News - Apple launches iTunes Match service in UK

[HEXUS]

Allows you to access your entire personal music library, including DRM-free pirated tunes.

Read more.

[CocaineWhite]

As much as I dislike Apple I actually really like this idea, especially the part about getting high quality versions back. £22 seems fair too, I'd happily pay that.

[Blastuk]

Got to hand it to them, it sounds like a great idea.. but no way I'll ever install iTunes.

[TheAnimus]

Thats actually a pretty good deal when you consider that I pay £80 per year to be able to 'rent' music for all my devices.

Only thing is, why bother with the whole "you have to pirate the mp3 in the first place" rather than just let me select from the catalog ala Spotify or Zune thing. Not sure I like that because I'd have thought I'm still breaking the law....

[jim]

Thats actually a pretty good deal when you consider that I pay £80 per year to be able to 'rent' music for all my devices.

Only thing is, why bother with the whole "you have to pirate the mp3 in the first place" rather than just let me select from the catalog ala Spotify or Zune thing. Not sure I like that because I'd have thought I'm still breaking the law....

Yeah I don't get that either.

So if I rip an MP3 from a CD, and upload it to iTunes Match, I then get a DRM AAC version to replace it.
Or if I illegally download an MP3 from the web.
Or presumably if I download a legal MP3 then change the tags to match the song I'm looking for.

What's the difference between this and the passport MP3 model that we're all familiar with, except the hassle of having to pirate the music first?

Surely I'm missing something?

[miniyazz]

Thats actually a pretty good deal when you consider that I pay £80 per year to be able to 'rent' music for all my devices.

Only thing is, why bother with the whole "you have to pirate the mp3 in the first place" rather than just let me select from the catalog ala Spotify or Zune thing. Not sure I like that because I'd have thought I'm still breaking the law....

'cause there's lots of legitimate users who've bought CDs and the like and have music on their PCs from ripping CDs (no longer illegal) - I rather doubt this is intended as an amnesty, it's just that its main (or stated) purpose is a service for legitimate consumers.

Cynically, I half expect lots of likely illegal music collections to be identified and the police to come through the doors at 4am to seize the computer for evidence

Thermite all the way.

[mookiman3]

Cynically, I half expect lots of likely illegal music collections to be identified and the police to come through the doors at 4am to seize the computer for evidence

Apple have stated that they will not be keeping the meta data which would allow them to identify whether users had obtained their music legally or not. So, hypothetically, even if they were required to share that data by law (in a court case) they wouldnt be able to implicate their users.
I think if there was any chance of this it would put a lot of people off iTunes match.

[miniyazz]

More fool anyone who trusts what Apple (or <insert big company's name here>) says.

[Whiternoise]

Does it only upconvert?

I ripped my CDs a long time ago in 320kB/s, I'd feel a bit short changed if they replaced them with lower quality versions and in AAC (which my MP3 player doesn't play to my knowledge).