Filed under: Software, Internet Tools, iTunes
Borrow shared iTunes music with ourTunes
Streaming iTunes music over a network is good, but being able to actually pull down and borrow that music is great, and ourTunes is just the app for the job. Running on Mac and PC (I think it's java), ourTunes allows you to browse the library of anyone on your network who has sharing switched on in iTunes, then pull down songs that get your feet tappin'.
I don't know if this works with the new iTunes 7, but I remember seeing this app a while ago, back when I used to work in an office on campus, and I'm genuinely surprised it hasn't received a calling card from Apple's C&D ninjas. Grab it while you can ladies and gents.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Ashley Mushnick said 11:10AM on 9-20-2006
I used to use this all the time. I don't think it works between iTunes 7 users and iTunes 6 users. I noticed after I updated that it stopped working as well. I've been able to connect to fewer people. I wish a better version, like MyTunes which is available for XP, was available.
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Kunnysensei said 11:14AM on 9-20-2006
Maybe you all know this application which does a similar trick?
http://husk.org/apps/blue_coconut/
I think it works on XP iTunes...
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Stephen C. said 11:19AM on 9-20-2006
I've been using this for a long time and love it... oh, and it works just fine between the iTunes 7 on my iMac and iTunes 6 on my brother's PC.
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mitch said 11:36AM on 9-20-2006
Doesn't work with iTunes 7, to my knowledge. Every share can't be connected to :-
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Taxman said 11:36AM on 9-20-2006
I'm not sure I understand the need for this app. If you are on a network and have the option to share your library, you already have access to that shared music directly from within iTunes. Am I missing something?
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Jay said 11:47AM on 9-20-2006
Taxman: Yah, you're missing something. This app specifically allows you to *download* the songs from shared iTunes lists vs. just playing them from your local iTunes.
I used this quite a bit pre-iTunes 6.x, but now it doesn't seem to work on my iTunes 7.0 Mini. On the 'Hosts' tab it says database size: 0, status: failed.
Anyone else getting this? Playback on my local iTunes 7 via the shared library on my Mini works fine.
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dave said 12:12PM on 9-20-2006
wouldn't it also be easy - for those concerned - to just email requests for files (like songs) using another platform independent tool called pando? pando uses torrent,and it's fast...i think you covered it once before...
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atom said 12:03PM on 9-20-2006
it's availible as a .app package at here:
http://jopari13.googlepages.com/home
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ODog said 12:46PM on 9-20-2006
I can download it but when I have it open I can't click in the search field. Anyone know what I'm doing wrong?
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J said 5:02PM on 9-20-2006
No one in my office has been able to get it to work post- itunes 7 installations. Hopefully there will be a fix soon.
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William said 12:40PM on 9-20-2006
This blog should be deleted......
This program is designed to STEAL copyrighted material, which goes against the direct mission statement, and ethical views of iTunes.
I can't believe, especially with the amount of Mac users that work in the creative developement fields, that this type of behavior is acceptable.
Someone please remove the blog.
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Brent said 12:30PM on 9-20-2006
I was actually just looking around earlier this morning on the internet because I can't get ourTunes to work right since I upgraded to iTunes7. I'm hoping someone will release an updated version soon cuz it's a great little app. The problem I have is it fails to connect to shared hosts.
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Bennington said 12:50PM on 9-20-2006
Freedom of speech and information. Why would anyone remove this blog, you can talk about WHATEVER you want, like smokin' crack or pickin’ up hookers.
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bobby Koerper said 12:50PM on 9-20-2006
this is a great program, as is mytunes-for windows, written in C++ (so it's particularly good for those anti-java hoons out there). ourtunes and mytunes are great in a college setting, as you can rely on others who download huge stacks of music off bittorrent, and not worry about your school catching /you/ for torrenting.. though, i hate the 5 person per day itunes sharing limit, what is that?
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Brent said 12:53PM on 9-20-2006
As far as I can tell, none of these available iTunes "music borrowers" that are out there work once you update to iTunes 7. I can only connect to users with iTunes 6 on their machine. Once they update, I can't connect to them anymore. I tried ourTunes, MyTunes and BlueCoconut.
Anyone know of any that work between two iTunes 7 machines?
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Dan Bedford said 1:27PM on 9-20-2006
I can confirm that this program WILL NOT connect to iTunes 7 shared libraries.
Also keep in mind, with all the problems reported with this initial release of iTunes 7, I would expect the ourTunes developers to wait for the update that Apple will release soon to make sure they don't have to do this all over again.
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William said 1:31PM on 9-20-2006
Freedom of speech is protected. But there is an ethical/moral standard that some people should hold above thier rights.
It's just sad. People know they're stealing. TAUW wouldn't post how to steal from your local retailer and get away with it everytime. So why are they posting this?
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Rob said 2:28PM on 2-24-2009
#10 - This program does not allow people to steal DRM files. The computer receiving the files must also use the same authorized user as the one that is being downloaded from.
I use it all the time to sync my Itunes purchases that I paid for between my laptop and home computer.
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mr. dave said 2:10PM on 9-20-2006
Um, we share our libraries at my office, occassionally someone will have a good podcast, or maybe a game trailer that they downloaded and added to iTunes. I could go hunt this stuff down myself I suppose, or just view their's in iTunes - or I could use this handy app and download it from their machine to mine and then maybe take it home and add it to iTunes there.
And I agree with the previous poster who says it makes syncing stuff at home across multiple computers a lot easier. Sure we can share the library at home as well, but when the host goes to sleep, there's goes the connection. And my laptop at home doesn't necessarily need to have all the same music as my main library - this let's me pick and choose what to move.
And on a final note, if this blog post is "bad" then what? Where do we stop the censors? Senuti lets me move music off of my iPod, so does iPodDisk - both of which I think have been covered here. They could clearly be used to "steal" music off of a friends iPod. But it also has legitimate purposes, like when I needed to get all of my daughter's music off of her iPod mini after her iBook crashed and burned. Just because an app might be used for illegal purposes doesn't mean we can't openly discuss it, does it? Wasn't there just something on here about a new beta for a Torrent app? Take it down - take it down now! :)
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James Trascapoulos said 3:49PM on 9-20-2006
Um - it's bad because you don't OWN the files your taking. It's a handy way to STEAL files from an unsuspecting person who has allowed you to listen to their music. Whether it's DRM'd or whether it's ripped from someone's personal cd collection, it's still taking without asking.
Which, if I recall correctly, is called "stealing"...
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