Apple Music will not 'upgrade' most of my tunes I bought from the iTunes store.
I've written two 'feedbacks' about this nonsense. We'd have to delete what we paid for just to get the lossless version, and that is as wrong as it is stupid.
Has anyone had success 'upgrading' all their iTunes purchases to ALAC Lossless - with an Apple Music subscription, of course?
Thank you.
MacBook Air 13″, macOS 13.5
I guess this is due to the fact that iTunes Store still provides AAC files for purchased music while Apple Music (streaming service) can provide ALAC.
Moreover purchased music is DRM free and is owned by the buyer. Apple Music contains DRM and is "rented".
Apple doesn't offer an option to convert the iTunes Music purchases to ALAC.
I don't think it's wise to delete the purchased music in order to replace with the Apple Music counterpart even though the streaming version is sonically superior (lossless).
Can't you just browse the wanted album/track on Apple Music and listen the streamed version instead of you local one in order to enjoy the lossless version?
Apple Music may be rented - so what? The purchased content in my Library should be all upgraded to ALAC, while I am an AppleMusic subscriber. Several titles in my Library already are upgraded via Apple Music to ALAC.
I agree, deleting AAC files to acquire ALAC versions is not the best option.
Why yes I can 'just' enjoy ALAC tunes piecemeal. The problem is I enjoy the convenience of listening to the tunes in my Library via shuffle and repeat - and there is no good reason why all of my library isn't upgraded to ALAC - given my Apple Music subscription.
If you enable lossless streaming or downloading with an Apple Music subscription content that you already have downloaded isn't upgraded automatically. You can select items that you want in lossless format, right-click, and use the Remove Download option. These tracks will now stream losslessly if Apple Music has a lossless version, and if you have enabled lossless downloads then the tracks will download in the lossless format. Note that such tracks are replete with DRM and cannot be used in third party software, nor will they play when you terminate your subscription. You would, of course, be able to redownload past purchases in AAC format provided the content remains available in the iTunes Store. It is recommended that you download and backup all purchases.
tt2
I have "Lossless audio", and "Hi-Res Lossless" enabled for both streaming and downloading already.
I see no "Remove Download" option from my library (most of my tunes - perhaps all - are not local, but in 'the cloud'). I still only get the AAC version, and not the ALAC under Apple Music, to which I currently subscribe.
I have noted if and only if the given tune is available in Apple Music under a different album or title than my AAC version - I can acquire that tune in ALAC, under the different album or title. If on the other hand Apple Music only has one copy of the tune, the same as my AAC copy, I do not hear ALAC when I play it, nor can I acquire the ALAC version in my Library.
Regardless of how I try, the ALAC Apple Music version will not upgrade most of my existing AAC tunes (I tried Add to Library, a playlist - which still defaults to the existing AAC version - and smart playlists which won't allow tune segregation based on ALAC).
TheGoldenKnight wrote:
I have noted if and only if the given tune is available in Apple Music under a different album or title than my AAC version - I can acquire that tune in ALAC, under the different album or title. If on the other hand Apple Music only has one copy of the tune, the same as my AAC copy, I do not hear ALAC when I play it, nor can I acquire the ALAC version in my Library.
When you say "acquire" do you mean "purchase" or simply "get"? I'm asking, because it would be the first time that I hear that an ALAC version in purchasable in iTunes Store.
If I search an album I already own (purchased via iTunes Store – AAC) in Apple Music and I play it, I hear the ALAC version.
I get your point. Apple could easily let the buyers update their purchases to ALAC. Not only this: sold music could switch to ALAC as the default format. Unfortunately this is not the case.
I mean simply 'get' as it is included in an Apple Music service subscription. Many of my Library tunes are available on Apple Music service in ALAC, where my Library's version is still AAC.
I like listening via my Library using shuffle and repeat, and I should be able to listen to my tunes, and with Apple Music service - As I See Fit.
It is inexcusable that Apple does not "easily let the buyers update their purchases (in their Library) to ALAC", yes.
GK,
The iTunes Store does not offer a way to upgrade your past purchases to ALAC. One reason is that the iTunes Store has no ALAC files available.
You can replace your purchases with an AM subscription download. Whether having a "rented" (to use Marko's term) ALAC version is really an "upgrade" is a matter of opinion.
You do not need to "delete" the AAC original. You only need to remove it from your iTunes/Music library. You can keep the original file and as many copies or backups as you wish.
I selected one such tune in my library, and the resulting box advised I was about to delete the tune from my library, and I clicked Delete (Delete and Cancel were the only options), and the tune vanished from my library.
Now, I could add the ALAC version successfully, but do not see where the original tune is located for adding back to my library, nor how to add it back.
GK,
Well, I guess the official answer is "get it out of your most recent backup." But for future reference, before you do the replacement, right-click the library entry and choose "Show in Finder." That takes you to the file, which you can copy or move someplace. Then do the replacement process.
For any files that have already gone missing, search in Finder including Trash.
Just found this out and decided to no longer purchase from iTunes but to just retail purchase the physical CD's and vinyl or direct from the artist's or label instead (CD, Vinyl, ALAC, MP3, FLAC, AIF) The cost is the same and you can convert them to ALAC or MP3, and as well get a AIFF/WAV file back up. While 24/96(to192) may be better and you may be able to get this from Apple Music for some music direct (not upsampled), you cannot use that on wireless headphones made by and from apple, but I have found you can in fact use sony higher end bluetooth headphones to play HI res wireless audio fine. Most music produced in digital studios in the last 10 years is done at 24/96 (processed at 64bit), prior to that it was a mix of 16/44, 16/48 16/48 and 24/96. CD quality is 16/44. Vinyl or real to real tape is still king and quality can exceed 32/384... so yes, analog still is better... I would recommend purchasing music from another source, and as well, not using apple music to sync and try to download that way, as if you have obscure material not in Apple's catalog or available in your region, original, limited editions, out of print, special mixes, Apple music will delete those and try to replace them with low quality AAC (you cannot try to replace them after the sync with better versions), and in some cases like I found, it will delete them entirely and not let you add them at all, especially in the case of region, original, or vintage. I would be totally content with the whole thing if Apple would let me sync with Apple Music and still have the option of keeping the music I purchased from other sources or personally created and manually syncing that and keeping it at original resolution and file type: for music not purchased from apple, being able to select which music I want to have Apple try to match and which I will to remain uncorrupted, even if this means having to pay for extra iCloud storage.
ALAC Lossless not available for some iTunes purchases
