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Many Apple Music subscribers are considering processing Apple Music DRM removal. Why?
A frustrating fact leading to it should be Apple’s FairPlay DRM protection applied to encrypt its streaming media, which has led to several limitations in downloading Apple Music tracks offline. If you don’t remove DRM from Apple Music, the Apple Music downloads can’t be streamed on other players, and they will expire once you stop renewing the subscription.
To resolve such unexpected issues, processing Apple Music DRM removal is a must. In this post, some available methods to remove Apple Music DRM restrictions are provided to try. Check now and set free your music streaming experience with Apple Music!
Apple Music DRM Protection: What Should You Know?
Before starting with the Apple Music DRM removal process, here is something that you should know about Apple Music DRM restrictions and the story behind it.
What Does DRM Restriction Mean?
The full name of DRM refers to Digital Rights Management, which is the most mainstream technology today used for protecting copyrighted materials. A lot of streaming content would use DRM to protect their authorizations, including music, movies, audiobooks, games, and other digital assets. On most popular streaming platforms like Apple Music, the streaming media is DRM-protected, meaning that you are not allowed to copy or download it directly unless subscribe to its membership plans or seek extra tools to help. Moreover, these music downloads can only be played within Apple Music platforms, but not on other devices without the official application installed.
Is Apple Music on iTunes DRM-Protected?
Before Apple Music’s streaming web player thrived, we used to purchase Apple Music tracks from the iTunes Store to enjoy. Actually, unlike Apple Music streaming media, the iTunes purchases are now DRM-free. That’s because Apple removed DRM protection from the on-sale Apple Music tracks in iTunes Store after 2009. So how many types of music does Apple provide? Are all of them encrypted with DRM restrictions?
To draw a simple conclusion, there are 4 major types of Apple Music available on iTunes now, and they are not all protected by DRM:
Apple Music streaming resources: For streaming media provided within the Music app, which requires Apple Music membership subscription to access the streaming service, the tracks are encrypted by DRM. You need to strictly follow Apple’s streaming regulations to enjoy the music playback within the official platform with a membership subscription.
iTunes songs purchased after 2009: When Apple removed DRM from iTunes songs after 2009, all resources you can access in iTunes Store now are DRM-free. They will be encoded in the open-source format M4A, and are available for you to directly download and stream offline.
iTunes songs purchased before 2009: If you still have iTunes songs purchased before 2009, they will still be encrypted by DRM in protected M4P format unexpectedly, because Apple hasn’t automatically decrypt DRM protection from user purchases at all. To get DRM-free copies of these songs, you still need extra help to remove DRM from iTunes M4P music.
iTunes Match songs: iTunes has launched the iTunes Match service to match old purchased songs with the latest music library. For those songs downloaded in iTunes Match, they are not protected by DRM at all.
Why Need to Process Apple Music DRM Removal?
As mentioned, although Apple offers a subscription service to enable Apple Music members to download tracks to enjoy offline, it places multiple limitations:
You are not allowed to keep the downloads permanently unless keep subscribing to the membership;
- The downloads are only playable within the Apple Music app;
- There is a device limitation to accessing the download service;
- Only up to 10,000 downloads can be kept at a maximum.
- Hence, if you consider enjoying Apple Music offline without the above limitations, the process of Apple Music FairPlay DRM removal would be quite important for you.
Now, let’s keep reading and grasp 5 ways to remove DRM from Apple Music right away.
Method 1. Remove Apple Music DRM via Music Converter
First, let’s see how to remove Apple Music DRM from streaming songs provided within the Music app. To deal with this DRM protection, you will need help from a professional DRM-removal tool that works on Windows/Mac – MuConvert Apple Music Converter.
This software has integrated with the official Apple Music web player to help Apple Music DRM removal be more efficient. You are only required to log into the web player, then it is possible for you to select Apple Music songs/playlists/albums to remove DRM from them, and then convert Apple Music to MP3 or other common formats right away. After that, you have successfully removed Apple Music DRM on your Mac/PC and get DRM-free Apple Music songs for free offline playback anytime and anywhere.
100% Secure 100% Secure- Inbuilt with Apple Music web player for easier DRM removal
- Convert Apple Music songs to unprotected MP3, M4A, FLAC, WAV
- Access up to 20X speed to quickly download/convert Apple Music tracks
- Preserve the original best Apple Music quality (up to 48000hz, 320 kbps)
- The original ID3 tags and metadata info will be kept and editable
- Enables to preset output file titles and archive downloads based on metadata
The whole process of Apple Music DRM removal takes only a few minutes, making the feature-rich MuConvert Apple Music Converter one of the best DRM removal Apple Music rippers. Now, let’s see how to remove Apple Music DRM with this powerful program.
Step 1. Get MuConvert Apple Music Converter Ready
Firstly, click the download button below to install MuConvert Apple Music Converter on desktop. Then launch the software to enter its built-in Apple Music web player. You are required to log in via your Apple ID to access the web browser and also the DRM removal download function.
