Windows Program Enables MP3 Downloading From iTunes

Joey Patterson writes "CNET reports that an independent software developer has released a program called MyTunes that allows people to share and download each other's MP3s on a network via iTunes." This is very much like a Mac program I saw a while back called itunesdl, which allowed one to download MP3s from friends who were sharing their playlists, exactly as MyTunes claims to do.

Comments

Misleading Headline

[eaglebtc]

I would like to say that the headline for this article is sensationalized and very misleading.

If you read Slashdot regularly, you will find an abundance of published stories that seek to push hardware and software beyond their normal limits, thereby allowing greater freedom and possibly skirting the law at the same time.

In this case, I was led to believe that I could use MyTunes to download from computers across the Internet, when in fact it is designed strictly for those who listen to Mp3s across a LAN--like a dedicated music server, for instance. It is not intended to enable sharing of MP3s across the global internet (even though it, too, is a "network").

Thanks Slashdot!

Re:Misleading Headline

[Caharin]

Rendezvous Proxy will take care of this for you. Use the two products together, problem solved. Easy as cake. I have used Rendezvous Proxy and it does work.

Re:Misleading Headline

[Spyky]

Furthermore, if you put up a Kazaa share or a Windows file share or an FTP server full of MP3s, I can grab music just as quick as my bandwidth and your bandwidth will allow. With MyTunes, at best I can grab music from your iTunes share as fast as I can listen too it.

It would take someone 9 days to copy all of the songs out of my iTunes library. This further separates iTunes music sharing from file-sharing services.

-Spyky

Re:Misleading Headline

[single_user_mode]

come on! nowhere does it mention the Internet in the headline! you assumed as such and when, god forbid, you had to actually read the article to find out what the post was about it was not as you anticipated... so, should /. start dragging the rest of the story into the headline just so you will not be disappointed?

besides its a start, i am sure others will build on it, hey maybe you could contribute! & b4 you know it, the sharing of across LAN and Internet will be possible.

whiner!

Re:Misleading Headline

[laird]

Actually, I thought that "Windows Program Enables MP3 Downloading From iTunes" was unusually precise. It's a program for Windows that allows people to download files from iTunes shares that they can stream. Since iTunes only shares within a LAN, you can't see shares across the internet, so you can't download from them. It doesn't re-encode the files, so if they're "protected" they're still protected. So, all around, the headline was pretty accurate. Sorry you mis-read it, but you can't beat Slashdot up over that one. If it makes you feel better, there are plenty of candidates for that honor...

Re:Misleading Headline

[laird]

iTunes doesn't really stream the music in the sense of a bit-rate limited version trickle delivered. It's more like QuickTime's auto-start download, where the full quality file is downloaded and played, only it's never written to disk. But if you capture and save the file, it's identical to the source file, in the same format, with the same DRM, etc.

This is different from operating a streaming server, where any sound to be broadcast is squished into a single continuous audio stream, at the desired bitrate and stream format. So, for example, I can run Nicecast (great app!) and it'll take whatever sounds play on my Mac, convert it to an icecast stream at 56K bps (or whatever I tell it), and stream it out. So if I play Protected AAC's, or WAV's, or movies, etc., it all ends up in one long stream, no files, no metadata.

Re:Misleading Headline

[christopherfinke]

Apparently, MyTunes grabs the actual file somehow, which may or may not involve streaming in the usual "normal speed playback" sense.

I just downloaded MyTunes and tried it on the LAN in my dorm. Once you start a song in iTunes, it is added to a list in MyTunes of songs that you can copy. Choosing to copy a song takes mere seconds, and, as far as I can tell, it is a perfect copy: all ID3 data is retained, the size of the files is the same, etc.

Won't work with music from Apple Store

[da_anarchist]

This will work just fine with MP3's, but won't work with Apple's DRM'ed files. For those, you need to actually authorize the computer so it can play the AAC file.

Re:Won't work with music from Apple Store

[mariox19]

Exactly! And the article wonders whether this will cause trouble between Apple and the music companies?! How, when the encrypted music files bought from ITMS are still as protected as they ever were?

This is a nice program, but a dopey article.

Re:Won't work with music from Apple Store

[hype7]

This will work just fine with MP3's, but won't work with Apple's DRM'ed files. For those, you need to actually authorize the computer so it can play the AAC file.

that won't be enough to stop the ensuing shit storm. Last time something like this happened (iTunes 4.0 on the mac) it was discovered that you could enable music sharing over the entire internet. The RIAA jumped down Apple's throat.

This will be no different - it's the akin to setting up shared file folders all over a network (think of a college dorm...), except that iTunes is a pretty interface. I think when the RIAA gets wind of this (won't be long now, and I *bet* that's why CNet published in the first place) they'll be down Apple's throat like pavlova down a fat lady's gullet.

The endgame: I'm now concerned that the feature is going to get pulled. Which is a shame, because it's innovative and it's cool.

-- james

Re:Won't work with music from Apple Store

[laird]

"that won't be enough to stop the ensuing shit storm. Last time something like this happened (iTunes 4.0 on the mac) it was discovered that you could enable music sharing over the entire internet. The RIAA jumped down Apple's throat."

