iTunes is an excellent space for users to browse, stream, download, and even purchase music and other media content. But is it not unusual for Apple iTunes users to stress about the fact that they wouldn’t be able to play their iTunes Music on another device. Especially when they were purchased before the year 2009. To resolve this burden, I have ultimately gathered the best fixes on how to unprotect iTunes songs.

Article Content Part 1. What is DRM-protected iTunes MusicPart 2. How to Unprotect iTunes Songs to DRM-free MP3 via Music ConverterPart 3. How to Unprotect iTunes Songs (Official Ways)Part 4. FAQs about Unprotecting iTunes SongsPart 5. Summary

Part 1. What is DRM-protected iTunes Music

What Is iTunes

In January of 2001. Apple inc. launched iTunes. iTunes was developed as a media player that has greatly revolutionized people's consumed music for their entertainment. iTunes aims to provide a more straightforward approach to music entertainment and digital music. The apps present a vast catalog of millions of songs, a sleek interface that allows users to use the app without complexity graciously. iTunes also created a more convenient option for users to quickly burn files to CDs and manage users’ digital music files on the software.

Soon enough, iTunes became a platform for various media such as music videos, movies, TV shows, podcasts, and apps. But despite that, the content’s creators were not in a good disposition because of the more significant loss they were foreseeing and experiencing due to the digital world’s piracy and pirates. To put a resolution to that, Apple introduced the use of FairPlay Digital Rights Management.

How To UnProtected iTunes Songs

What Makes a Protected Song on iTunes

FairPlay DRM was developed by Apple Inc. based on the Veridis Technology for the media service of iTunes. As iTunes was introduced in 2001, Apple also launched iPod MP3 as their marquee product. FairPlay DRM was used to protect and secure iTunes’ music content of the iTunes Store from pirates and illegal use.

However, eventually, the FairPlay DRM protection caused a compatibility issue for iTunes users that would only be allowed to play all purchased content such as music, podcast, TV shows, movies, and more, to not be permitted for playback on other devices but Apple devices.

Generally, FairPlay DRM was developed to rid the music labels’ worry about digital pirates. The FairPlay DRM basically uses the MP4 format that is encrypted, making the iTunes files restricted and limited to Apple devices alone. To do away with this, you need to know how to unprotect iTunes songs.

Part 2. How to Unprotect iTunes Songs to DRM-free MP3 via Music Converter

Years after the launch of FairPlay DRM on iTunes and all of Apple’s products, the digital tycoon finally dropped the FairPlay DRM from its content in 2009. As good as it may sound, the removal of FairPlay DRM from iTunes was not much of an impact. Songs that were initially purchased from iTunes were not stripped off of the protection. So, basically, if you happened to buy music and other content from iTunes in the years 2003-2009, these files are typically crippled with protective encryption.

How to unprotect iTunes songs to DRM-free MP3? But the great news about this is that the digital industry has come up with music solutions that have revolutionized the consumption of digital media. One of the most significant innovations is the third-party software that audiophiles can use whenever they want to break loose from the restrictions and limitations the FairPlay DRM protection has brought upon the media content, specifically music they purchased from iTunes.

How to unprotect iTunes songs? To remove the DRM encryption in the iTunes music you purchased, you will need to have a program that will significantly benefit you to access your music wherever you want, on any device. TunesFun Apple Music Converter is a powerhouse free software that you can quickly get to convert your iTunes music. It’s software where you can have more than just converted iTunes songs without the DRM protection.

TunesFun Apple Music Converter Awesome Features:

  • Helps convert all Apple Music songs you want to MP3 for free
  • Helps convert all Apple Music songs and other Apple programs or apps on your Windows or Mac OS devices
  • Converts iTunes M4P tracks and audiobooks to other formats like MP3, WAV, FLAC, ACC, etc
  • Allows you unlimited offline streaming of your Apple Music songs on iPod Shuffle
  • Losslessly convert Apple Music songs, audiobooks, iTunes M4P tracks
  • Keeps original qualities of the Apple Music song files
  • Access to download over 50 million Apple Music songs for iPod Shuffle
  • Access to Apple Music on iPod nano, iPod Shuffle, iPod Classic, Zune, iPhone, Android tablet, Xbox One, PSP, Apple Watch playback
  • Listen to Apple Music songs on multiple devices at the same time
  • Supports batch conversion for a more efficient process
  • Excellent conversion speed at 16x faster
  • Modify the ID3 tags and metadata info such as Artist, Title, Year, Album, Genre, and more by yourself
  • Supports advanced technology for ID tag identification
  • Preserve ID3 tags and metadata

