Back in 2011, before streaming music services were a big thing, Apple introduced a service called iTunes Match. For $34.99 per year, Apple lets you upload all the music in your music library and allow you to sync it across all your devices. Before Apple Music, Spotify and other streaming services were available and we had easy access to mobile internet, this was a great way to access your music wherever you went.
What is iTunes Match
iTunes Match didn’t actually upload your entire library to Apple’s cloud services. That would be both a pain for users wanting for potentially massive amounts of data to be uploaded and a huge cost for Apple. Instead, Apple looking at your music and matched it with songs it already had in the iTunes Store.
In effect, it resulted in you having access to all your music – likely ripped from CDs and DRM (digital rights management) free back then – on all your devices. In the iPod age, when many music playing devices could only receive music by a direct connection to a computer, this was a very useful feature.
As a bonus, low-quality tracks are ‘upgraded’ by iTunes Match to 256 kbps AAC files without DRM.
It’s worth noting that iTunes Match is not perfect at matching your songs with what’s in its library. If you have an obscure recording Apple will do its best to match. For example, if you have a classical piece of music recorded by a specific orchestra, it may find the same piece by a different performer. Or a live performance might be matched/replaced by a different live performance of the same song by the same performer.
Apple Music changed the equation
When streaming services like Apple Music came along, the need to actually sync your library to get access to your music changed. Now, you’re able to listen to any music you want but you don’t actually own any music. For $12.99 per month ($6.99 for students) or $129 annually (there’s currently a deal for new subscribers to pay just $2.99 for the first six months) you can listen to almost any music you like.
Unlike iTunes Match, which is a library of music you have specifically chosen and curated into playlists, Apple Music uses algorithms to determine what sorts of music you like and then exposes you to music you might not have otherwise listened to.
Who needs iTunes Match?
iTunes Match gives people access to their music wherever they are. Apple Music delivers access to a massive library of music anywhere and anytime. And it includes many of the same features as iTunes Match but with a couple of differences.
iTunes Match lets you download your music files and then play them anywhere but Apple Music adds DRM to your files. So, a track ripped from a CD that is matched or uploaded to iCloud Music Library via Apple Music can only be played while your Apple Music subscription is active.
If you want to keep DRM-free copies of your music then you must keep backups of your original files if you use Apple Music. Apple does not see music that belongs to you is any different to music in its Apple Music library.
Alternately, if you want to maintain your own library of DRM-free music that can be accessed from all your devices, then you need iTunes Match. If you don’t have any of your own music – something that includes an entire generation of music lovers – then iTunes Match is a relic of a bygone era.
All this makes me glad I have an extensive vinyl and CD library of my favourite music.
Anthony is the founder of Australian Apple News. He is a long-time Apple user and former editor of Australian Macworld. He has contributed to many technology magazines and newspapers as well as appearing regularly on radio and occasionally on TV.