Section 82. Purchase Music from the iTunes Music Store

82. Purchase Music from the iTunes Music Store

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

30 Configure Networking Manually

45 Sign Up for .Mac

SEE ALSO

83 Import (or Rip) an Audio CD

85 Create (or Burn) a Custom Audio CD

86 Synchronize with an iPod

In April 2003, Apple opened the iTunes Music Storethe first online music purchasing system that allows customers to buy whole albums or individual tracks, at 99 cents a track or $9.99 an album, with no further obligation or monthly fees. Imitators have come and gone, but Apple's offering has held a commanding lead in the market, and is still the music store that has the best selection and the most consistent and least restrictive terms of useand it's available in the Windows version of iTunes, too. You can create ("burn") audio CDs from individual songs as often as you like; you can burn unaltered playlists up to 7 times; you can play purchased music on up to five computers; and you can copy the downloaded AAC files to your iPod to take with you wherever you go. The selection of available music is vast (with some notable exceptions, such as the Beatles, under the Apple Records label, which has caused Apple recurring legal troubles), and Apple adds dozens of new albums each Tuesday.

Purchasing music through the iTunes Music Store requires you to have an Apple ID an identification used to lock your purchased music files to yourself and your computer. If you have a paid .Mac account (see 45 Sign Up for .Mac ), your .Mac email address (for example, [e-mail] ) is also your Apple ID. If you don't want to buy a .Mac membership, you can create a free Apple ID using iTunes's built-in sign-up process.

You must also be connected to the Internet before you can use the iTunes Music Store.

1.	Open the iTunes Music Store Open iTunes and click Music Store in the Source pane. iTunes connects to the online Music Store and loads its main page. From there, you can navigate the listed genres or special pages (such as the Just Added items), or page through the featured albums listed in the various categories ( New Releases, Exclusives, Staff Favorites ), or view the most popular downloads listed at the right side of the window. NOTE Click the See All link on the Just Added section of the Music Store main page to see lists of music that has been added to the Music Store in each of the last several weekly updates. 82. Purchase Music from the iTunes Music Store If this is your first time using the iTunes Music Store, you are prompted to sign in using an Apple ID or .Mac account. If you have a .Mac account, use your .Mac email address (for example, [e-mail] ); if you don't have a .Mac account, you can create an Apple ID using the Create Account button. If you don't want to sign in right away, click Cancel. Note that you must sign in before you can buy music.
2.	Browse a Genre Select a genre from the Choose Genre drop-down menu at the top left. You can pick from categories such as Classical, Rock, Electronic, Jazz, Disney , and several others. Each genre has its own page and its own featured artists ; you can scroll through them as you would the main Music Store page. Click an album cover or artist name to go to its download page. NOTE Some featured artists have their own specially designed pages, with biographical information, iTunes-exclusive tracks, and other special features such as the artists' own musical recommendations from other artists. Such pages also usually have every album the artist ever released, or even special exclusive digital "boxed sets" (as in the case of U2).
3.	Search for an Artist, Album, or Song If you have a specific song or artist in mind, you can search for it directly using the Search Music Store box. Type the name you're looking for and press Enter ; a result screen shows you all the matches that iTunes found. Double-click any of the song titles in the list to preview a brief clip of the song, or click the arrow next to the artist or album name in the list to go to its own download page. TIP Click the magnifying glass in the Search Music Store box to narrow your search to match your input only in Artists, Albums, Composers , or Songs . Alternatively, select Power Search to bring up a screen where you can type more specific and customized search terms, such as a specific artist and song name.
4.	Browse Genres and Albums Directly Click the Browse button at the top right of iTunes to put it into the direct Browser mode. This mode works like the Finder's Column view. The Browser mode is austere but practical, and allows you to quickly navigate down through the genres to the artists, albums, and songs. Click the arrow next to any artist or album name to go to its download page.
5.	Enter Your Apple ID Unless you are signed in already, a Sign in button appears in the upper-right corner of the iTunes window; click it when you're ready to begin buying music. If you've used the Music Store before, simply enter your Apple ID (your .Mac email address, if you have one) and password in the box that appears. If this is the first time you've used the Music Store, however, you are taken to a series of screens where you enter your .Mac information (if you have an account) and set up your purchasing options. Follow the onscreen instructions to enter your credit card information and other data that the system requires. NOTE If you are using a shared computer, be sure to sign out of the iTunes Music Store when you're done using it. Sign out by clicking your identity in the Account window in the upper right, and clicking Sign Out in the dialog box that appears.
6.	Purchase with 1-Click or with Shopping Cart Open the iTunes Preferences window (choose Preferences from the iTunes menu) and click the Store icon to open the Music Store Preferences pane. A radio button allows you to select whether to use 1-Click , which means that songs and albums you buy will be downloaded immediately; or with a shopping cart , which means that instead of Buy buttons you will see Add buttons, which place your purchases into a holding area for you to download later at your leisure, piecemeal or all at once. The Shopping Cart option is often better if you have a slower Internet connection. Click OK when you're done.
7.	Preview a Song In any screen where song files are shown, such as an album page or a search result listing, you can get a 30-second preview of any song by double-clicking the song title (or by selecting the song and clicking iTunes' Play button). The preview is selected from the middle of each song so that you get a good idea of the main sound of the song, rather than just its first 30 seconds.
8.	Buy a Song Each song in a listing page has a Buy Song (or Add Song , if you're using a shopping cart) button next to its price in the listing. Click the Buy Song button to buy the track. A dialog box appears in order to confirm whether you want to buy it; the download begins when you click Buy . TIP If you're using a shopping cart, songs and albums you add to the cart can be viewed by selecting Shopping Cart in the Source pane. Buy the songs or albums in the shopping cart individually by clicking the Buy buttons next to them, or purchase the cart's entire contents at once using the BUY NOW button at the bottom.
9.	Buy an Album On nearly every full album page, there is a Buy Album button at the top next to the cover art. Click this button to download the entire album at once. A dialog box appears in order to confirm whether you want to buy it; the download begins when you click Buy . NOTE Not all music in the iTunes Music Store is included under the same licensing terms from the record labels. In some cases, only a partial album is available, which it might or might not be possible to buy with a single click. On some albums, there might be one or more songs that are only available if you purchase the entire album; this is usually the mark of a lopsided album with one hit and eleven tracks of filler. Other songs might be available only on a per-song basis, if they're especially short or long.
10.	Request Music You Can't Find Chances are that you'll be looking for some specific song or artist that doesn't seem to be in the iTunes Music Store. You can request it, however, by using the online feedback form on Apple's website. Choose Provide iTunes Feedback from the iTunes menu. In the form that appears in your Web browser, enter your name and email address, then select Music Requests from the Feedback Type drop-down menu. In the Comments box, type the name of the song, artist, or album that you're looking for. Fill out the rest of the form appropriately. Click Send Feedback , and your request is sent to Apple. The Music Store is constantly being updated, with new additions made every Tuesday; if enough people request the music you're looking for, it will likely be added to the Music Store and appear in one of the weekly updates.

TIP

Click the My Account link or the Account button to access your online account options. Among the things you can do in this area are reviewing your purchase history, requesting technical support, and selecting whether or not you want Apple to send you email notifications when the Music Store is updated. Select the weekly notification option to get a message each Tuesday showing you what new music has been added.