'iTunes Match' Allows Both Streaming and Downloading of Music

will you be able to stream your music to an iOS device?

Yes. it's mentioned in the article multiple times.

arn

This $25 is burning a hole in my pocket! Apple, I need to give it to you NOW!

What the little demo didn't show is what exactly happens with that file he downloaded. Is it accessible in the Finder to be "kept forever" or has the computer truly become just another iOS-style "device" where the underlying file system is not really accessible, and the downloaded track is only visible or able to manipulated from within iTunes? Is the iTunes Library now like the iPhoto Library?

Personally I don't care, but there were some heated arguments a while back (https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1171764) about whether iTunes Match would be purely streaming or would actually let customers "keep" all the 256kbps files they could possibly download/hoard, essentially making it an all-you-can-eat buffet for a one-time $25 fee. Looks like the streaming is clearly in place, but whether or not downloading means "for keeps" remains to be seen. My prediction: no.

Also curious if the latest iTunes will close the CD-burning loophole. Apple's deal with the record companies on this is suddenly believable if all the tracks are "trapped" inside of iTunes on the various devices, including computers.

Unless I am misreading, something doesn't sounds quite right here

I can now download illegal music
iTunes match will make it legal

I now pay $25/year for all the music I want instead of buying albums

Yes, you're paying the general license fee. I'm sure the thought is better to have everyone paying $25 a year (in addition to everything they purchase legally) than just have you torrenting music and the record companies making nothing. You'll still be a douche, but at least they're getting something for it. :)

With streaming being an option, this service is going to flat out dominate.

Apple better not use this as an excuse to drop the iPod classic. Streaming will not be a suitable replacement to massive local storage until a 24/7 network connection can be assumed, and the carriers stop their assault on heavy users.

Spotify= $4.99 per month = $59.98 per year.

iTunes Match = $24.95 Per year.

That's like comparing apples and oranges. With Spotify, you're paying to have unlimited access to their entire streaming library. With iTunes Match, you have to pay for the music you want to listen to on a per song or per album basis. iTunes Match only gives you the ability to sync your music between devices, have unlimited access to previous purchases, and get online access to songs you already owned/illegally downloaded.

They're very different "Cloud" solutions.

Tuck

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Will this work over your Wireless Carrier 3G or Edge connection?

Probably only if you jailbreak.

Tuck