Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Multimedia, Hacks, How-tos, iTunes, Apple
Remove iTunes DRM easily and quickly with iMovie HD
Fortunately, as long as you can hear the music you buy, there'll always be a simple way around the DRM, and 5thirtyone has put together this simple writeup explaining how to break iTunes DRM with a tool you've already got on your Mac: iMovie. Essentially, you load the DRM-ed file as a soundtrack in iMovie, export it as an .aiff file back into iTunes, and then convert it in iTunes back to AAC. Simple enough.
This makes you question why DRM is there in the first place. Sure, the record companies might be pushing it on Apple, but if it's this easy and simple to do, exactly what leg are they standing on to justify it in the first place?
Get a WordPress.com Blog
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
geddy76 said 10:07AM on 12-11-2007
First off, this is an old solution, so I'm not sure why this is being posted. Second, its not a good solution, as you are uncompressing and then re-compressing the files. This is no different then burning to cd and then re-importing except that it saves you a disc and it doesn't add to the burn count. In that sense, sure, its a top-notch solution. But for those of us that don't want to degrade the quality further than it already is, this is a no go.
Oh, and "first post"!
Reply
Simon Arch said 11:35AM on 12-11-2007
Just because it's an "old" solution doesn't mean everyone has heard of it. Sheesh.
Matt M said 10:19AM on 12-11-2007
Agreed. This is not a solution for removing DRM, it's a solution for re-compressing the music. This is not what we are looking for. Thanks, but no thanks.
Reply
Mike Kobrin said 10:33AM on 12-11-2007
As implied above, this process will make your music sound pretty lousy, since you'd be recompressing already compressed music.
You'd be just as well off using a soundcard and an audio cable to record your computer's output. That is to say... not very well off, since the sound would suck once you re-compressed it.
Reply
techn0phile said 10:22AM on 12-11-2007
Not to mention destroying metadata. I don't consider that a simple solution. It's an inconvenient workaround.
Reply
Bryan said 10:31AM on 12-11-2007
DRM is like locks on your doors... they keep honest people honest.
Reply
rain said 1:38PM on 12-11-2007
Why should honest people can't be free to play the music they bought how they want to while unhonest people are free to do whatever they want?
Bryan said 2:16PM on 12-11-2007
Well, if honest people read the Terms of Service for the iTunes store that they agreed to prior to purchasing content they would know that the agreement restricts the usage of the content.
Just because we all might think it is wrong doesn't give us the right to breach the agreement, because at that point you become dishonest like the guy who kicks in a door because he thinks it's wrong that you have something that he wants.
thethirdmoose said 5:25PM on 12-11-2007
You, sir, are an idiot. Let me give you three real life situations.
1) My dad gets a new computer. His purchased songs don't play. He fumes until I explain to him how to authorize his computer. A minor inconvenience, but why shouldn't my songs play where and when I want to listen to them?
2) I get an Archos 605 - no support for iTunes DRM. I can't play my legally downloaded songs. What am I going to do? That's right, pirate them!
3) I want to watch a DVD I own on my media player. Can I just copy the DVD video files? No, thanks to DRM, and how well it keeps honest people honest! Instead, I have to break the DRM, and therefore the law!
Thataboy said 10:37AM on 12-11-2007
Well you could just as easily "recompress" into Apple Lossless, and it would be no worse than the original file (though bigger). Use a Doug Applescript to copy track metadata from one to the other. Done.
Reply
mingistech said 10:42AM on 12-11-2007
Yes... this is old, and there is an Automator action out there that will automate this process for you.
If iMovie could do this for video purchased from iTunes... then i'd think we have something to talk about. :)
Reply
mark said 3:33PM on 12-12-2007
that's what i need. i bought some videos on itunes, and the volume on a couple of them is so low that they're essentially unwatchable (even with audio boosted in itunes' track options).
i need a way to export the audio so i can normalize it and reattach it to the video. but the DRM prevents it. i'd live with the loss in quality, just to have a watchable version of these videos for my treadmill workouts.
David Chartier said 10:42AM on 12-11-2007
I think the general idea behind DRM is, or at least was, to keep honest customers honest, preventing them from stepping over into the realm of file sharing and pirating.
My wife—someone I would consider to be on par with the general masses of computer users—would never have thought to try out this trick. She doesn't read TUAW or 5thirtyone, and neither do most other users.
So considering DRM's intended purpose and the motivation of the general computer user, I would wager it's working just fine. I'm not saying this is a good or a bad thing; just trying to point out the what and the why here.
Reply
Frank said 10:52AM on 12-11-2007
This post is a joke, right?
QTFairUse6:
http://hymn-project.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1553
Reply
johnmc said 11:43AM on 12-11-2007
How about a solution for those of us who use a real operating system?
Matt said 2:05PM on 12-11-2007
Looks like the source code is available...or do you just like to complain?
johnmc said 6:55PM on 12-11-2007
What good will source code for a Windows app do me?
From the FAQ:
Mac:
If you're on a Mac, your options are limited to burn/rip cd's, recording the music as you play it using something like AudioHijack, or using the iMovie tricks. PLEASE SEARCH THE FORUMS FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THESE OPTIONS!
If the source code were compilable into something even remotely useful on a Mac, then surely it would mention so in the "Official FAQ - YOU MUST READ THIS!" or am I missing something?
ramond said 11:09AM on 12-11-2007
LOL great quality post!!! While you're at it, why don't you hold a microphone up to your speakers and record it onto tape and record it back over line in to MP3.
Reply
Mystic said 11:22AM on 12-11-2007
WTF is this site becoming? Half the stories on the front page are about hacks. So lame TUAW, yet another sellout to the weblog and gawker networks.
Reply
krye said 11:24AM on 12-11-2007
Your average user doesn't even know what DRM is.
Reply