Hello Ray, When Apple started iPod and the iTunes music store, the music industry still had a strangle-hold on digital music distribution. iTunes was one of the first companies to get the music industry to cooperate in digital music downloading. At that time, the record industry was still focused on everyone needing to purchase CDs of music. Apple's deal was that Apple would strictly regulate where the music could be played (DRM). After a couple years, the music industry started allowing Apple to sell non-DRM music files.
As for iPods, the agreement was, and probably still is, iTunes would strictly manage what the iPod (iPhone and iPad included) music player can play. This has not changed. Therefore, you can only play music using the iOS built-in music player, which you have loaded through iTunes on a computer, or through the iTunes Store App on your iPhone. It should be noted that iTunes Music Match permits up to 25,000 songs which were not purchased through iTunes, to be placed on your iPhone through the phone's iTunes Store App. Music Match costs $25 per year. There are, of course, many other options. Several apps in the App Store play all of the music file types which are supported on the iPhone. These apps usually can even access your music which was loaded on your iPhone via iTunes. They cannot place music into the iPhone / iPod music player songs list because this would violate Apple's agreements with the music industry. Note: I use music industry as a catch-all phrase to refer to the various record companies. The iPhone can play the m4a music format. It does not need to be converted. The only major music file type I know of that iPhone native music player cannot play is wma (Windows Media) file format. I do not know why, but suspect this is either political between MS and Apple, or MS requires a licensing fee that Apple refuses to pay. David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA Email: [email protected] Mobile: +64 21 2288 288 Sent from my iPhone On 01/05/2013, at 16:36, "Ray T. Mahorney" <[email protected]> wrote: > After making progress with 911 scanner and tune in radio, I gave in to my > curiosity about > downloading music. Found an album and downloaded it through the phone. > Oops! Maybe? Looking at > the extensions they were M4A. Was there something I missed and would they > have downloaded as MP3 had > I downloaded them through the craptop? Thinking about it this may be one > where apple arbitrarily > decided "we're apple and we know what's best for you." So, How can they be > converted with as little > loss of fidelity as possible? The subjective element of that question is do > they need to be? > > > Ray T. Mahorney > WA4WGA > > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" Google > Group. > To search the VIPhone public archive, visit > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/viphone?hl=en. > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "VIPhone" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" Google Group. To search the VIPhone public archive, visit http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/viphone?hl=en. --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "VIPhone" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
