How to Find a Song’s File Type in iTunes and macOS Music? Songs from your library itunes they may sound essentially the same as they are all audio files. But if you look closely, you’ll find that while many songs are the same audio file type, others differ in important ways.
How the songs differ can determine where you get them from and what you can do with them.
The instructions in this article apply to version 12 of iTunes, released originally in 2014.
How to Find a Song’s File Type in iTunes and macOS Music?
The process of identifying a song’s file type is almost identical in both itunes as in the music apps from macOS Katherine (10.
- Open iTunes or Music and navigate to your music library.
– In itunes, click on songs under the Library section on the left when you are in the Library tab.
– In Music, to select songs in the Library section of the left panel. - Right-click on the song title in your library to open the options menu.
- To select Obtain information.
In iTunes, the command is called Song Info.
- Click on the File tab.
- The kind of archive appears next to Type.
The Most Common File Types in iTunes and Music
The file type of the song depends on its origin. Songs copied from a CD appear in itunes depending on import settings (usually as AAC or MP3 files). the purchased songs in the iTunes Store, Amazon or Manzana Music they can be something else altogether. Below are some of the most common file types found in an iTunes library and what it means each:
- AAC audio file: A standard AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) file comes from converting an MP3 or ripping a song from a CD using iTunes’ built-in AAC encoder. AAC is the successor to MP3.
- Paired AAC audio file: a standard AAC audio file, except your computer or iOS device downloaded it from your iCloud account using iTunes Match.
- Apple Music AAC audio file: a standard AAC file, except Apple Music. added it to their library. This type of file has certain digital rights management (DRM) restrictions, such as the requirement to have an active subscription to Apple Music. If you cancel your subscription, you will lose access to the song. You also cannot burn Apple Music songs to a CD.
- MPEG audio file: a standard MP3 file, the classic digital audio format. You may have downloaded it from the web or iTunes may have ripped the song from a CD using iTunes’ built-in MP3 encoder.
- Protected AAC audio file: This was the default file type for songs that users purchased from the iTunes Store before the introduction of the DRM-free iTunes Plus format in April 2009. Protected, in this case, means DRM restricts it to authorized devices with the Apple ID used. to buy the song. This restriction prevents the song from being copied or shared.
- Purchased AAC audio file: A purchased AAC file is what becomes a protected AAC file when upgraded to iTunes Plus format. These files no longer have DRM-based copy restrictions. All iTunes Store songs sold after April 2009 are in purchased DRM-free AAC audio file format.
Can purchased music be shared?
Not only is it illegal to share the music (and it takes money out of the pockets of the musicians who made it), but there are elements in the files VAC protections that allow record companies to know who has illegally shared a song.
AAC/iTunes Plus Songs protected to have information that identifies the user who purchased and shared the song by name. if you share your Music and the record companies want to hunt you down and sue you for breaking the copyright, It would be easier.
An exception to this rule is music you share between family members who are set up as part of Family Sharing. This kind of music sharing will not lead to any Legal issue.
