Music Match

to get into the cloud
imported music CD's
there is Music Match
 

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Subscribe to iTunes Match

iTunes Match gives you access to all of your music, even songs that you've imported from other sources such as CDs, on all of your devices.

About iTunes Match

iTunes Match adds all of your music to your iCloud Music Library1 using iTunes on a Mac or PC. To access your music from all of your devices, turn on iCloud Music Library on each device.

To subscribe to iTunes Match, you need iTunes 10.5.2 or later on your Mac or PC. Get the latest version of iTunes.

iTunes Match availability varies by country or region. Learn more about what's available in your country. iCloud Music Library is not a back up service, so make sure to always have a back up of your music collection before you make any changes.

Subscribe to iTunes Match

  1. Open iTunes on a Mac or PC. Make sure that you have the latest version of iTunes.
  2. At the top of the iTunes window, click Store.
  3. Under Music Quick Links at the right side of the window, click iTunes Match.
  4. Click the Subscribe button.
  5. In the "Sign In to subscribe to iTunes Match" dialog that appears, enter the Apple ID and password that you use to make purchases from the iTunes Store.
  6. You might be asked to validate your billing information. After you add a valid payment method, click Subscribe. You can use store credit to pay for your iTunes Match subscription, but you must also have a valid payment method on file.
  7. Agree to the iTunes Match Terms and Conditions. 
  8. iTunes automatically scans your iTunes library for matches. A status indicator lets you track the scan's progress. You can manually pause and resume the scan at any time by clicking the Stop or Start button. If at any time during the matching and uploading process you lose your Internet connection or experience a power outage, iTunes will automatically resume where it left off the next time you open iTunes.

After the process finishes, you'll see a download icon  next to items that are available for download from iCloud. If you don't see the download icon, the item is already in your local iTunes library.

Cancel your iTunes Match subscription

By default, your iTunes Match subscription automatically renews at the end of your one-year subscription. You can view or cancel your subscription to iTunes Match on an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, PC, or Apple TV (4th generation).

Use iTunes Match

To access your songs and playlists on other devices, turn on iCloud Music Library on each iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, or PC that you want to access your music collection on.

When you sign in with the Apple ID that you use with iTunes Match on your iOS device or computer, you associate that device with your account and get access to your iCloud Music Library.

It might take some time for iTunes Match to upload your music from iTunes on a Mac or PC to iCloud Music Library. If you don't see your music on another device right away, check back later. When iTunes Match is done, a download icon  appears next to any content that's in your iCloud Music Library and not downloaded to that device.

 

More about iTunes Match

  • iTunes Match is limited to 100,000 songs. 
  • iTunes Store purchases made with the same Apple ID being used for iTunes Match don't count towards the 100,000 song limit.
  • Unmatched content is uploaded as is. Upload time varies depending on the amounts uploaded and local network speeds.
  • Song files larger than 200 MB won't upload to iCloud Music Library.
  • Song files longer than two hours in length won't upload to iCloud Music Library.
  • Songs containing DRM (Digital Rights Management) won't match or upload to iCloud Music Library unless your computer is authorized for playback of that content.
  • After you subscribe to iTunes Match, Genius associates information about your iTunes library with your Apple ID. You can't turn off Genius while using iTunes Match.

About file formats

  • If you have songs encoded in ALAC, WAV, or AIFF formats, we create an AAC 256Kbps version and upload it to iCloud Music Library so that it can be played on all of your other devices. Your original music file remains untouched on your Mac or PC. 
  • Songs encoded in AAC or MP3 formats that don't meet certain quality criteria aren't matched or uploaded to iCloud Music Library.
  • Songs encoded as MP3 or AAC that have been matched to the iTunes Store are made available for download as 256 kbps as AAC from iCloud Music Library. 
  • Songs from the iTunes Store might be higher quality than your original versions. If you'd like the higher quality iTunes Store version, delete the songs from your iTunes library, then redownload the songs from the iTunes Store.

Learn more

 

1 You might also see iCloud Music Library talked about as a feature of Apple Music. iCloud Music Library is a feature of both iTunes Match and Apple Music. If you're an Apple Music member, you don't need to subscribe to iTunes Match unless you still need to access your music on an Apple TV (2nd or 3rd generation).

Published Date: Sep 7, 2017

R.W. Sanders