[BALUG-Talk] iTMS stuff on Linux

[Rick Moen]

Eric mentioned, during the talk, the perennial iTunes Music Store /
iTunes app problem.  Please find below a quick draft of a file for my
online knowledgebase, attempting to cover the options:





Access to iTunes Music Store (iTMS) from Linux



Apple, Inc. seems to be moving at a glacial pace away from DRM (Digital
Restrictions Management) on AAC music files offered at the iTunes Music
Store -- but DRM remains a factor, for now.  Following are Linux options
to deal with iTMS access, and to deal (or not deal) with the DRM.  All
codebases mentioned other than iTunes for MS-Windows and CrossOver Linux
are open source.

(This page deliberately eschews links to lamers attempting to petition 
Apple, Inc. to release proprietary iTunes software for Linux and/or BSD.)




MyFairTunes6 and QTFairUse6 
JHhymn (Hear Your Music aNywhere, implemented in Java) on Linux stripped
the Veridisc FairPlay encryption present on most iTMS AAC files 
(.m4p = encrypted AAC) you purchase from iTMS, turning them into 
regular AAC (.m4a) files, which then can be played on Linux without
using iTunes for Windows on Linux (e.g., under WINE) to get to them.  It was
compatible with music files downloaded by pre-6.0 versions of iTunes.  
However (note Wikipedia link, below), it is currently (2008-01) necessary 
to instead use similar open-source programs MyFairTunes6 or QTFairUse6 
on MS-Windows, or FFH (Fairly Flaky Hack) on Mac OS X, instead of JHymn, 
to perform the encryption-stripping, as those alone are compatible with 
recent (e.g., 7.5.0) iTunes versions that are now required by iTMS.
http://hymn-project.org/jhymndoc/ (JHymn, currently non-useful)
http://hymn-project.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1314 (FAQ)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymn_(software) 
http://www.hymn-project.org/download.php (MyFairTunes6, QTFairUse6)
http://hymn-project.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2436 (FFH)


WINE 0.9.45 or newer can run iTunes 7.3 for MS-Windows.  This of course
leaves the Veridisc FairPlay encryption on most iTMS AAC
files (.m4p = encrypted AAC) intact, but the iTunes app can play the
sound files within Apple's DRM control regime.  (Set WINE to emulate 
MS-Windows XP, using winecfg.)  Also, iTunes 7.4.3 for MS-Windows is 
verified to work fully under WINE 0.9.51.  Note: CrossOver Linux (in 
place of WINE) a/o v. 6.2.0 does not allow iTunes to access iTMS, 
though it does access Apple iPods.
http://wine-review.blogspot.com/2007/10/itunes-73-on-linux-with-wine.html


Banshee music player supports an unofficial iTunes plug-in that allows
it to interact with iTMS the same way the iTunes application does.
However, this approach (1) involves running unsupported, unmaintained 
developer plugin code that may not work at all, and (2) leaves the 
Veridisc FairPlay encryption on most iTMS AAC files (.m4p = encrypted AAC) 
intact.
http://www.banshee-project.org/Plugins




SharpMusique by Jon Lech Johansen (in C#), based on PyMusique (in
Python) by Travis Watkins, Jon Lech Johansen, and Cody Brocious, let
Linux users buy AAC files from iTMS, and on-the-fly strips the Veridisc
FairPlay encryption present on most iTMS AAC files (.m4p = encrypted
AAC).  However, it ceased to be maintained after v. 1.0 in Sept. 2005,
and changes at iTMS broke it in mid-2006.
http://nanocr.eu/2005/09/17/sharpmusique-10/ (thread with download links)
http://www.forbes.com/2005/03/28/cx_ah_0328tentech.html (story)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SharpMusique (explanation)
http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/29/pymusique-creator-says-it-was-all-about-getting-linux-for/ (article explaining PyMusique)





Related Topics:





iPod Access:

This file does not specifically cover Linux access to Apple iPods 
(the other major use of the iTunes application[1]), but here are six Linux apps
that do that well:

Amarok, http://amarok.kde.org/
Banshee, http://www.banshee-project.org/
Gtkpod, http://www.gtkpod.org/
Rhythmbox, http://www.gnome.org/projects/rhythmbox/
Songbird, http://www.songbirdnest.com/
YamiPod, http://www.yamipod.com/
  http://techlogg.com/content/view/371/40/ (comparison)
Listen media player, http://www.listen-project.org/ (is a DAAP client
only; no iPod access)




Streaming Servers for iTunes and compatible clients, using 
Digital Audio Access Protocol (DAAP):

(1) Firefly, formerly mt-daapd, is an open source digital audio server that
can stream your music library to iTunes.   (2) daapd scans a directory
for music files (mp3, aac, uncompressed) and makes them available via
the Apple proprietary protocol DAAP. DAAP clients can browse the
directory and retrieve individual files, either by streaming or by
downloading them.  (3) Get It Together (GIT) is a Java DAAP client/server 
backed up by an XML-based music library and the ability to access songs 
from iTunes/iPod music libraries. Based off of AppleRecords and One2OhMyGod.  
(4) Tangerine is an application that allows you to publish music over
the local network, using DAAP. It runs on Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X.
http://www.deleet.de/projekte/daap/ (daapd)
http://www.fireflymediaserver.org/ (Firefly Media Server)
http://sourceforge.net/projects/mt-daapd (Firefly devel. site)
http://getittogether.sourceforge.net/ (Get It Together)
http://www.snorp.net/log/tangerine/ (Tangerine)
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20030711140157143 (Firefly article)




Replace Apple's Firmware on Your iPod with Something Better:
Rockbox is an open source firmware for mp3 players, written from
scratch.  Rockbox aims to be considerably more functional and efficient
than your device's stock firmware while remaining easy to use and
customizable. [...]  (You can also dual-boot.)
http://www.rockbox.org/ 





[1] The Apple iTunes application is
a DAAP network client
a digital music player, with "smart" playlists and play count tracking
an AAC and MP3 encoder
a CDR-burner
an iPod-manager
a song-ratings system
a client for online information services about music tracks
a search facility for music tracks