[jfischetti]

So help me understand this "Authorized Computer stuff....

When i buy a track from AppleMusic i can use/listen to that track on 3 "authorized" computers in my name .. that would mean that the track is encoded with my name - i own it.

I can transfer that song to 2 other of my authorized computers, but if i send it to my brother he will not be able to play it, unless he is MY 3rd authorized computer.

Where did i get authorized - i don't remember doing it?

Does this seem to be right?

[mrmister]

I don't know the answer yet, but you may just wish to burn that on a CD and hand it to your brother in the meantime, as it will remove the fuss.

[mbryda]

Simple - just tried this with the wife's iBook...
When she tried to play one of my downloaded tracks it prompted her for my Apple ID and password. Once it verified that, it played. Simple, really.

[OptimusG4]

Originally posted by mbryda:
Simple - just tried this with the wife's iBook...
When she tried to play one of my downloaded tracks it prompted her for my Apple ID and password. Once it verified that, it played. Simple, really.

Ding Ding Ding.

[Spheric Harlot]

Well yes, that's how we interact with it, but how does it WORK?

[7Macfreak]

Originally posted by mbryda:
Simple - just tried this with the wife's iBook...
When she tried to play one of my downloaded tracks it prompted her for my Apple ID and password. Once it verified that, it played. Simple, really.

so um.. you can transfer files to as many computers as long as you know the user id/password?

[melman101]

only three computers. thats the limit i believe.

[krove]

Only up to three computers can play one Apple ID's music bought through the Apple Store. A computer is authorized by inputting the Apple ID in iTunes (unlocking all applications that use QuickTime to play the music file).

The file can go anywhere, be copied, etc, but cannot be played in any QT application (iTunes, QuickTime Player, Safari QT Plugin??any application that uses QT) without being on an authorized computer. The authorization occurs through communication across the internet with Apple, logging the 3 computers that have been authorized.

Each locked aac file must contain an encryption key that allows it only to be played on an authorized computer.

[yellowdog]

Originally posted by krove:
Each locked aac file must contain an encryption key that allows it only to be played on an authorized computer.

But can I play it on my car CD player or my walkman?

[wataru]

Originally posted by yellowdog:
But can I play it on my car CD player or my walkman?

Yes, as an audio CD. There's no way they could track audio CDs.

Note that it looks like you can "un-authorize" a computer at will, so if you sell that one Mac you won't be screwed out of a playback machine.

[hawiken]

Do you know if I'll be able to burn CD's with a Que Firewire external burner? Since in the Read Me it says:

'To create audio or MP3 CDs with iTunes, you need an internal Apple CD-RW drive. To back up your music to a DVD, you need an internal Apple SuperDrive. Some third-party CD-RW and DVD drives may also work.'

Thanks,
Ken

[Krusty]

Originally posted by melman101:
only three computers. thats the limit i believe.

How do mulitple users come in to play ? I have 3 users set up on my system .. would that end up counting as "1 computer" or 3 ? Sorry, no second mac to try it on.

We keep all music on a separate volume and share it between us so I would assume it'd be one computer .. but I had also previously assumed that my QT pro license was for my entire computer until I found that my other users were not able to use the Pro features (i.e. the license was only valid for a single user)

[Gee4orce]

Originally posted by Krusty:
How do mulitple users come in to play ? I have 3 users set up on my system .. would that end up counting as "1 computer" or 3 ? Sorry, no second mac to try it on.

We keep all music on a separate volume and share it between us so I would assume it'd be one computer .. but I had also previously assumed that my QT pro license was for my entire computer until I found that my other users were not able to use the Pro features (i.e. the license was only valid for a single user)

Good question - I'd like to know too.

Even if each user is counted as a different 'computer', you could get around this by having each user share out their music. Except that sharing only works while iTunes is running for that user, so you can't be logged in and share another users' music on the same machine

[Giano]

Originally posted by krove:

The file can go anywhere, be copied, etc, but cannot be played in any QT application (iTunes, QuickTime Player, Safari QT Plugin??any application that uses QT) without being on an authorized computer. The authorization occurs through communication across the internet with Apple, logging the 3 computers that have been authorized.

Each locked aac file must contain an encryption key that allows it only to be played on an authorized computer.

But this mean that can be played in software that don't use QT even in unauthorized mac?

[Arkham_c]

Just FYI, the way it gets "authorized" is that when you ask to authorize, it connects to Apple's server and requests authorization.