The problem was the sharing across the internet, which was addressed by iTunes sharing being limited (in the first upgrade to iTunes) to LAN's, after which the record companies were fine with it -- people SHOULD be able to move music freely around their home, but not copy it to strangers across the internet. Since this program is functionally identical to programs that have been out for the Mac for many months, it doesn't introduce anything dramatically new, just evens up the PC users with the Mac users. Which is to say that music can be copied across a LAN but not the internet, and music sold by iTunes can be copied but not played without authorization. It's about the same as if someone turned on file sharing, and shared their Music folder to the LAN. That being said, I'd expect Apple to do what it can to discourage the availability of MyTunes, just as they did before with the comparable Mac app's.

It's not like Apple could prevent people from using file sharing to simply share their Music folders onto the LAN. It's not as slick a UI as iTunes, but certainly adequate.

Open Source, Email communication

[Caharin]

Mr. Zeller,

I recently was referred to your web page about your program MyTunes.
Your program sounds most excellent, however I note that it is only
available for windows. The internet community would most definitely be
pleased if you were to make this project open source. Since you are
charging nothing, you will only gain from this change.
As open source software, it can be ported by other people, to mac OS X
for example. Development would allow for greater stability, more
features. Also, I believe sourceforge (http://sourceforge.net/) will
host such a page for free.

--his reply--

Hi,

I absolutely support open source software and have been active in the
community (see www.zempt.com).

The reason this version was not open source had more to do with the time it
would have taken to choose the correct license as well as getting all the
files together, registering for sourceforge, etc.

I'll hopefully be able to make it open source soon.

Best Regards,
Bill Zeller

Yeah right...

[AVee]

From the bottom of the site:

And remember, copyright infringement is illegal. If you have any question whether what you're doing constitutes an infringement,
visit the RIAA's great anti-piracy website.

Kissing asses here, scared allready or just kidding?

Isn't it obvious?

[TheSpoom]

DRM = protection of the music files.

But the player then decodes the audio stream and then plays it through sound card.

Most sound cards have line out.

DRM *will not* work for audio in this way.

Something's not right...

[Qweezle]

This doesn't seem quite sound...this guy will get shut down. Hell, his own website contradicts him. He says this:

Tunes is mainly meant to be used as a music manager and means of purchasing music online. However, in addition to purchasing music, one can listen to any of the music shared by others on a network. So, for example, if another person on your network has iTunes and decides to share their music, you can listen to it. iTunes does not allow you to save this music to your hard drive. MyTunes lifts this restriction by allowing you to save music from other computers to your hard drive.

Then he says, down at the bottom, something of a "disclaimer" which, although I am not a legal specialist, does not sound like it has any legitimacy:

If you plan on stealing music, do not download this software. If you plan on infringing upon copyrights, do not download this software. Only download this software if you plan on acting responsibly. Warranty: There is absolutely no warranty of any kind whatsoever with this software. The software is provided to you "AS-IS", and all risks and losses associated with its use are assumed by you. In no event shall the author of this software, Bill Zeller, be held accountable for any damages or losses that may occur from use or misuse of the software. Use at your own risk. And remember, copyright infringement is illegal. If you have any question whether what you're doing constitutes an infringement, visit the RIAA's great anti-piracy website.

He also links to Apple's iTunes website, which has to have some sort of legal implications, seeing as this is a program which can (potentially) be used in malignant ways.

It'll be interesting to see if Apple tries to do an "over-the-internet auto update" like Microsoft does with its patches, for this, or if they try to guise a fix for this as a "feature upgrade". If they do, they better have some new features. This is exactly what iTunes update to 4.0.1 did for Mac users, when it was discovered people could share music with other exact IP addresses.

You could do this before, even on windows or linux

[RalphBNumbers]

In addition to iTunesDL, mentioned in the article for mac, there's iSlurp which does basically the same thing in platform independent java. and has been out for six months.

But now we have a bunch of hype and publicity.
So the Record companies are probably going to give apple shit and force more limitations down our throats, just like when Apple had to limit iTunes to sharing on the local network only.

Good job people.

Re:Bad and good

[Lightwarrior]

I'm certainly not. What constitutes sharing? Playing it for myself alone, but loud enough for the neighbors to hear? Playing it in the car when my friends are listening? Playing it for a room full of people? Playing it for an auditorium full of people?

Is it my fault if some guy is making a recording without my knowledge?

What if my computer gets hacked, and my legitimate digital backups are compromised? What if my backup CDs are stolen, but not my original copies? What if I still have the backups if the originals are stolen?

Can I buy "used" CDs? What about purchasing a "mix" CD? A recording of a concert? Can I sell my "used" CDs? The copies if I destroy the originals? The digital copies if I destroy the originals?

-lw

The loser: Me

[Therlin]

Great. Pretty soon Apple will disable this option and I will not be able to use iTunes simple zero-conf mp3 sharing. I loved opening my iTunes from another computer and listen to my songs. The loser: Me.

In the meanwhile all the kiddies will keep using Kazaa to get their songs.

Re:You could do this before, even on windows or li

[self assembled struc]

of course, if you'd read the iSlurp page you'd see that it no longer works with anything post 4.0

LIke 4.0.1 where Apple started doing key passing and he doesn't want to violate the DMCA.

So, you really can't use iSlurp unless you use old copies of iTunes.