I'd settle for Apple Lossless or some other lossless compression codec - or bandwidth could cost more than the CD

And that is why I have taken a siesta from purchasing from iTunes and I won't be back until they are completely DRM free. I'll break the DRM on the songs that are in my two accounts and then be done with DRM.

We were on vacation and my daughter had an iPod she was listening to on the trip. My son swapped iPods and then asked why she only had one song on it. It turns out she had purchased all her other music from my other account and only one song could be downloaded legally when she hooked her iPod up right before the trip.

So because of her stupid Dad who had two accounts my daughter addled her brain with one song for two weeks. I think I would rather blame it on DRM.

What the iTunes customer support says I believe is also incorrect. How do you authorize a computer to play from two accounts at the same time? You cannot. You have to authorize one account, play that music, then de-authorize and authorize the other account and the play that next tune. How ridiculous is that?

If what she says is true it is still too complicated to keep track what computers are authorized to do what on multiple accounts. Add a hard drive crash and the convoluted solution becomes impossible.

I've been able to play music from two accounts at once. You're only logged into the STORE with one account at a time, for buying, but you don't need to be logged into the store at all (or even online for that matter) to be authorized to PLAY music. (You were online when you first authorized, but no need after that.)

I just did it a month ago to help my parents with something, and I'd swear their purchase AND my own library both played and synched to my phone OK.

I don't think most people NEED more than one iTunes account at once in a single user account. But if you do it does complicate things I'm sure.

Glad to see DRM is gone from iTunes music in April. (And almost gone already.)

Now, movies and audiobooks are a different matter.

Thanks for that info. I will try to authorize both.



It really complicates things when you made two accounts accidentally within a month of the iTunes store being created and never figured out why some computers had access and some did not. I finally figured it out when I took all the change out of my basement that had been collecting in pillowcases and sent it through one of those change machines. They were going to take 5% of my 500 bucks (no quarters, I had used them for tolls) unless I chose to get an Amazon or iTunes receipt card. I put it all on my iTunes but then could not see the cash from the other computer. Finally, a dim light bulb went on.

This is why I stopped purchasing music from iTunes. Too many restrictions. And iTunes Plus still is NOT DRM free as they claim. Every song you purchase or "upgrade" contains your email address - so if you share them online, you're exposing yourself to legal action should the wrong (or right) person get a hold of those files.

You could try checking out your local library. The Phoenix Public Library offers a ton of music CDs (you would be surprised at the selection). Check them out and rip the songs you want to "replace" - at least then you have quality control over the import process as far as encoding goes.

Otherwise, I recommend using a DRM-stripping application.

iTunes is great. It's convenient and has an awesome selection. But the restrictions are just not worth it.

Is there a batch stripping app?

I am going to follow your advice on the DRM stripping you gave me a while ago I just have been too busy to do it. And you are right about the library. I have done that a couple of times just sitting there stripping the CDs while I read a book. Another thing I might do instead of removing the DRM because I have more control over the quality I end up with.

Shoot, I was just at Best Buy purchasing an emergency replacement SATA drive and they had 1TB SATA for $109.00. I could just restrip everything since the stripping has sped up so much. Or at least the last time I really did a bunch it was at 15X regular play speed. Still takes some time. If we are going to have 2TB SD cards soon the whole paradigm shifts away from DRM as a viable pathway.

I won't feel guilty at all stripping songs at the library that I have paid for through iTunes. I will feel slightly guilty stripping songs I used to have on LP and cassette and CD once upon a time. My staff has a combined 18,000 or so tunes in the lab at 128 bitrate. I really have to say screw DRM if they make it difficult. I will feel guilty but I will get over it.

For the most part I really listen to very little music. I don't have an iPod and I find headphones earphones interesting but I never wear them. (My kids do.) I can't think with them on. That's dangerous while moving and unprofitable when I am working (which is anytime I am not moving).

I use my iPod, with headphones, not buds, all the time to walk the dogs (3 times a day) and when I go food shopping. I can't work with music on, but I can listen to music while I'm doing repetitive, mindless stuff, like grading papers putting grades into an Excel spread sheet.

I never come close to running into restrictions on iTunes--and now that the DRM is gone, I never will

(Well, a few DRM songs are left... until April.)

Hah!

I was wondering why the store was only offering to upgrade 2 albums -- logged-in to my other account and it found 27 more ;-)

Thanks so much for the info!