100% Secure 100% Secure
Step 2. Add Songs for DRM Removal
Navigate to the Music category or the playlist you wish to remove DRM from. After you move your mouse over songs, albums, or playlists you want, you can click the “Add to the conversion list” button to add them to the conversion queue. Directly dragging the songs or albums you like to the converting window on the right side is also possible.
Step 3. Select Output Format/Sample Rate/Bitrate
Now in the “Converting” window, you can freely customize the audio parameters to decide your own music streaming experience in preferences. Both the format and audio quality such as bitrate and sample rate can be adjusted here as you desire.
MuConvert Apple Music Converter provides all mainstream formats such as MP3, M4A, WAV, and FLAC to select. As for the audio quality, it provides a lossless option at up to 320kbps at 48000hz.
Step 4. Remove DRM from Apple Music
Subsequently, click on the “Convert All” button to start the Apple Music DRM removal. You can check the whole removal process if you have batches of songs to remove DRM. And the program will automatically switch to the “Converting” tab.
If you want to remove DRM from some songs later, you can stop the process by clicking Stop All. Wait for a moment and you will get DRM-free Apple Music songs offline.
Congratulations! When the conversion is done, you can access the downloaded songs in the “Finished” section. By clicking on the folder icon, you will be directly navigated to the output folder.
Method 2. Remove DRM from Apple Music by iTunes Converter
For those who desire to get rid of DRM protection added on old purchased iTunes M4P songs, you need help from another useful tool, TuneFab iTunes Music Converter.
This powerful computer program can directly sync with your iTunes Library, helping you to access all streaming media saved in your library, such as iTunes M4P songs purchased before 2009, Apple Music songs, audiobooks, podcasts, and M4V videos, etc., and then convert them to DRM-free files without quality loss. You can choose the output format you like to convert your iTunes content to MP3, M4A, FLAC, AAC, AC3, MKA and M4R. Better still, these converted files also retain all ID3 info, so you can manage them easily before transferring them to play anywhere you like.
Here’s the step-by-step guide for you to use TuneFab iTunes Music Converter to get your purchased iTunes Music DRM removed.
Step 1. After installing TuneFab iTunes Music Converter on your PC, run it, and the iTunes App on your computer will be launched automatically to sync your iTunes Library to the program.
Step 2. After selecting your songs to convert, you can move down to the Output Settings to choose MP3 or other common formats to output. Other parameters like bitrate and sample rate can also be customized here.
Step 3. Finally, click the “Convert”, and the selected iTunes content will be converted to your chosen formats without DRM restrictions.
Method 3. Remove iTunes Music DRM by iTunes Match
Another way to transfer iTunes purchased songs encrypted by DRM restrictions is by using the official service, iTunes Match to help. By subscribing to this service, you can use it to activate iCloud and upload your old DRM-protected songs to it, and then they will match the DRM-free version of iTunes Plus. When the matching finishes, you can delete the titles in your library and redownload the songs back to your device in DRM-free M4A format.
However, iTunes Match sometimes fails to process Apple Music DRM removal for you because:
- It needs an extra fee to activate the service;
- Not all the old M4P songs can be matched with the DRM-free version;
- It can easily cause music loss if the song matching fails.
Therefore, instead of transferring the old iTunes purchased songs to DRM-free copies, you are recommended to find them in Apple Music’s web player, with millions of tracks ranging from classic to modern songs. MuConvert Apple Music Converter directly embeds the official player, and provides download service to directly remove Apple Music DRM and let you get protection-free songs offline in mainstream MP3 or other formats.
100% Secure 100% SecureHere’s how to use iTunes Match to process Apple Music DRM removal and help you get old-purchased iTunes songs free from DRM restrictions:
Step 1. Go to the iTunes Store and click iTunes Match to subscribe to it.
Step 2. Navigate to Library now and quickly sort out the old-purchased iTunes songs that are encryptd by DRM – simply go to “View” > “Show View Options” > “File” to turn on the “Kind” attribute. Then enable the “Protected AAC audio files” filter and all DRM-protected iTunes songs will be sorted out.
Step 3. Now, highlight all protected songs you need to remove DRM and delete them. When you process this step, iTunes Match will automatically pair the music and display an iCloud icon next to the titles that can be matched with resources provided in its music library.
Step 4. Finally, simply re-download the matched titles from iCloud by clicking the iCloud icon. Now, the downloads you get will be free of DRM restrictions.
Method 4. Remove DRM from Apple Music via GitHub Tool
You can also choose to look for the right free Apple Music DRM removal tool on GitHub. Manzana-Apple-Music-Downloader is a Python program made by a third-party developer that you’ll find there. It helps you download music from Apple Music, and easily removes its DRM restrictions.
But before downloading to use it, please make sure you have a basic knowledge of JavaScript, as you’ll need to type in some commands to make it work. If this is way too complex for you, you can try MuConvert Apple Music Converter as an alternative, since it has a very user-friendly interface that is much easier to use.
