "Lick it" is DRM protected. I can imagine how eager you are to get the information about this song so you would know if you can play it in various software that you are using as a DJ. I'd be happy to look in to this and provide you necessary information about it.

Ed, after investigating on this issue, I have found that, unfortunately, we cannot view on our end if the song is DRM protected or not. The only way to know this, is to buy the song. If you would like to, you can go ahead and buy the song and if it is DRM protected, I will be glad to process a refund. But please make sure to inform me at your earliest convenience so I can process it.

I hope this information proves helpful in answering your concern. If you have further questions, please reply to this email and I'll be happy to assist you.

Thank you for choosing iTunes and iTunes Store. Apple appreciates your business.

Sincerely,
<Name>
iTunes Store/Mac App Store - Customer Support

NOTE: I removed the name just in case they frown on sharing this sort of stuff.

In other words, if you're in the US and let them know the track you downloaded is a DRM'd AUDIO track then they should process you a refund, or handle it somehow.

Keep in mind TV Shows, Movies and a few similar things are still DRM protected, just not the audio.

[Hannes]

We'll see what the European policy is like

I'll keep you posted.

[Support@MixVibes]

Imagine they've done that with your Icloud uploaded tracks : all replaced by DRM versions.

[KevMaverick]

I'm puzzled by this myself, so I did some research:

http://support.Apple.com/kb/ht1711

Can I still buy music encoded at 128 Kbps with Digital Rights Management (DRM)?

Music on the Store available in iTunes Plus will no longer be available as 128 kbps and with DRM.

So this tells me that you should not have got the drm protected tracks when you bought them - something is very wrong there!

I did find a reference to 'album only tracks', but the guy asking the question did not get a reply yet:

https://discussions.Apple.com/thread/4609069?tstart=0

I was convinced that ALL new tracks on iTunes would be drm free.

EDIT: I also found this topic, which may be of some use:

https://discussions.Apple.com/thread/44 ... 0&tstart=0

[Blackbrook]

To me it seems as if they give a sh!t about that DRM songs. They know they sell it, their "customer support" does not know. Maybe some artists want it that way? We'll never know!

[Hannes]

Anyways, found - converted - now I want my money back