How to Unprotect iTunes Songs with TunesFun Apple Music Converter:

Step 1. Install TunesFun Apple Music Converter

  • Install TunesFun Apple Music Converter on your device via this link on your computer

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Step 2. Import Songs from Apple Music

  • Select songs from the Apple Music app that you want to convert

Import Songs from Apple Music

Step 3. Setup Import for Apple Music Songs

  • Select the output format and output folder where you want to save all the Apple Music songs you converted

Setup Import for Apple Music Songs

Step 4. Convert

  • Select and click the button "Convert" to convert Apple Music songs to an MP3 format.

Convert Apple Music Songs

Part 3. How to Unprotect iTunes Songs (Official Ways)

How to Unprotect iTunes Songs for Free with CD

The first official way you can try to unprotect iTunes songs is to burn them to a CD in iTunes and then convert them back to digital audio files. By copying to CD, the encrypted songs added on iTunes will be deleted, so when the songs are ripped to multimedia files again, they are no longer protected. You can follow the steps below to unprotect iTunes songs.

  • Step 1. Create a playlist and put all the songs you want to unprotect.
  • Step 2. Select the playlist you want to unlock and click "Burn Playlist to Disc" to rip it into the CD.
  • Step 3. After the burning is completed, eject the CD and insert it into your computer.
  • Step 4. Start ripping these songs to iTunes.

How to Unprotect iTunes Songs for Free with iTunes Match

How to unprotect iTunes songs? If your iTunes music tracks were purchased from the iTunes Store before 2009, iTunes Match is your best tool to unprotect iTunes songs. By subscribing to the iTunes Match service, you can use iTunes Match to remove DRM from iTunes purchases. Now, follow the step-by-step instructions below to see how to subscribe to iTunes Match and use it to remove DRM from iTunes Music:

  • Step 1. Open the iTunes program and go to the iTunes Store.
  • Step 2. Find and click on 'iTunes Match'.
  • Step 3. Check for your payment info and hit 'Subscribe'.
  • Step 4. After subscribing, iTunes Match will scan your iTunes music library for matches automatically.
  • Step 5. Go to the "My Music" tab at the top of iTunes. Then choose the songs you want to remove DRM.
  • Step 6. Hit the 'Delete' button and then hit 'Delete Songs' at the pop-up text.
  • Step 7. After deleting the original DRM-protected iTunes purchases, you get the unprotected iTunes songs.
  • Step 8. To access them, go to "iTunes Store" > "Quick Links" > "Purchased" > “Music”. You can click on the "Cloud" icon to re-download the DRM-free iTunes purchases.

Part 4. FAQs about Unprotecting iTunes Songs

Q1. Why do I need to remove iTunes DRM?

Because DRM-protected iTunes music can only be accessed on devices you authorize with your iTunes account. Plus, if you cancel your subscription, your entire iTunes music library will be gone. If you remove DRM protection, you can keep your unprotected iTunes music forever or listen to it on any device you want.

Q2. How to identify whether songs have DRM protection or not?

The protection status of the song will be displayed in the file information. Just check the song information and you will know if it is encrypted.

q3. Is it legal to unprotect iTunes music?

Generally speaking, it is illegal to remove DRM from iTunes for commercial purposes. However, it is legal if you purchase and download songs from iTunes and then convert them to popular DRM-free audio formats for personal use only.

Part 5. Summary

How to unprotect Apple Music files and iTunes songs? All in all, hope that you've learned the easiest way to unprotect iTunes songs. Fortunately, you can learn how to unprotect iTunes songs with TunesFun Apple Music Converter. It’s jam-packed software that will do the heavy lifting for you, from downloading and converting iTunes songs to allowing you unrestricted playback forever.

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