Apple has recently added support for the Apple Lossless format to its iTunes Producer 1.4 app that is distributed to and used exclusively by record labels/music publishers to encode and send their song titles to Apple for inclusion in their iTunes Music Store.
Is this a harbinger of Apple offering Apple Lossless downloads in iTunes Music Store or just a way to get all the masters from record labels in a lossless format in case Apple in the future wants to convert to another format without transcoding from the 128k AAC Masters they currently have from the record labels?
I think it is likely that Apple might be eyeing supporting AACPlus (HE-AAC v2) or another format in the future to cut down on bandwidth expenses for movie/music file downloads.
Unfortunately, from this article linked to below, it appears that Apple didn't have the foresight to get masters of songs/albums in a lossless format already from music labels and will now have to go back to music publishers and get everything again in lossless format for whatever they are planning (AACPlus, selling lossless downloads in the future, etc).
Article link:
http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1834
A discussion about this topic (Apple Lossless in iTunes Producer and iTunes Music Store) can be found on the following:
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=211176
http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/9970/
http://episteme.arstechnica.com/eve/ubb.x?...ica.com&x_ddp=Y
Your thoughts?
Full Version: Apple Lossless format coming to iTunes Music Store?
From the article: "Although the ACC format also produces tracks with a quality rivaling that of uncompressed CD audio, it does so to a lesser extent than the Apple Lossless format." I don't think I'd trust this author. 
We can only guess why they would now allow publishers to (optionally) send Lossless. It's very possible some speciality content might be offered for sale in Lossless.
We can only guess why they would now allow publishers to (optionally) send Lossless. It's very possible some speciality content might be offered for sale in Lossless.
OH Boy - IF - although I don't believe it, but still think it would be the second big breakthrough (itunes success being the first one) in legal online music selling - I'd be in for it. I'd finally use itunes to actually buy music not just preview it and then go out and buy CDs!
I mean, it is about time that someone starts selling losless music - bandwidth and hardware is getting faster and cheaper whereas the average (losless) music file stays at the same size.
On the other hand - Apple's clearly in the lead, maybe they just hold something like this back until Microsoft has closed in (that is - if they ever do) - just to let MS eat some more dust shortly thereafter?!
We shall see... I'm waiting...
[EDIT: removed accidential quote]
I mean, it is about time that someone starts selling losless music - bandwidth and hardware is getting faster and cheaper whereas the average (losless) music file stays at the same size.
On the other hand - Apple's clearly in the lead, maybe they just hold something like this back until Microsoft has closed in (that is - if they ever do) - just to let MS eat some more dust shortly thereafter?!
We shall see... I'm waiting...
[EDIT: removed accidential quote]
QUOTE(grommet @ Jun 22 2006, 14:42) 
From the article: "Although the ACC format also produces tracks with a quality rivaling that of uncompressed CD audio, it does so to a lesser extent than the Apple Lossless format." I don't think I'd trust this author.
We can only guess why they would now allow publishers to (optionally) send Lossless. It's very possible some speciality content might be offered for sale in Lossless.
Actually the first part of the sentence is ok, the second is suspect
QUOTE(grommet @ Jun 22 2006, 15:42)
From the article: "Although the ACC format also produces tracks with a quality rivaling that of uncompressed CD audio, it does so to a lesser extent than the Apple Lossless format." I don't think I'd trust this author.
What's funnier, the author is also saying that the quality of Apple Lossless is less than that of uncompressed CD audio.
QUOTE(greynol @ Jun 22 2006, 15:33)
QUOTE(grommet @ Jun 22 2006, 15:42)
From the article: "Although the ACC format also produces tracks with a quality rivaling that of uncompressed CD audio, it does so to a lesser extent than the Apple Lossless format." I don't think I'd trust this author.
What's funnier, the author is also saying that the quality of Apple Lossless is less than that of uncompressed CD audio.
QFT!
freak393... as mentioned a few times, there is a vendor that sells "big label" content in Lossless format. (MS-DRM, of course.) http://www.musicgiants.com I doubt it's doing very well...
QUOTE(grommet @ Jun 23 2006, 05:33)
freak393... as mentioned a few times, there is a vendor that sells "big label" content in Lossless format. (MS-DRM, of course.) http://www.musicgiants.com I doubt it's doing very well...
Never heard of them... Currently, as it says on their website, one has to be US citizen, living in the US (support for international buyers they say - is coming).
Thanks for the hint though!
The reason I said I would buy losless is mainly because there are so many artitsts / albums of whom / which I only want one song or two, so that it would much cheaper that way. On the other hand I would still want those files to be of the "original" quality.
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