100% Secure 100% SecureStep 1. Install the program on your computer using the git command or Python, and then click to run it.
Step 2. Put your Widevine device file into the “Device” directory and add the “mediaUserToken” obtained from the “cookies” to the program. You can use the command “python manzana.py -h” to get the help page.
Step 3. Once finished, you can enter multiple URLs at once with “url_01 url_02 url_03…” separators to easily remove Apple Music DRM and download Apple Music as regular format songs.
Method 5. Remove Apple Music DRM by Burning to CDs
You can also burn Apple Music to CD in order to deal with Apple Music DRM removal. iTunes offers the feature of burning Apple Music to CDs and recording songs from a CD inserted into your computer. Therefore, you can get DRM-protected songs by burning them to a CD and then ripping these songs to get DRM-free songs. The steps are as follows:
For most users, this method would be more complicated and you need to prepare a blank CD in advance. Also, the Apple Music DRM removal speed can be pretty slow. If you consider a more efficient and quality-lossless way to remove DRM from Apple Music, MuConvert Apple Music Converter should be your first choice.
100% Secure 100% SecureStep 1. Open iTunes on your Mac and insert a CD. Then click File > New Playlist to create a new playlist.
Step 2. Add the Apple Songs that you want to remove DRM from and drag them to the newly created playlist.
Step 3. Open the File menu and choose Burn Playlist to Disc. Remember to click the Burn button to let iTunes burn the music to CD.
Step 4. Click Edit > Preferences > General on iTunes and click the Import Settings button to import your music from the CD.
FAQs About Apple Music DRM Removal
Before starting to process Apple Music DRM removal, go through these FAQs if you still have some confusion about it.
Q1: Is It Legal to Remove DRM from Apple Music?
When talking about Apple Music DRM removal, you may ask whether it is a legal action to do this. The reality is that unlocking DRM from Apple Music can be legal under some circumstances, such as changing the playing device for personal use. Apple Music only allows you to listen to songs offline on its app. It’s impossible to change the playing device if the device is not compatible with Apple Music.
By striping the DRM protection, you can transfer music to other devices, making it possible to enjoy Apple Music on iPod or even MP3 players that are not compatible with Apple Music at all. So, if you are looking for a way to enjoy music playback more flexibly, it’s totally legal to remove DRM from Apple Music.
Q2: How Do I Know Whether My Apple Music is DRM-protected or not?
To check if your music is DRM-protected, open it in iTunes Library, then right-click on the song you wish to clarify, hit “song info” > “File”. If the song is DRM-protected, you will see the “Protected AAC audio file” from the “Kind” section.
Q3: Can I Download DRM-Free Music from Apple Music on iPhone?
Yes, you can. There are many tools that can help you remove DRM from Apple Music, such as Telegram Bot Apple Music rippers, and iOS shortcuts for downloading DRM-free music from Apple Music on your iPhone. However, most of them are developed by individuals, have certain security risks, and may restrict access to certain features, compromising your user experience.
Therefore, we recommend you use MuConvert Apple Music Converter instead, since it’s very stable and 100% secure, allowing you to download DRM-free Apple Music on computers without additional actions, and then easily get Apple Music downloads to your iPhone.
Q4: How to Back up Apple Music to Prevent Data Loss?
If you are trying to remove Apple Music DRM from DRM-encrypted songs but feel afraid of losing your favorite collections, you can try backing them up in advance using SyncToy (on Windows) or Time Machine (on Mac). Here’s how to do it properly with SyncToy:
Step 1. Open SyncToy and click “Left Folder” > “Create New Folder Pair” to select the iTunes folder.
Step 2. Next, select the destination folder as the “Right Folder” to be the place where to save the backed-up music.
Step 3. Click “Next” > “Finish” > “Preview” to check the track list you are going to back up.
Step 4. Simply hit “Run” to back up Apple Music on Windows.
Q5: What are the differences between Apple Music and iTunes Music?
As Apple offers both types of music in the Music app and on iTunes Match, you probably feel confused and don’t know the exact differences between them. Here is the comparison chart to distinguish them for you:
| Apple Music | iTunes Match | |
|---|---|---|
| DRM protected? | Yes | Only provides DRM-free songs after 2009 |
| Downloadable? | Only for Apple Music membership subscribers (with DRM) | Available after purchasing (without DRM) |
| Matched ripped songs in Store/Library | No | Yes (without DRM) |
Conclusion
To deal with Apple Music DRM removal, this blog has prepared all available solutions to deal with different types of Apple protected music for you.
Among all the tools, if you want to have fewer limitations while doing Apple Music DRM removal, MuConvert Apple Music Converter may be the relatively best choice. Not only can it convert different Apple Music to common formats, but it can also ensure the music quality and access up to 20X speed to quickly convert music tracks. So, download it to have a try and have a good time enjoying the music.
100% Secure 100% SecureConvert Apple Music to MP3 Losslessly
Remove DRM from Apple Music songs and convert them to MP3 without quality loss.
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