[jguidroz]

Originally posted by hawiken:
Do you know if I'll be able to burn CD's with a Que Firewire external burner? Since in the Read Me it says:

'To create audio or MP3 CDs with iTunes, you need an internal Apple CD-RW drive. To back up your music to a DVD, you need an internal Apple SuperDrive. Some third-party CD-RW and DVD drives may also work.'

Thanks,
Ken

Bought a cd from the Apple Music Store last night and burned it this morning using my Que Firewire burner.

[waffffffle]

What I think is interesting is that the Apple kbase article says that reformatting the hard drive does not deauthorize the computer, so all the information about the computer is stored at Apple's servers. I wonder what information they are using. It could be ethernet address, or serial number of the computer. I wish Apple would tell us this because its kind of big brotherish.

[n~s]

Originally posted by waffffffle:
I wonder what information they are using. It could be ethernet address, or serial number of the computer. I wish Apple would tell us this because its kind of big brotherish.

I noticed something new in my ~/Preferences folder labeled com.apple.LaunchServices.plist .

Looks like it was either created or changed when I installed iTunes4. Reads like gibberish in the data fields, could this be my encrypted user info?

I want to know more!

EDIT: Also another file seems to have been created around the time I made my first online purchase...

/Users/Shared/SC Info/SC Info.sibd

again, encrypted? gibberish. Also of interest, not visible through finder, but shows up in terminal.

[ccrider]

It probably uses your serial number, which can be viewed clicking "about this mac" and clicking on the version number. This is specific to each mac and seems like the logical solution.

Just my 14�

[Developer]

There is one right that is lost for the owner, and Steve didn't mention that at all in the keynote.

I re-ripped a large part of my CD collection in AAC and noticed that there are a lot of CDs I'm not interested any more at all. I could - and am allowed to - just sell them used on e-bay or at a flea market now. Not so with Apple's music. There's a way to de/re-authorice Macs, but it doesn't seem to be possible to transfer music to another person.

[Simon]

Originally posted by Developer:
There is one right that is lost for the owner, and Steve didn't mention that at all in the keynote.

I re-ripped a large part of my CD collection in AAC and noticed that there are a lot of CDs I'm not interested any more at all. I could - and am allowed to - just sell them used on e-bay or at a flea market now. Not so with Apple's music. There's a way to de/re-authorice Macs, but it doesn't seem to be possible to transfer music to another person.

Good point. I suppose their answer would be that you could still sell the audio CD you burned with the downloaded album. But of course that's not the same thing.

There's something else I'm wondering about. Maybe somebody here knows the answer. What if I sell a Mac and forget to de-authorize, or let's say my Mac has motherboard failure and is dead so I can't de-authorize it. Is there a way to de-authorize "in hindsight".

Of course I could always say, well I still have two Macs I can put the Music backup onto, but maybe I already have the Music on three Macs. I'd be really screwed. Is there now way to de-authorize the computer from a list. Let's say a page on the AMS where I get a list of the three computers I've authorized the music for. Then there would be a button to de-authorize list enrtries. Since I could check the serial numbers of the two Macs that are still mine I would know which third entry I could delete.

Is there no such possibility?

[typoon]

Originally posted by jfischetti:
So help me understand this "Authorized Computer stuff....

When i buy a track from AppleMusic i can use/listen to that track on 3 "authorized" computers in my name .. that would mean that the track is encoded with my name - i own it.

I can transfer that song to 2 other of my authorized computers, but if i send it to my brother he will not be able to play it, unless he is MY 3rd authorized computer.

Where did i get authorized - i don't remember doing it?

Does this seem to be right?

They seem to be doing what Audible.com does. When you load a file into iTunes it comes up with a username and password. You enter it and it authorizes your computer. If you de-authorize it then you will not be able to play the file unless you re-authorize the computer.

YOur brother could play it, he would need to use your authorization to authorize the song. You could just burn as an audio CD then have him rip to his computer then I don't think he needs to authoize it.

[Nonsuch]

Originally posted by Krusty:
How do mulitple users come in to play ? I have 3 users set up on my system .. would that end up counting as "1 computer" or 3 ? Sorry, no second mac to try it on.

This morning I logged in to my girlfriend's user account and added tracks I had purchased to her iTunes library. They played without a hitch.

