iTunes Match: Is it For You?

iTunes Match has now officially launched with the new version of iTunes. It’s a paid service, but it could be very helpful for Apple users. Here’s a quick rundown of this new offering from Apple.

What’s it Cost?

$24.99 for a full year, which is pretty cheap in the grand scheme of things. I spend way more than this on music every year. Right now I’m spending $10 a month for Spotify premium, although I don’t actually own any songs from subscribing to this service.

What Are the Features?

iTunes Match allows you to do several things. Here’s a quick rundown:

– “Match” tracks with high-quality versions. iTunes will now automatically take tracks (regardless of whether you’ve bought them from iTunes or not) and match them with high-quality files from the iTunes library. When it makes a match, the best version of the song is uploaded to the Cloud. There’s about 20 million songs in the iTunes catalog, so there’s a good chance most tracks will be paired. If no match is made, Match simply sends the version you already own instead.

– Sync playlists on the Cloud. This is handy so you can access both your files and playlists when you’re on the go. No need to hook up your iOS device to your computer. Match and the Cloud handle this automatically. Music is backed up, too, for safe keeping off of your hard drive.

– Multiple devices. You can sync iTunes Match with up to 10 devices, which should cover the vast majority of iUser’s devices.

– Past purchases are available. This is a feature that I particularly like, as any iTunes purchases I’ve deleted in the past (on purpose or not) are not available for re-download. This didn’t used to be the case as any deleted past purchases were unrecoverable before.

Who’s it for?

Anyone that’s an iTunes user.

I can see this being especially handy for iPhone users, as Match allows you to download from the Cloud to your phone when you’re on the go.

This service isn’t really necessary if you don’t have much music on iTunes and prefer to use Pandora or another service instead. If you don’t have an iTouch or iPhone, this service probably isn’t as useful for you, either.

Will I buy it?

I haven’t purchased it yet, but I’m still considering it. I’m all about new music services this year. I absolutely love Spotify and I’m a paid member for that. As long as I have Spotify I’m not really sure there’s a need for iTunes Match since I can upload anything I want to the Spotify cloud anyway.

However, one alluring part is the ability to sync music from iTunes to my new iPhone over the Cloud instead of having to plug my phone in to my laptop.

Even though it’s offered as a backup service, I’m pretty diligent about backing up my MacBook to an external hard drive already.

Overall, the $25 price tag is pretty inexpensive and probably worth it for anyone that’s serious about listening to music with iTunes. It’s definitely not essential (like most things from Apple) but it can make life and enjoying music more convenient.

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photo by: labnol