Getting rid of DRM protection on iTunes files

Hey guys,
I buy all my music from iTunes and unfortunately all the files are .mp4 protected. Usually I get rid of the protection by burning to CD and then importing, but with about 1000 songs in my library, it is basically ridiculous to try and convert them all. What I want to do is just get rid of the protection so I can play the music files in Windows Media Center.

Does anyone know of a better way -a software converter perhaps? I found this but I don't know if it's worth the money:
http://www.wma-convert.com/index.php?add=google1

 

I would be wary of the software you linked to. I haven't heard any reports about it, though it appears to just be a front end for QTFairUse and FU4WM, which remove the protection from Quicktime (iTunes) and Windows Media files respectively.

To remove protectiov from an iTunes purchase, go here and grab QTFairUse. You'll need the latest version and the latest config file (if you're using iTunes 7.1.x) to successfully remove the protection.

Once you have the right config file setup for your version of iTunes, it works like a charm.

Hope that helps.

 

Thanks very much for the reply JadedRaverLA, I'll give that a try today and report back.

 

This is quite off topic, but I'd like to ask anyway.

Why do people buy music from iTunes? It doesn't seem economical or even close to a good deal. You pay 3 or 4 times what I usually pay for a CD in order to get lossy audio, with DRM. I generally buy all my music used, or trade on lala. I'd say my average cost per CD is about 3.50, including shipping. I've gotten some for as cheap as 1.00.

Anyway, just a question. About the only way they could get me to buy in is some sort of 'all you can eat' subscription with lossless music files.

 

I ask myself that too sometimes. The reasons I buy music from iTMS are simple:
-Convenience
-I don't have to buy the full album as I would in a store.

As far as the quality goes, the music sounds fine to me. I have bought CDs and imported them as 320kbps .mp3s, but I couldn't tell the difference between the 128kbps .mp4p files and them. I guess I just don't know what to listen for (and I probably don't want to because then I'd have to buy all new music ).

That's good shopping - may I ask where you order the CDs from? I'd buy CDs if they were that cheap. I mean, usually the CDs I buy are like $15 - $20. I'm not a very good shopper.

As for how QTFU worked - my computer is hard at work converting a couple hundred files right now. Thanks again for the tip.

 

Glad you got it working. Also, iTunes uses the .m4a extension for unprotected mp4 audio files. Some other programs still use .mp4 (not .m4p) for those files. If a player doesn't like the decrypted files, just change the extension and it should work.

 

I use myfairtunes.. works well but the time it takes to make all the conversions of your library takes the amount of time to listen to all the music files in your library

 

Well, you would probably regard me as one of those crazy audiophiles.

I rip all my music in lossless, not so much for the quality, but for the ability to easily transcode to any future format. Currently, I have my lossless library transcoded to V2 Lame.

Now, as far as the shopping goes. Used cds are the only way to go. Out of the hundreds I've bought used on eBay I've only received a few that were too messed up to get a good rip out of. The best thing you can do is to find one seller who will combine shipping charges and buy 5, 10, 15 cds from that person. Also, be patient and put in lots and lots of low bids. Expect to win less than half the auctions you bid on.

Lala is also another excellent way to get new music once you have a good cd collection built up. Basically it allows you to trade your cds without too much work on your part.