[rozwado1]

Could somebody try to buy, download, burn to disc, then rip to an unauthorized computer? If this doesn't work I'm screwed. [/poor student complaining]
Nick

[SeSawaya]

so a couple of years down the road when i'm on my 4th computer from now, I cant use any of those ACC files. Unless I go through and burn all of them to a audio CD, then import them back in.

What a pain

[dreilly1]

Originally posted by SeSawaya:
so a couple of years down the road when i'm on my 4th computer from now, I cant use any of those ACC files. Unless I go through and burn all of them to a audio CD, then import them back in.

What a pain

Not unless all four computers are functioning. You can "de-authorize" a computer before you sell it, move the files over, and then authorize your new computer.

What I'd like to know is whether a single computer can be authorized on two different accounts: my wife will buy tracks on her own, but I'd like the freedom to move them over to my iBook if I wanted to, and play them while still being able to play tracks with my own Apple ID.

I'd also like to know if the DRM limits your files to be played in iTunes, or if the file you get can be played with other MP3 players or on other platforms.

Unfortunately, I can't try either scenario out, because iTunes won't accept our CC info, so I can't buy a single track.... bummer.

[zigzag]

Originally posted by SeSawaya:
so a couple of years down the road when i'm on my 4th computer from now, I cant use any of those ACC files. Unless I go through and burn all of them to a audio CD, then import them back in.

What a pain

No - I was afraid of the same thing, but it turns out that the 3-computer limit means that although you can only authorize 3 computers at any given time, you can rotate computers in and out of the group at will. Just deauthorize one (iTunes > Advanced > Deauthorize), and authorize another.

[dreilly1]

Another question:

What happens when M$ finally achieves world domination, and Apple folds? And the authentication servers go away, permanently. Is my music investment worthless now?

This isn't a troll, I certainly hope Apple doesn't go away, but a critical thing that I think most DRM lacks is a way to "unlock" files when the authenticating mechanism goes away, or when the copyright on the files runs out (hah!)

[gif32]

Originally posted by ccrider:
It probably uses your serial number, which can be viewed clicking "about this mac" and clicking on the version number. This is specific to each mac and seems like the logical solution.

I installed Panther on a second partition, and had to "authorize" iTunes again. I rebooted into Jaguar and "deauthorized" (checked to make sure files didn't play - they didn't) then rebooted into Panther, I was still authorized and the files played no problem.

So to me this means if they're using the hardware serial number it's only part of the equation.

[Angus_D]

Originally posted by Giano:
But this mean that can be played in software that don't use QT even in unauthorized mac?

Well, uh, no, because QT is the only way that you can play them. You could break the DRM encryption (hard) and write an AAC decoder (hard, but I think there are some already out there), then yes, you could. Also note that breaking the DRM would violate the DMCA and be illegal.

[King Bob On The Cob]

Originally posted by dreilly1:
Another question:

What happens when M$ finally achieves world domination, and Apple folds? And the authentication servers go away, permanently. Is my music investment worthless now?

This isn't a troll, I certainly hope Apple doesn't go away, but a critical thing that I think most DRM lacks is a way to "unlock" files when the authenticating mechanism goes away, or when the copyright on the files runs out (hah!)

Then hopefully, someone will have uncovered a way to break the encryption.

[wataru]

Originally posted by gif32:
I installed Panther on a second partition, and had to "authorize" iTunes again. I rebooted into Jaguar and "deauthorized" (checked to make sure files didn't play - they didn't) then rebooted into Panther, I was still authorized and the files played no problem.

So to me this means if they're using the hardware serial number it's only part of the equation.

I've heard it's the MAC address. Regardless, it could be the only part of the equation. This might be what happened:

1. You authorized with Jaguar.
2. You installed Panther, authorized with Panther. Apple sees this as the same machine, but Panther doesn't know it's authorized until you make it contact Apple.
3. You deauthorized under Jaguar. Now Apple says that your machine is not authorized. BUT, Panther still thinks it's authorized, so you can still play your stuff in Panther.

This works under the assumption that iTunes doesn't bother to check for authorization more than once. Since you don't ever need to be on the internet to play m4ps once you've been authorized, this may well be the case.

You might have found a loophole!

[qnxde]

Originally posted by ccrider:
It probably uses your serial number, which can be viewed clicking "about this mac" and clicking on the version number. This is specific to each mac and seems like the logical solution.

Just my 14�

They can't use serial number because if you have ever had your logic board replaced, the replacement board has no serial number.